The Diamond North Credit Union celebrated the end of a five year project in the making with a grand re-opening of its Nipawin branch and headquarters.
“Our commitment to our members and to our communities is first and foremost,” said Maurice Lalonde, the credit union’s president, at the re-opening ceremonies Oct. 19. “We believe that this building project is a renewal of that commitment, with all of the enhancements and state-of-the-art technology in this building.”
John Shenher, the chief executive officer of the credit union, said he felt proud as he spoke about the renovations, which are expected to have cost around the $5.1 million mark, and was thinking about all of the work it took to make it possible.
“This is a really important day. It means a lot to the service we’ll be able to provide for the future.”
The new building features more privacy for members, cash recyclers to deal with cash quickly and accurately, a bright and cheery decor, enough space to allow for expansion for at least the next ten years, and photos of local scenery taken by the employees. The mechanical, electrical and technological systems of the building were updated, with some components replaced that were 40 years old.
The process to renovate the building began in 2012. Back then, the building, which had major renovations in 2001, was designed to serve an one-branch credit union, but mergers in 2006 and 2008 meant that it became the headquarters for an eight-branch credit union. Options on the table included adding a second floor or purchasing an outside building.
“We decided to have an assessment done as to how we were using our current space and found out that we did not need to add more square feet, we needed to use the space we had more efficiently,” Shenher told the audience.
Many of the executives were moved to the basement, which wasn’t used before the renovations. In 2001, there were 32 employees with no one in the basement. Now, there are 49 employees with 22 working in the lower levels.
Once the credit union decided how it was going to renovate, it announced its plans in January 2016.
“It seems but a very short time ago that the Diamond North Credit Union announced plans for a major project and here we are today,” said Rennie Harper, Nipawin’s mayor. “We’ve been pleased to support the project and to acknowledge that a multi-million dollar project certainly deserves celebration.”
