Pelican State Credit Union ($347.8 million in assets) merged with St. Jules Credit Union ($10.2 million) in December 2017, welcoming four employees, 2,627 members and a branch in Lafayette, Louisiana, to its financial family. Knowing that St. Jules CU had a vibrant heritage, Pelican uniquely sought to preserve and champion its story.
The Grand Opening Celebration of Pelican’s new St. Jules branch took place on May 9, 2018, and included a crawfish giveaway and ribbon cutting ceremony. Over 150 members joined in the festivities as they dined on 500 pounds of crawfish, corn and potatoes and entered to win a 55-inch Smart TV.
Guests also enjoyed a “spaghetti supper” spin-off, similar to St. Jules CU’s traditional Annual Meeting menu, and the first look at a newly installed wall mural in the branch lobby featuring photos of the founders of St. Jules CU, the credit union’s logo and scenes from its early days.
St. Jules CU was formed in 1968 by the parishioners of the St. Jules Catholic Church parish, and it was housed in the church for many years. In 1998, the credit union opened its first and only branch, and it was blessed by St. Jules Church that year and throughout the years leading up to the merger. To continue this tradition, St. Jules Church Deacon Reggie Bollich blessed the branch prior to Pelican’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
On May 8, 2018, the evening preceding the Grand Opening Celebration, Pelican hosted a Financial Wellness Workshop at the St. Jules Church meeting hall, the original location of St. Jules CU. Pelican’s Director of Financial Outreach shared everything guests needed to know about credit reports and scores. This event was free and open to the entire community, and many guests applied to become Pelican members after the presentation.
Guests of the two events also took home a very special keepsake. Former St. Jules employees who are now members of the Pelican team, including Branch Manager Diane Lantier whose mother worked at the credit union for 30 years, shared their accounts of how St. Jules CU got its start and their personal stories intertwined with the credit union. These accounts were then compiled into a blog post and booklet released by Pelican. The booklet was printed and available at the Financial Wellness Workshop and Grand Opening Celebration.
Since 1998, the Select Employer Group-based credit union has been selected as a merger partner by 10 credit unions across Louisiana. “At Pelican, mergers are all about two families coming together to continue to serve credit union members and their communities. Whether our team is supporting a merger, providing free financial education or reviewing a loan, we are committed to listening to the whole story,” added Pelican CEO Jeffrey K. Conrad.
Pelican State Credit Union merged with St. Jules CU in December 2017 and has sought to preserve the credit union’s story. The newly installed mural in Pelican’s St. Jules branch lobby includes photos of the founders of St. Jules CU as well as the original logo .
Pelican State Credit Union celebrated the opening of their first Lafayette branch on May 9, 2018, with a crawfish giveaway and ribbon cutting ceremony. Over 150 members of Pelican joined in the festivities.
Deacon Reggie Bollich, a special guest at Pelican State CU’s Grand Opening Celebration, led the St. Jules branch blessing prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Pelican State Credit Union produced a special booklet about the history of St. Jules CU with accounts from former St. Jules employees who are now members of the Pelican team. This booklet was given as a keepsake to guests at Pelican’s Grand Opening Celebration and Financial Wellness Workshop in Lafayette.