“Everywhere we go, we hear, ‘Redwood Credit Union? We love you!’” —Brett Martinez
Redwood Credit Union (RCU) is a local, not-for-profit financial institution, focused on people, not profits, with 18 branch locations throughout the North Bay and San Francisco. RCU offers full-service banking to its 225,000 members, which includes free checking, savings and deposit accounts, auto and home loans, credit cards, free online and mobile banking, business services, commercial and SBA lending, financial management and retirement planning, auto sales and insurance services serving both consumers and businesses.
According to President/CEO Brett Martinez, the biggest difference between a bank and a credit union is that, “We’re not a for-profit entity, therefore we’re able to return earnings back to our members and the community. Our job is to provide the best service and the most value to all 225,000 of our members while assuring that the credit union is safe and sound for the future.” He goes on to emphasize the key to success is RCU’s 400 passionate and dedicated staff: “When people ask about our success, I always point to our employees and our passion for service.”
The recent recession has been difficult for people, and Martinez is happy to report the credit union didn’t downsize or reduce service to members. “When other institutions stopped lending, we continued, which really helped people and businesses in our communities survive the recession,” he says. “Redwood Credit Union came out of the recession stronger than we went into it, from a financial and service standpoint. We’re very proud of that.”
RCU is committed to giving back to the communities it serves in a variety of ways, including supporting nonprofits and community groups as well as promoting financial education and wellness. To support this commitment, it’s created the RCU Community Fund to raise funds for financial literacy and wellness programs, helping people of all ages learn essential money management skills and support financial wellness, including local job and economic vitality programs.
A proud member of the GoLocal Cooperative in Sonoma County, RCU encourages members and the community to buy from locally owned manufacturers, retailers and restaurants as a way to improve our local economy.
RCU is committed to the environment and Earth-friendly practices. “Simply put, we believe in doing the right thing, so we practice and encourage green-friendly efforts that contribute to a healthy and sustainable environment for all,” says Martinez. This includes offering a variety of paperless banking options, discounts on energy-efficient auto loans and, coming this year, a solar loan to help homeowners finance solar panels.
Recognized for its green/sustainable efforts, RCU has received many awards including silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its Santa Rosa administrative office, a Sonoma County Business Environmental Alliance (BEA) best practices award, a city of Santa Rosa Environmental Champions award, North Bay Business Journal ’s Top Projects of 2007, Green Reuse Category, and is recognized by the California Credit Union League for Socially Responsible Practices. RCU has an internal committee for sustainable practices that reviews, recommends and encourages green practices in the workplace.
Martinez recognizes that RCU is a lot of things to a lot of people but believes, “We’re ultimately here to make a difference in our members’ lives. We constantly listen to our members, because we want to understand their needs so we can improve our service to them.” He’s proud to report, “Everywhere we go, we hear, ‘Redwood Credit Union? We love you! I can’t tell you how much that means to us.’”
