Alaska USA Federal Credit Union: working to eliminate obstacles.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: 2016 CORPORATE 100: COMPANY PROFILE

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Alaska USA Federal Credit Union has been providing financial services in Alaska since before Alaska was a state, having been chartered in 1948. According to the company, "The fifteen founding members felt that local financial institutions were not adequately meeting the credit needs of the federal civil service personnel who had been recently transferred to Alaska.... Accordingly, the credit union was founded and members began pooling their savings and extending credit to one another, while volunteering their time to operate the credit union." The Alaska USA Board hired its first employee in 1959, the same year that Alaska became a state, and since then the company has expanded its services, service areas, and employees.

Employing Alaskans

According to Alaska USA President and CEO William Eckhardt, Alaska USA's strategy to finding and keeping a quality workforce is to offer "employees a professional workplace with competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package, as well as a wide variety of career, advancement, and training opportunities in communities across Alaska." Alaska USA reports that they have a worldwide total of 1,772 employees; of those 1,291--more than 70 percent--are Alaskans, a clear testament to the credit union's commitment to serve the state in which it formed.

"Accomplishing Alaska USA's objectives requires adherence to superior standards of performance at every level. Accordingly, each employee is an important member of the Alaska USA team," Eckhardt says. It naturally follows that Alaska USA is deeply invested in maintaining a positive relationship with all of its employees.

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Eckhardt says that maintaining this relationship is multifaceted: "Alaska USA is concerned for employees as individuals who have personal as well as professional lives; demonstrates an interest in the functions individuals perform and articulates to them the value of those functions; recognizes the achievements of each employee; makes every effort to contribute to each employee's development and knowledge through on-the-job training and education; and finally, establishes a structure where employees have a vested interest in the success of the organization achieving its service objectives."

Involved Leadership

Eckhardt himself has a long history with Alaska USA, as he's been the president and CEO of the company since 1979. Currently he serves the credit union in many capacities, as he is chairman of...