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STEVE SWANSTROM PRESIDENT/CEO OF CENTRIS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
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UIET AND RESERVED, Steve
Swanstrom, Centris President/CEO, is just an everyday guy. Swanstrom is the man behind the curtain. He takes pride in the employees he has been charged with leading and shies away from the spotlight, letting staff take credit for Centris’ recent growth and success. He’s the type of leader who makes it a point to learn the names and faces of the 250 employees who work in Centris’ 13 locations, gets involved in community activities and engages with staff regularly. He trusts others to make the right decisions and in turn those who work with Swanstrom trust him. In the seven years Swanstrom has been at Centris, he has led the Mortgage, Retail Financial Services, Indirect Lending, and Business Financial Services areas. In 2014, he was announced as President of one of Nebraska’s oldest and largest memberowned credit unions. “We are local. There are few financial institutions that can say that today.” Swanstrom said. “Centris is focused on serving the financial needs of individual consumers and businesses in the markets we serve.”” Swanstrom continued, “I’m especially proud of the local growth of our indirect auto and mortgage lending areas that makes Centris more convenient for our members who are buying a home or a vehicle. It also makes Centris available to others in our community who may not know about Centris.”
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OmahaHome • July/August 2016
Setting a good example for staff, Swanstrom is also involved in the community serving as this year’s ALS Association’s Mid-America Chapter Walk Chairman and on the Better Business Bureau’s Advisory Board. He also serves on the Nebraska Credit Union League Board of Directors to help promote credit unions in the state of Nebraska. “I want consumers all across the state to know the value and benefits of belonging to their local credit union. Fifty percent of consumers have no idea about what a credit union is and if they can even belong. We have a great story to share,” Swanstrom said.
“My goal as President and CEO is to see Centris continue striving to be the best that it can be. We have a great foundation that we will continue to build on”
“My goal as President and CEO is to see Centris continue striving to be the best that it can be. We have a great foundation that we will continue to build on,” Swanstrom said. While Steve aspired to be president of a bank or credit union in his career, it was a long term goal that happened sooner that he thought it would. Despite this, he has a vision for Centris’ future. “Our biggest challenges in the next five years will be increased competition and staying relevant in a very crowded marketplace. We compete against local, national, and online institutions that have no local presence. What sets Centris apart from these competitors is our active involvement in the communities we serve.
Our employees volunteer thousands of hours of personal time to community events. Everything we do, every dollar we earn, gets reinvested in our local communities for the benefit of our members. This is often in the form of new technology, new locations, new products and services or an expansion of those services like an ATM network.” Swanstrom knows that anytime access is important to serving the needs of those who bank with Centris. Steve and wife Courtenay have a 16 year old daughter that keeps them busy and on the go. Like many Centris members, 24/7 access to banking products and services is important to the Swanstrom family. “Even though Centris has twelve convenient branch locations, we must be able to provide a broad based suite of products and services that our members need anytime day or night. In an ever changing environment, it is important to continually evaluate the credit union’s products and services to determine if they are still relevant. We need to continually stay in tune with our members’ needs if we expect Centris to grow and remain a viable financial institution in the future,” he said. Centris opened their 12th branch office in Council Bluffs in June and will break ground for their 13th branch office in 2017 at 195th & Harrison. “For those who don’t bank at Centris, I would invite you to give us a try. Stop by for a financial review and ask us how we can save you money. Our goal is to save you time and money to maximize your financial well-being.” Content provided by Centris Federal Credit Union.