Member Spotlight: Joanne Robidoux

CUNA Lending Council
August 24, 2009 | COMMENTS

Joanne Robidoux is president of Goldmark Federal Credit Union in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

She started her financial career 33 years ago as a part-time, 16-year-old teller. About ten years later she stopped working full-time to raise three children. By the time she returned to the industry full-time “it was starting to evolve into more of a sales and service culture, which I thoroughly enjoyed,” she says. “I could not learn enough and enjoyed challenging myself with sales opportunities.”

During this time period banks were merging and “before long I had worked for five banks in five years,” she says. A short time later Joanne took her 28 years of banking experience and joined the credit union movement. “It's been fantastic, caring about the members and not just the numbers,” she adds. “Really taking the time to get to know the members and welcoming them in as family was refreshing. I felt like I found my home.”

Biggest challenge

Having one office, keeping competitive in a difficult marketplace, and keeping marketing new and different.

Best advice

Do not dwell on what your competition is doing; do what you do best and let everyone know it!

Greatest Council benefit

Everyone sharing ideas and making you feel like you belong to something much bigger.

Best part of my job

Having the opportunity to make a difference, whether it is for a member, employee, or community organization.

Hardest part of my job

Not always attaining the goals I set for myself and the credit union.

Success story

I am proud of my teller team—each person has assumed a project to help the credit union grow. As an example, Keo Conner is now our Student Educator, which means she goes to classrooms and teaches kids how to save. Tanya Duffy is our Little Nugget program director. Our Little Nugget is a CD that you can start with as little as $100 for any term and pays the highest interest rate we offer at the time of opening. We partnered with our local high school to design the graphic we use in our campaigns. Tanya's teller window is also dedicated as our kids station with a treasure box from which they can choose a gift after making a deposit.

Biggest misconception about my job

People don't realize that I do service members and occasionally enjoy being a teller. I am very hands on and enjoy getting involved in every aspect of the office.

Hobbies and interests

Free time is precious, so I really enjoying spending it with my family. Walking on the beach and hiking in the woods with my dogs always refreshes the body and mind.

Recent book

The Secret.

Life goal not yet accomplished

Taking all my adult children on a well-deserved vacation and being together with no interruptions.

Favorite quote

“It is the size of one's will that determines success.”

How I would explain the credit union difference to a potential new member

As a member you will be one of the owners of the credit union and have equal say, whether you have $1 or $1,000,000 in your accounts. We give our profit back to the credit union in competitive products and services. We try to be profitable for the good of our membership, not to increase dividends for stockholders, the way a bank would.