A Letter from Sandra

Dear Vantage West Members,

As an Arizona credit union, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to serve such a diverse Membership that is representative of the communities in our service area. We are also keenly aware that each one of you has unique financial needs. As your credit union, we are committed to continuously offering customized resources that will enable you to meet your individual financial needs and overcome any financial challenges you might face.

In this magazine, we take a closer look at some of the financial obstacles faced by our Members who have been marginalized and historically overlooked by big banks. We share a feature article on how Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) businesses have overcome financial adversity in a thriving and supportive community in Phoenix’s East Valley, where we’ve recently expanded.

We also give you a glimpse of a mural displayed at our corporate office, which serves as a reminder of the diverse Membership we serve and as an inspiration for our employees to celebrate the diversity that each one of you contributes to the credit union. As an added treat, we share an intriguing behind-the-scenes story about the artist, who speaks of his strong connection to the credit union movement and Vantage West.

Finally, we spotlight Food Conspiracy Co-op, a business located in the heart of Tucson’s Downtown district and connect our credit union co-op values with those of co-ops across AZ. Between the feature articles, we share tips to help you understand your credit score and information on how you can build or improve your credit. We also share best practices for ensuring you don’t fall victim to financial scams. And, if you are a business owner facing hiring challenges, we have a few tips to help you recruit top candidates for those open positions.

You’ll also want to be sure to read the Q&A article with Andrew Downin, our Chief Marketing
& Digital Officer, where he outlines some of the Member benefits available to you through Vantage West. He also reiterates how the credit union is distinctly different from banks and why that is significant to you.

Whether you’ve been with Vantage West for many decades, or you just recently joined us, we are here to serve you. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Member Magazine.

Thank you for being part of Vantage West!

Sincerely,

Sandra Sagehorn-Elliott

President/CEO