Money management is so important right now, and Piedmont Advantage Credit Union takes its role as educator, friend, and number one financial cheerleader just as seriously. People come first here, period!
Like any healthy relationship, trust and communication are imperative, and here you’ll find both in plentiful supply, as well as inspiration to make your dreams come true! While they have served members since 1949, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union has seen their role evolve with the ever-changing technology industry and financial climates. The energy behind employees’ confidence in their solutions to members’ life events has never been more contagious! The company’s business journey began as the credit union partner of Piedmont Airlines, and now, in 2019, the Piedmont Advantage Credit Union team finds themselves enhancing lives through education, respect, and a constant dedication to one-on-one communication when it matters most.
As a member-owned financial institution, they are committed to the core value of members coming first. Besides offering the expected banking solutions including checking accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, auto loans, Share Certificates, IRAs, and more, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union proudly offers a Financial Wellness Learning Series, a free monthly program of learning opportunities for members. Empowering them with the tools they need for every financial stage of life is key in the member Financial Wellness Program. The program has seen over 2,000 members attend in-person retirement planning seminars, and also offers monthly financial webinars from the Piedmont Advantage Credit Union website. For the Forsyth Woman, knowledge is power, and keeping up-to-date with financial trends and opportunities is an invaluable tool for every family’s future. For this particular trio of dedicated women – valued Piedmont Advantage Credit Union team leaders who add a spark to the office every single day – meeting members’ needs and keeping their best interests at heart has been at the core of their professional journey since day one.
For University Branch Supervisor, April Young, whose knowledge in Piedmont Advantage’s solutions is stronger than ever, stand-out career moments include one-on-one coaching from managers to pursue her professional goals. She has witnessed the “credit union difference” up close and personal, knows it is absolutely life-changing, and is anxious to introduce new credit union members to what they’ve been missing
“I love helping people,” says April, who starts her day with meditation to let her ears and eyes be attentive to what her customers need that day. “There is a great sense of fulfillment when you can help change another person’s life.”
Having worked in a variety of departments, April has been grateful for the opportunity of flexible schedules, in order to obtain her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration. She now oversees a team of staff members who carry her commitment to serving members and the community, and appreciates the camaraderie when working through daily business challenges. “I strive every day to make a positive impact on each person that walks through our doors, visits the drive-through, or phones us,” she says.
Amy Latham, Branch and Community Development Manager, calls this place her second home.
“I have had the support of fellow employees and members through my most life-altering experiences,” says Amy. “I survived cancer, became a mother, and experienced the loss of my father with the support of my Piedmont Advantage Credit Union family. I believe in our credit union’s personal focus, and am proud of what I do.”
She embraces the idea of being a strong female role model, and while she started as a teller, she has been involved with nearly every department of the credit union since then. She credits her mother’s strong teaching spirit for the way she personally interacts with credit union members, and says both her parents taught her early on to find a career path that would make her proud.
“While in member services, I approached my interactions with our members by identifying the opportunity for them to gain their own financial knowledge,” says Amy. “I created the lending training course for all lenders when I was the first Consumer Underwriter for the credit union, and I was also the Learning Leader for our organization for several years, where I made it a priority to continue the development of an internal resource for all employees.” Through Amy’s experience, she has taken the philosophy of helping people to heart, and incorporated it into her personal life as an avid community volunteer. “The fact that we are not for profit and live out the philosophy of helping people every day – that is a blessing,” she says.
In her current role she works with her branch teams in listening and providing them with the guidance they need to feel confident and successful in their own roles. “I truly believe in the principle of the ‘why?’ When you understand the ‘why’ of helping people, you have the knowledge and the added confidence in what you are doing,” she says.
Angela Vincent’s career began at a smaller credit union when she was a newlywed and college student. She’s familiar with the financial challenges young couples and young professionals starting out face. With determination, dedication, and mentoring from some of the best in the business, she’s embraced the lifelong lessons of treating people with professionalism and kindness always! As she’s shifted gears – and departments – throughout her career, she’s quickly learned to adapt to new policies and procedures, always with steadfast integrity. “It was always fascinating to be a part of developing solutions for our members, and watch the membership’s use of them grow,” she says.
Angela was also part of the first merger credit union endeavor with Winston-Salem based Piedmont Aviation Credit Union – currently Piedmont Advantage Credit Union, of course. You can find this savvy Financial Services Officer (with the brightest smile!) in the Piedmont Advantage Credit Union Greensboro office.
Piedmont Advantage Credit Union team members recall countless scenarios where they have gone the extra mile to help a member, and been touched by the outcome themselves. One employee remembers working quickly, late in the business day, to secure a first-time auto loan for a local college student, allowing her to drive away from the branch in her first car! Another describes a recent chance encounter at a local airport when a credit union member recognized her. The member took the time to relay how much Piedmont Advantage Credit Union taking a chance on her for a loan roughly ten years ago had literally changed her entire life! A loan to consolidate her debt at the time had helped turn her less-than-perfect credit around, and put her on the road to a more solid financial future, and brought her to a comfortable place today.
For all Piedmont Advantage Credit Union employees, their work is about real lives, real people, real solutions, and a readiness to always be that positive, knowledgeable influence. Stop by to meet April, Amy, and Angela, and you’ll glimpse firsthand the spirit that is launching Piedmont Advantage Credit Union into an exciting future!
Serving local members in Winston-Salem, Eden, and Greensboro; with offices on the coast and across the Charlotte area, with its stronger-than-ever spirit of helping people, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union’s Winston-Salem branches are located at the following addresses:
Advantage Way Branch
3530 Advantage Way
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
University Branch
4997 Home Rd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Check them out at Pacu.com or reach them at 800-433-7228 to learn more about their business philosophy and financial services.
