Valued employees serve valued customers
Jose Rodriguez joined Shell Federal Credit Union in 1993 and became president and CEO in August 2008.
He has overseen the growth of the institution throughout the Houston area and helped guide its digital evolution while remaining committed to cultivating relationships with customers. He takes the most pride in his employees and the positive workplace environment they maintain.
His company recently received a Workplaces Managers Award, as determined by Energage, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm that surveyed a multitude of companies for the Houston Chronicle’s annual Top Workplaces section. Rodriguez recently spoke with the Chronicle.
Q: How would you describe your institution to someone who is unfamiliar with the distinction between a bank and a credit union?
A: We are a financial institution, but we are different from the banking side in that we are nonprofit. Our members are not just customers. They have to qualify for membership. Even though we offer the same types of products and services as a traditional bank, oftentimes they come in at a lower cost to the member, or the customer. They might get cheaper rates on their loans, or their deposit accounts might pay higher dividends, or you might pay lower fees than you’d pay in a traditional banking organization.
Q: In the 10 years since
you’ve been CEO, how has the industry changed?
A: These days, it seems like if you’re not growing, you’re dying. When I started 25 years ago, there were over 10,000 credit unions in the U.S. Now, there are 6,000 credit unions. Our industry is shrinking, either because of small credit unions that fail or the challenge of trying to keep up with new regulations and laws, especially as a result of the financial crisis that happened 10 years ago. Compliance has gotten more expensive.
You’ve also got to be able to keep up with changes in technology because those are the things that the big megabanks are offering. We have to be able to offer those kinds of things to stay relevant and to sustain our organization.
Q: Where would you like to see the institution in five or 10 years?
A: I’ll say that we’ll continue to invest in our branch expansion where it makes sense, and you have to have people to run a branch.
There has been a big push in the industry to move to a self-service type of environment in the branches similar to what you see at grocery stores with a self-service grocery line. We are aware of that, and we are measuring how much we want to dive into that because a lot of our success in our business is based upon relationships.
Q: How does that influence your workplace culture?
A: We promote a lot of positivity here. It’s in the front office where the members can see it and the back office and even in the employee break room.
Years ago, our board said they wanted us to be an employer of choice. They wanted employees to want to be here, engaged and excited about what we do. Happy, engaged employees meant that they were going to be more productive.
They also wanted us to have employees of choice. While it’s not a perfect science, we feel like we really have the best of the best in the employees that we hire.