Value employees, and they’ll value customers
Jose Rodriguez arrived to Shell Federal Credit Union 25 years ago — well before the financial crisis and the digital push that would soon reshape his industry.
He became CEO just before the market crashed in 2008, the first in a string of challenges that would demonstrate his commitment to keeping operations thriving no matter the circumstances. It was also the first in a series of opportunities to prove his commitment to establishing a workplace culture that, day in and day out, made employees feel valued professionally and personally.
Ten years later, Shell Federal Credit Union, based in Deer Park, has earned the No. 1 spot this year among midsize companies in the Houston Chronicle's annual Top Workplaces survey. The company, established in 1937, employs about 275 people in the Houston area.
“Being in an environment where you feel supported and appreciated is wonderful,” one employee wrote in an anonymous survey. “The family atmosphere is unlike any other workplace I have been.”
Credit unions are nonprofit, membership-based institutions that offer loans, mortgages and other financial products. They generally charge lower fees and interest than conventional banks.
Shell Federal has grown quickly under Rodriguez, who began working at the institution as a part-time teller in the 1990s. He rose through the ranks and became CEO at a time when the company had only three branches.
Now, it serves more than 83,400 members in 10 Houston-area locations. The institution last year began managing more than $1 billion in assets, Rodriguez said, a milestone within the credit union industry.
It’s an especially significant achievement as other credit unions shrink or close, challenged by the increasing costs of regulatory compliance in the wake of the financial crisis and pressure to offer new technology to better compete with larger banks.
Rodriguez said he and his team remained focused on finding new growth opportunities and enhancing operations with digital services. But he believes that the credit union’s high level of service is the single most important factor in distinguishing it from its peers, and he and his team have continually invested in building a staff committed to that objective.
“A lot of our business is based upon relationships, and it takes human interaction to have those relationships,” he said.
About six years ago, Rodriguez attended a program offered through Discover Leadership Training, a Houstonbased organization focused on business development. Rodriguez said it had such an effect on his perspective that he and the board chose to enroll the management team in a program and bring a classroom-style lesson to the credit union offices.
“That’s the type of investment we’ve made in our staff,” he said. “It’s been a springboard for the huge amount of growth and success that we’ve had.”
Employees agree. More than 100 of them submitted comments explaining why they loved their jobs, emphasizing the positive, family-like workplace culture.
“I have been given everything that I need to succeed at Shell Federal Credit Union,” one employee wrote. “I feel valued here, because I know that my opinion will be heard.”