It was more than a career milestone when Branch Manager Brandy Schloss and some of her colleagues opened the doors Tuesday at STCU's new Northtown Square Branch. It was a homecoming.
Schloss grew up in north Spokane and attended Rogers High School, as did Assistant Manager Brandon Wilhelm and Teller Specialist Viktoria Kolodrub. Business Services Officer Cheryl Conners is a graduate of Shadle Park, another north side high school.
"That was one of my biggest passions about this branch, to be back and involved in the community I love," said Schloss, who was raised in a home about 2 miles from her new office. She started her STCU career three years ago in the Main Branch, then became assistant manager at the Silver Lake Branch in Idaho.
Northtown Square is STCU's 14th branch, and the location is familiar if you ever bought a car from the Wendle auto group.
For 40 years, the family-owned dealership was at the corner of Division and Wellesley, across the street from Northtown Mall. Then, in 2008, the Wendle dealership completed a move to the North Division "Y", and now the Wellesley location is being transformed into a retail center, with Chud Wendle as the managing partner in Northtown Square LLC. The square will include STCU, Red Lobster, DSW Shoes, Dress Barn, Starbucks, and a variety of other businesses.
"The Wendle family has been doing business in Spokane since 1943, and Chud Wendle long has been recognized for community leadership and his work on behalf of youth," said STCU President and CEO Steve Dahlstrom. "STCU got its start even earlier, and also takes pride in its community involvement. So this pairing is a natural."
For his part, Wendle said, "STCU's brand recognition, reputation and dedication to our community adds tremendous value and credibility to NT Square."
Northtown Square businesses are sure to get lots of attention. More than 70,000 cars a day travel Division and Wellesley, and together they form the busiest intersection in Spokane.
"It's a business hub," said Patsy Gayda, STCU Director of Branch Operations. "There's a lot of synergy there, a lot of activity. We think that's going to be a busy branch just from the get-go."
STCU's Northtown Square Branch anchors the north end of the main retail suites, with three lanes of drive-through banking, the outer one with a 24-hour ATM. There's also a 24-hour shared branch kiosk in the vestibule.
Inside the 3,400-square-foot branch are earth-friendly touches, like recycled carpet, metal, fabric and glass. It will be a full-service branch, with Mike Hadley as Real Estate Officer, and Cheryl Connors as Business Services Officer.
Research indicates there are more than 36,000 individual addresses within three miles of Northtown Square, including more than 5,000 households with STCU members.
Until now, most of those members primarily used STCU's Main Branch, followed by the North Branch. This gives them a convenient alternative, and will undoubtedly draw new members from the 200,000 people who live within five miles of the branch.
Northtown Square is the second STCU branch to open this year. The Bonner County Branch opened in January in Ponderay, Idaho, a short distance north of Sandpoint.
Staff at the Liberty Lake Branch recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.
