Deborah Clark took a behind-the-scenes tour of the new branch of the University of South Florida (USF) Federal Credit Union (FCU) last month, and it left her eager to share the new facility with the rest of New Tampa.
“It’s beautiful,’’ says Clark, who is the chief marketing officer for the USF FCU.
On Monday, the New Tampa branch, located at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Imperial Oak Blvd., in the Trout Creek area in front of Winn-Dixie, opened for business.
The Grand Opening is Nov. 15.
It won’t be fully functional until the end of the year, however. While the retail side of the branch will be ready to accommodate customers, Clark says that will be “just the beginning,” as other departments, like the contact center, collections and lending and real estate teams move in from their current location on the USF campus.
“By the end of the year, everything will be there,’’ Clark said. “We’re moving a lot of different departments to that location.”
While the USF FCU has six other branches off campus, the New Tampa location is the first standalone off-campus branch. The location, Clark says, was chosen in part to service an area that is rich in USF employees, students and alumni. She says roughly 5,200 alumni living within three miles of the new location.
“We have a lot of faculty and staff that live in this area as well, and going back from here to the university might as well be like going to St. Petersburg, so this is going to be a nice hub for us,’’ USF FCU President and CEO Rick Skaggs said at last year’s groundbreaking.
The two-story, 12,300-sq.-ft. credit union features an open-architecture feel, and has a community meeting room that Clark says can host large events with up to 30 people. The larger credit union also will be able to expand its services.
“We think our customers are absolutely going to love it,’’ she says.
The USF FCU was chartered in 1959 for staff and faculty, and started serving students in 1990. It has more than $500 million in assets, more than 130 employees and lends in excess of $100 million per year. The New Tampa branch is located at 20610 BBD Blvd. For additional information, visit USFFCU.org or call (813) 569-2000.