Ideal Credit Union named Best Places to Work

Landing its first Best Places to Work award is Woodbury-based Ideal Credit Union, where leadership believes being an award-winning workplace is about offering an "ecosystem of purpose, values, leadership and service."

As part of that effort, one focus for Ideal is giving back to the community. It has a number of programs — including CU Forward, Ideal Feeding Communities Initiative, and Casual for a Cause — that engage staff in community work and build a feeling of purpose, connectedness and service.

For more about why this company is a BPTW, we asked President and CEO Brian Sherrick: 
In the office, work from home or hybrid: What works best for your company? At Ideal Credit Union, we have a dynamic work environment that’s built to serve our members with employees who work on-site, hybrid and remote. A large portion of our teams work in-person at our branch locations as tellers, personal bankers and wealth managers. The way we work is a direct reflection of all the ways Ideal Credit Union is dedicated to providing personalized financial services for our members, while providing well-being and flexibility for our teams.

What or who drives employee engagement at your company? I believe employee engagement begins with leadership and values. Credit unions believe in the “people serving people” philosophy. As CEO, it’s my job to serve my team by understanding what they need to serve our members and grow the business. When my teams see that I’m authentically committed, they engage and share that commitment.

What’s a new employee benefit, amenity or company policy you’ve launched in the past 12 months? Ideal Credit Union offers free and unlimited primary health care through Nice Healthcare. Nice is accessible online and offers our teams fast, easy access to virtual medical appointments, prescriptions and more. The new Ideal Advantage program was recently launched for all credit union members (including employees, most of whom are members). It’s our new perk designed to reward members for active participation in the credit union. Members are rewarded with annual payouts (patronage) based on their use of Ideal Credit Union products and services: loans, savings, checking, investments, debit and credit cards.

Is there a custom, practice or celebration unique to your company? Our employees are very committed to the “people serving people” philosophy and generously serve the community. It’s special to be part of and really cultivates that sense of community between Ideal, our members, and the communities where we all live and work. Ideal Credit Union teams regularly volunteer at Valley Outreach in Stillwater providing emergency food support. Ideal volunteers run the annual Brain Tumor 5K. Ideal’s quarterly Casual for a Cause program collects and awards thousands of dollars annually to community groups to support their work.