Featured Business: Enderby Jewellers

Local business matters to VantageOne, and it always has. We have been committed to helping grow our members, local businesses and communities since 1944. As part of our commitment to supporting local businesses, our commercial services team is highlighting some of our outstanding local business members. The featured business we are shining the spotlight on is Enderby Jewellers.

Tell us a bit about your business, and history.
Enderby Jewellers has become known as one of the North Okanagan’s favourite destination stops, specializing in personalized service for anyone looking for specific items. This year marks 72 years since they opened their doors for business. Judy became the third owner in 1991.        Judy says – “We are like three stores under one roof. We feature a full Jewellery Store with Canadian Diamonds being our specialty, a large giftware and collectible selection and a full engraving department – producing tophies, awards, signage, name badges, personalized gifts and more! This is why some customers began calling us the “Secret Store”. I love Enderby and feel so blessed to have been able to stay in the place where I grew up and went to school and now to have a successful business, it is great. The people are wonderful. It is a great community.

If you could give one piece of advice to new business owners or those thinking of starting a business what would it be?
My advice to anyone thinking of starting a new business here would be:  You need to be very knowledgeable of the product or service that you are wanting to provide.   Be prepared to treat your customers with respect and offer great customer service.  Get to know the community you are wanting to do business in. Get involved in the community activities.

How has VantageOne helped you start, succeed in or grow your business?
VantageOne has enabled me to renovate while carrying on my business and been there for me when I needed them. They know my business and offer great customer service, knowledge and respect the services I need, as a small business.

 

 

 

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AGM & Call for Director Nominations

Notice of Annual General Meeting

All members are invited to attend.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
7:30 pm
Prestige Hotel
4411 32nd Street, Vernon
Registration begins at 6:45 pm


Call for Director Nominations

Nominations are invited to fill two (2) vacancies on VantageOne Credit Union’s board of directors. Two (2) directors will serve a 3-year term, ending in 2023. Directors perform an important role in the credit union, especially in the shaping of policies and long-term objectives. To be eligible, candidates must be nominated by three (3) members or by the Nominating Committee. They also must be members, other than junior members, in good standing, at least twelve (12) months prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting, which is to be held on May 6, 2020.

Written nominations for the volunteer positions must be received no later than 3:00 pm, Wednesday, January 29, 2020.

2020 Nominations Package

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Financial Literacy: Meet Kristine

At VantageOne, we recognize the importance of Financial Literacy so much so that we actually have a special role dedicated to working with the schools and community groups in our region to improve their financial ability. Meet Kristine Lidstone, Financial Ability Liaison at VantageOne Credit Union.

Kristine started off working for credit unions right out of high school and started her 17 year career with VantageOne as a teller at our Main Branch and has worked in various positions throughout the organization including:

  • – Call Centre Representative (now Solutions Centre).
  • – As a Member Service Representative (MSR) in Armstrong for the opening of that branch.
  • – MSR and Account Manager (for seven years) at the Okanagan Landing Branch in Vernon.
  • – And she assisted with the opening of our Peachland branch.

In her role as Account Manager, she became very aware that our younger generation lacked basic knowledge in the area of everyday banking and credit that they needed in order to be successful at managing their own finances. It became her passion to improve the financial ability of those in the local communities and for over 17 years she has helped provide financial education workshops in the schools and for community organizations in Vernon, Armstrong & area. Kristine’s presentations are informative and fun and specifically tailored to the group she is presenting to, whether it is a Grade One class or Grade 12’s through to young adults and seniors. She is passionate about what she does and in high demand!

When Kristine isn’t at work you will likely find her out in the community walking her dogs, volunteering, watching hockey or enjoying time with her husband, three daughters, and two granddaughters.

Kristine offers digital and in-person presentations that are customized to your audience and needs. Connect with Kristine to learn more!

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2019 Excellence in Professional Service and Retail Award for Our Peachland Branch

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VantageOne’s Peachland Branch Recognized with the 2019 Excellence in Professional Service and Retail Award by the Peachland Chamber of Commerce

Peachland, B.C. – On October 19, 2019, the Peachland branch of VantageOne Credit Union was recognized with the 2019 Excellence in Professional Service and Retail Award at the Peachland Chamber of Commerce’s 23rd annual Business Excellence Awards. These awards recognize businesses, individuals and non-profit organizations that demonstrate professional excellence, outstanding customer service, entrepreneurship and a passion for the Peachland community.

“We are so thankful to have been recognized by the Peachland Chamber of Commerce with this year’s Excellence in Professional Service and Retail award,” says Lenka Anderson, Member Services Manager at VantageOne’s Peachland Branch. “We have made strong connections with the local community since opening in June 2017 and have built a reputation of being here to serve them as their trustworthy and knowledgeable financial professionals. The VantageOne vision is to provide our members and clients with an “extraordinary experience”, and to receive this award in recognition of our efforts in Peachland, is a great honour.”

“We are thrilled to have our team in Peachland recognized by the community for their dedication and service,” says Glenn Benischek, CEO of VantageOne Credit Union. “Our people are our difference, this is an honour that reinforces the strength of our team and our commitment to the community of Peachland.”

​For more information about the Peachland Chamber of Commerce and the Business Excellence awards, visit https://www.peachlandchamber.com/.

 

Founded in Vernon in 1944, VantageOne Credit Union has been providing financial services to communities in the Okanagan region for over 75 years. Since that time, we are proud to have become a vital part of the local economy with six branches across the region to serve our membership of over 11,000. We offer products and services ranging from consumer and commercial banking & borrowing solutions, wealth management and equipment leasing. As a proud local credit union with local decision making – we are dedicated to improving the financial ability of our members, clients, employees and communities through providing exceptional service with “a human touch”, advice, education and investment in our communities.
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Armstrong Open House: November 13th, 10am – 3pm

Come check out our open house!

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Apple Pay for your VOCU Credit Card is a fast, easy, and secure way to make purchases.

Apple Pay

Making purchases is easier than ever with your VantageOne Collabria credit card.

Collabria now offers Apple Pay™. No matter which way you pay, you will continue to earn eligible rewards, benefits and security.

Easy Checkout

There is no need to get your wallet out at the checkout line as no physical card is required for purchases! Touching your finger to your device lets you check out quickly with your Collabria credit card for both in-store and in-app purchases.

Protect Your Payments

When you use mobile payments, your credit card number is never saved or stored. Instead a token is created, replacing the actual credit card number with a special number for making payments with a one-time use security code. If you ever do have fraud on your card, you’re protected with Zero Liability protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay offers an easy, secure and private way to pay on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Collabria credit cards can be used with Apple Pay to pay on the go at merchants who accept contactless payments, in participating apps and on the web. Apple Pay will provide real-time notifications and details for your purchases when you use Apple Pay on iPhone or iPad.

Which cards and devices can use Apple Pay?
All Collabria credit cards are available for use with Apple Pay.

To use Apple Pay in-store, you must have an iPhone 6 or later or an Apple Watch that is paired with an iPhone 5 or later. To use Apple Pay for in-app payments, you must have an Apple Watch, iPhone SE, iPhone 6 or later, or iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 or later. You can also use Apple Pay on the web on supported iPhones, iPads or Macs.

Click here for the complete list of frequently asked questions or visit the Apple website.

Additional resources from Apple:

Collabria Apple Pay Terms and Conditions.

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75th Anniversary

On July 10, 2019 VantageOne celebrated our 75th Anniversary with member appreciation events at all of our branches and a big celebration in our Main Branch courtyard to kick-off our full year of celebrating 75 years!

The focus of our year long celebration is completing 75 Acts of Kindness in our communities. Some of the acts will be through our community sponsorship program, providing staff volunteers, free tent usage and through encouraging our staff and members to complete everyday tasks to add to our list like shoveling a neighbours driveway or buying a coffee for someone in line.

If you would like to be a part of our 75 Acts of Kindness, visit one of our 6 locations to select a card with an Act of Kindness on it and send us pictures to community@vantageone.net. Join us at our AGM in the spring (date to be announced soon!) to help us celebrate turning 75 and to check in on some of our Acts of Kindness so far. On July 10th, 2020 we will wrap up the year of celebrations and showcase our Acts of Kindness completed throughout the year!

Click here to learn more about our 75 Acts of Kindness completed so far!

 

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Website Refresh

VantageOne is excited to show off some of the new website changes we have been working on. You will notice that our homepage has a refreshed look with some added thumbnail images and new banners throughout the site.

Every change we make to the website is with you in mind – keeping the layout simple and streamlined to make it easy for you to find the information you need!

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What is an Intercepted e-Transfer you wonder?

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This occurs when a legitimate member sends an e-Transfer to someone they know. Criminals seize the opportunity to deposit the funds to a mule account before the intended recipient has the chance.  The interception is not caused by a vulnerability in MemberDirect or the Interac e-Transfer product, but rather because the recipient’s email account was accessed by a criminal. Once in that account, criminals can “see” the notification from Interac and use the deposit link to redirect funds into a different account by answering the security question.

 

Here are some tips to help protect yourself:  

  • Not communicate the answer to the security question via email.  Call and/or text the recipient with the password.
  • Select a question and answer that is not easy for a third party to guess.  If the notification is intercepted, it will be harder for a criminal to answer and steal the funds.
  • Be cautious not to click on any phishing links and ensure that they are only transacting with trusted websites, vendors and people.
  • Immediately notify their financial institution if they sense anything suspicious about their transaction.
  • Register for Autodeposit, this will make sending money on the e-Transfer service more secure!
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Featured Business: Nicholas Alexander

Local business matters to VantageOne, and it always has. We have been committed to helping grow our members, local businesses and communities since 1944.

As part of our commitment to supporting local businesses, our commercial services team is highlighting some of our outstanding local business members. This month we are shining the spotlight on Nicholas Alexander’s Home & Garden to share more about their business and how VantageOne Credit Union has helped them grow.

Tell us a bit about your business, and history.
Nicholas Alexander is a full service landscape design/build, landscape maintenance and Garden Centre firm! We offer a wide array of services which sets us apart from other companies! Nicholas Alexander Landscaping was started in the Fall of 2014 and has continued to grow from a three person operation to over 25 employees today. Since 2014 we added the addition of the Garden Centre, which opened the Spring of 2017. With years of experience between the staff member’s and the owner Nick, it also is run out of the same facility where Nicholas grew up in and his parents Scott & Juanita operated Art Knapp Plantland for nearly 30 years!

What do you love most about being in Vernon?
The ability to have the four seasons at our fingertips, Vernon has so much to offer and we are so close to everything! It is a growing community and people want to call Vernon their home, I think this is great for all business moving forward as it is such a desirable place to live! The small town community vibe continues to play a huge part for small business across Vernon!

If you could give one piece of advice to new business owners or those thinking of starting a business what would it be?
Be sure to really dig in, immerse yourself into the city and do your market research, know what your niche will be and go for it! Join the Chamber of Commerce, network and meet like minded people. Have a good bank that will stand behind you, work with you and grow with you!

How has VantageOne helped you start, succeed in or grow your business?
VantageOne has been a monumental step for us to grow our business. With the down to earth, small town personal touch they have been able to help us with our financial banking needs. By offering a one stop shop we were able to move our banking over successfully from a larger bank and were able to offer us so much more to help us grow our business! With our business growing so fast, they stepped in and made it happen!

To learn more about Nicholas Alexander’s Home & Garden, visit their website here: https://nicholasalexanderhomegarden.com/.

 

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