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Cyber café, digital surveillance cameras key elements for new credit union facility
By KERRY L. SMITH

   BETHALTO - Olin Community Credit Union's new headquarters stands as a testament to how commercial development can utilize thousands of hours of local skilled labor and stimulate the immediate economy.

   The 22,000-square-foot facility, designed and constructed by St. Louis-based HBE Corp., is the credit union's new administrative headquarters as well as the largest of its retail banking locations. Olin Community Credit Union President Don Reedy said 60 employees now work at the site.

   But in addition to the creation of these positions, work performed by an array of local subcontracting firms from Bethalto and nearby Alton, Wood River and other cities is visible in the facility's construction.

   "We're thrilled with how HBE planned, coordinated and executed this project," credit union Vice President Perry Withers said. "HBE made a real effort to involve our local trades people, and we salute that." Wood River-based RCS Construction Inc. completed the concrete work, Alton-based Central Electric Contracting Inc. did the wiring and Kane Mechanical of Wood River installed the heating/cooling systems and the plumbing, Withers said.

   Bethalto Glass Inc. installed the glass. One of the facility's striking characteristics, HBE Corp. Senior Vice President Tom Lombardo said, is its generous use of glass to create an abundance of natural light.

   "The local subcontractors were outstanding," Lombardo said. "They demonstrated a level of cooperation that was excellent and exceptional workmanship. It's a gorgeous building. The full-height windows and glass partitions, combined with a special reflective paint, adds to the depth and imagery of the facility's interior."

   To demonstrate its commitment to help credit union members utilize the Internet for personal banking, the facility's lobby includes a cyber café. Several individual personal computers and a coffee station beckon lobby patrons to try their hand at managing their accounts online; the company also has financial service representatives on hand to tutor members.

   Digital surveillance cameras throughout the two-story facility demonstrate the credit union's and HBE's priority to keep abreast of the latest technologies.

   "We're utilizing digital cameras more and more in the planning and design of financial institutions," Lombardo said. "They offer much clearer (image) resolution."

   A multi-paneled, vibrant mural commissioned by Sharon Winzerling, head of interior design for HBE's financial services division, greets ground floor patrons with scenes of Bethalto-area landmarks.

   The nearly $4.5 million project began in April 2001 and was completed both on time and within budget, Withers said.

   Olin Community Credit Union's East Alton location, the former administrative headquarters, will remain open as both the credit union's operations hub and as a retail branch.

   In tandem with the recent expansion of the company's physical presence, the credit union has gained approval to expand its member base, said President Don Reedy.

   "Although the overall economy has been sluggish, we are seeing significant growth in savings and we anticipate that growth to continue," Reedy said. "Recent approval of our organization's community charter through the Illinois Department of Financial Institutions allowed us to change our organizational charter from occupational to community, creating a potential to expand our field of membership."

   The credit union's expanded service territory includes members in seven Southwestern Illinois counties including Bond, Calhoun, Fayette, Jersey, Madison, Macoupin and Montgomery. Anyone living, working or maintaining an address in any of the seven counties is allowed to join.

   Lombardo said HBE Corp., at the credit union's request, built an additional 1,725 square feet into the new building, left unfinished at present, for future capacity needs.

   "We worked closely with the credit union to select a location, and we planned this additional workspace so Olin Community Credit Union can remain comfortably in the facility for 10 years," Lombardo said. "We've enjoyed partnering with the company very much."