West #10: Blake Smith

Blake Smith is a 25-year-old IT Specialist with Members Federal Credit Union ($71M) in Aurora, Colorado.

Synopsis: Members Federal Credit Union was established in 1968 to serve the employees of the City of Aurora. It has since grown into a full service financial institution, serving over 8,000 members and offering an extensive line of competitive products.

In this uncertain economic climate, how can a Credit Union hope to expand its operations via the traditional brick-and-mortar branch? How do we better serve our nearly 2,000 members located in rural areas? How can we leverage technology to continue to bring our members the service they deserve? My answer to these questions is a product I call “Branch Anywhere”. Branch Anywhere is a suite of software modules designed to be loaded onto any Tablet PC - turning that tablet into a self-contained mobile branch. With this device a branch can be anything – a kiosk in the mall, a table at a sponsored event or even taking the branch directly to the member. My hope is that this product will change the way we think of the term “branch”.

The suite of software would enable the user to perform a wide range of functions such as account origination, loan origination and financial transactions. The software would additionally have a POS interface for merchandise and support for peripherals such as wireless receipt and check printers. For tablets with touch input, a stylus could be used for signatures on loan documents or receipts. Branch Anywhere would allow for limitless and cost-effective expansion for Credit Unions.