Tech Credit Union marches for labor and community at 107th annual Lowell Labor Day parade

Nearly 100 Tech Credit Union employees marched through the streets of Lowell for the town’s 107th annual Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 7. The parade comes at the conclusion of Lowell’s Labor Day Fest and was attended by many excited to see the colorful floats and the businesses that create them.

The team at Tech Credit Union always enjoys making the effort to attend events like the Lowell Labor Day parade. Tech Credit Unions employees often live in the communities they serve, so opportunities to engage with those communities are very welcome.

“Events like this show the community that we’re here for them,” AVP, Marketing Director Lionel Sanchez said. “We’re member-centric, and we want people to know that we’re proud to be part of the community. We have a good group, we have a camaraderie, and we know what the cause is. ”

Tech Credit Union is a locally owned credit union with 11 locations throughout Northwest Indiana and Illinois, including its branch at 1800 E. Commercial Ave. in Lowell. For nearly the past century, the credit union has worked to provide the best financial service to its members. Being a smaller financial institution lets Tech Credit Union get to know the people it serves on a more personal level.

“Credit unions are built from the communities they serve; that’s what makes us different from a bank,” said Zach Thompson, VP of Union Relations & Community Development. “We’re the place where labor banks. We’re out here because we’re a part of what everyone is doing.”

In addition to supporting the Lowell Labor Day Festival, the parade gave Tech Credit Union employees a chance to march alongside their friends, neighbors, and peers in support of laborers throughout Lake County. Tech Credit Union has participated in the Lowell Labor Day parade for a number of years. Every year, the lineup expands to include more and more local businesses and organizations, something the credit union is proud to see happen as the town of Lowell and Lake County continue to grow.

“This is one of the best events in Lake County. It’s a wonderful tradition,” Chief Banking Officer and Executive Vice President John Wilkening said. “The turnout from labor and the community is phenomenal. We’re so happy to be involved, and our role is continuing to expand. Today is about our ‘why.’ This is why we go to work every single day: to help the working class, to help the moms and dads to make a better life.”

Tech Credit Union began in a trailer outside U.S. Steel in 1936, and it has continued to grow across the Region. This expansion is something Wilkening believes is necessary for the continued success of the Region’s laborers.

“This is exactly what this area has needed,” Wilkening said. “This has been a commercial banking area driven for the wealthy. We’re the institution where labor banks – that’s our mission. It runs through our veins. We came up with a special loan program for the USW Local 7-1 lockout in Whiting, we’re on the picket lines, we’re buying lunches for the men every Friday. We don’t just work it; we live it.”

Interested in becoming a member of Tech Credit Union? Visit techcu.org to learn more about opening an account, loan offers, insurance plans, and more.