After 41 years of leadership under our beloved Gary Hinrichs, change is coming to the credit union in the form of an enthusiastic and inspiring peer.
Jason Peach has been with the credit union since 2005 serving as the SVP/CFO. In 1997 while earning his degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Jason worked as Operations Manager at Missouri Student Federal Credit Union (now Tigers Credit Union) on campus. Read all about his rise to the top here.
As you can imagine, he’s had a lot on his plate since taking over at the beginning of the year, but we were able to catch up with him to ask the important questions:
What’s your favorite thing about being a part of the Credit Union industry?
JP: From day one, I have truly enjoyed the attitude of the people who work in this industry. Everyone is friendly and truly interested in helping each other and serving our members. Being part of a Movement and something bigger than just our own individual company interests make this a great business to be part of.
What have you learned from your new CEO gig so far?
JP: Emotionally speaking, the sense of responsibility really hit me on day one and it impacted me a little more than I expected. I think anyone can understand that there is a large responsibility that exists with the position, but it is an entirely different thing to actually sit in the chair and experience that feeling. It has been very motivating and I can’t wait to get up each day so far to work with everyone toward achieving our goals and making a difference.
Which cooperative principle do you identify with most and why?
JP: Foremost, I believe in the principle of Members Economic Participation, whereby members receive value to the extent they use the services of the cooperative. By the very nature of being a cooperative, we are able to give back value compared to our “for-profit” competitors, but the amount of the value is directly linked to the participation of our member-owners.
I think that is the excitement I have in our rollout of Choice Checking. The Credit Union has been able to bundle services with our primary checking product that members need and buy elsewhere, but we are providing it at a significantly lower cost. Members who participate more deeply with us can even receive these services without charge, which is a direct example of that cooperative principle.
What is your all time favorite movie?
JP: Star Wars – the original one – Episode IV. I have seen it probably over 100 times in my lifetime.
What would you name your autobiography?
JP: A Clear Path (I guess the fact that I married my college sweetheart and embraced the credit union industry from the beginning while in college, I have had a pretty clear path early on with some major choices in life.)
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
JP: Outside of people related to sports, meeting Shawn Achor, who wrote “The Happiness Advantage” and has one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, is probably who I like to brag about meeting.
What makes you laugh?
JP: A good stand-up comic routine can make me laugh out loud.
What is a hidden talent you possess?
JP: I can juggle and spin the Diabolo.
What is that?!
JP:
JP: That’s not me…lol
What is your favorite sport to watch?
JP: My favorite sport has always been college basketball but since fantasy football has really become fun and popular, my interests have started to lean toward both professional and college football as my favorite.
If your love for Mizzou sports could be quantified by an object, what would that object be and how many of it would you have?
JP: Well, lately, probably it would be measured in tears and I would have a bucket of them. Tears of joy many times but they also tend to cause some pain when they underachieve…at least in my eyes.
So, now you know a little more about your credit union’s new president. Give him a welcome message or word of encouragement in the comments, and we’ll be sure he gets your message!
