7 17 Credit Union Breaks Ground on Canfield Branch

CANFIELD, Ohio – Members of 7 17 Credit Union who live or work in Canfield will soon be able to visit a branch much closer, instead of traveling to either the Boardman or Austintown branches.

7 17 held a groundbreaking Tuesday for its 13th branch at 4280 Boardman-Canfield Road.

The branch is expected to open in early spring of 2019.

“This is probably going to be one of our best locations just because we already have so many members that are already in such close proximity and this is a vibrant growing community,” said Bill Fulk, senior vice president of lending for 7 17.

Fulk was joined by other 7 17 employees, board members, and community leaders to celebrate the start of construction on the new branch.

The cost of the project is around $2.5 million, said Eric Lanham, senior vice president of marketing for 7 17.

When completed, the branch will be around 4,200 square-feet, and will be a full-service branch, including lending and wealth management services, ATM access, and lobby and drive-thru services with updated technology.

Pictured: Rendering of the Canfield Branch.

“We’ll see a newer technology in the drive-thru, a little less-traditional environment in the branch, but we’ll still be able to do the same types of transactions,” said Mark Munno, senior vice president of delivery channels for 7 17.

The drive-thru will have an interactive teller machine that looks similar to an ATM, but will allow members to interact through video technology with a teller who is in a remote location.

“They’ll be able to do all the same transactions but also be able to do the transactions on their own if they so choose,” Munno said. “And we’ll be able to offer extended hours because the tellers operating those machines will be somewhere remote.”

The updated drive-thru technology will also be implemented at 7 17’s new Larchmont Branch in Warren, which construction on the branch is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks.

Tellers will be inside the Canfield branch to help members in an updated teller-station pod environment.

“We’ll still do transactions but members will interact with the teller for certain things, or they can view a monitor if they need a demonstration for online banking,” Munno said. “It’s more of an interactive environment inside but still with the ability to serve all the same expectations that the members expect.”

When members will enter the branch for the first-time, “They’re going to be ‘wowed,’ ” said Gary Soukenik, president and CEO of 7 17. “It’s going to be very contemporary and a lot of technology. It will be unlike any of our other current branches.”

7 17 has partnered with architects from Baker, Bednar, Snyder and Associates and contractor Jack Gibson Construction of Warren for the project.

The credit union has more than 79,000 members and anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Portage, Summit, or Stark counties is eligible to become a member.

“We’re very pleased to be here because it’s going to be another convenient location for our members,” Soukenik said. “It’s part of our mission to take care of people’s financial lives and improve their individual lives, but also we want to improve communities and we know that the way we do that is improving the lives of one member at a time.”

Pictured: Randall Baker, director of business development for Baker, Bednar, Snyder and Associates; Brian Governor, Canfield Township Trustee; David Ditzler, Mahoning County Commissioner; Joe Paloski, Canfield Township Trustee; Christine Oliver, Canfield city councilwoman; Canfield Mayor Richard Duffett; Maria Izzo Cartwright, Canfield Township Trustee; Gary Soukenik, president and CEO of 7 17; and Jack Wilster, 7 17 board chairman.

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