When Mike Bridges needed a change in his career, he found a place where he felt like he was making a difference in people’s lives: Five Star Credit Union. As the VP of Marketing and Communications, Mike’s goal was to find a marketing company to work with that was interested in him, not just his money. That’s when he turned to image.works! We recently caught up with Mike to ask about his time working with us for the past five years.
What brought you to image.works?
I knew of image.works from just being in the industry. In my mind, they had a good reputation. I reached out to see about improving our welcome brochure. That was our first project together. We did that for two years before we moved into new member acquisition. That led to some other direct mail pieces for lending. Last year, we began using image.works for digital advertising.
How has your financial institution benefited from image.works’ products and services?
image.works helped to improve efficiencies in our campaigns and new member acquisition. The process of acquiring lead lists, creative and mailing is very easy. We can track progress on our end, and each mailer has success we can track to see that it came from the mailer. Another benefit is how easy it is to work with Colin and Lyndsey on projects. You do feel like you are working with a partner, not a vendor. They do what they say they will do. Not all vendors do that.
What do you appreciate about working with image.works?
There is no hard selling. Colin is always trying to get more business; that’s his job. However, I never feel like he is trying to guilt me into doing more. Again, there are vendors that do that. I can always count on a timely response as well. That is huge when you need a quick answer.
What motivated you to choose financial services as a career?
This is my second career. I had been in the television industry for years before I was ready to try something else. That led me to the Michigan Credit Union League and credit unions. After being in the association world for eight years, I moved to a credit union. When I left TV, I wanted a career that made a difference in people’s lives. We can see that every day at the credit union.
What brought you to your current financial institution?
The CEO and I had an existing relationship through the League of Southeastern Credit Unions. I was ready for a change, and their marketing person was retiring. Everything lined up to make the move. I was living in Florida, so the move was only 90 miles away. That made it much easier.
What do you enjoy most about working in financial services?
It’s very nice to see us making a difference with people. Sometimes they get into situations because they need a vehicle or a home on short notice. We then lower their loan rate significantly, saving them very real money. Those are the days I enjoy the most. One of my jobs was to start a Five Star Credit Union Foundation. We did that a few years ago and last year made our first scholarship grants. Eight students had their freshman year of college paid for by the Foundation. The Foundation board wants to make an impact, not a bunch of small grants. Every day we see our impact, but some days are better than others. Credit unions are here for a higher purpose, and seeing that played out is very enjoyable.
Mike, thank you for continuing to work with us through the years. We value you and the relationship we’ve been able to build.