STCU opening Southridge location; Queensgate to follow

STCU will open its Southridge Financial and Home Loan Center with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. November 26. It’s the first Tri-Cities location for the credit union, a not-for-profit financial cooperative with roots in education.

“Our Tri-Cities members tell us they’re excited we’ll be able to serve them in person,” said Ezra Eckhardt, STCU’s president and CEO. “We’re thrilled, too, to be opening in Tri-Cities after years of planning and to be building strong community connections.”
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The Southridge Financial and Home Loan Center, 4704 W. Hildebrand Blvd. in Kennewick, will offer a full slate of services for consumers and businesses, including checking, savings, and investment accounts; home, auto, and personal loans; and credit cards. It will house STCU Home Loans offices, a drive-through, and 24-hour ATMs. 

STCU membership is open to anyone in Washington.

“People in the Tri-Cities are going to love STCU,” said Jaleh Flinders, a Kennewick native who will serve as branch manager of the Southridge location. “It’s an organization that carefully considers members’ financial well-being as part of every decision, big or small. We take our ‘Here for good’ promise seriously.”

The credit union also announced today it has purchased property at Queensgate in Richland. It’s renovating the building with plans to open the STCU Queensgate Financial Center, 2590 Queensgate Drive, with another ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. January 7. The Queensgate location, led by Branch Manager Sabrina Barrera, also will offer a full array of financial services.

STCU plans to open a Pasco branch location in 2019.

Earlier this year, STCU purchased land along Keene Road in Richland. Plans for that property aren’t finalized.

A small group of educators started the Spokane-based credit union in 1934, with a shoebox for members’ cash. It has grown to more than 180,000 members, including 2,400 already living in the Tri-Cities. The Southridge location is No. 23 for the credit union. 

STCU has been named the region’s best credit union for 13 consecutive years in reader surveys conducted by Spokane’s Inlander newspaper. STCU each year provides free financial education to thousands of people, hosts back-to-school events for teachers in more than 20 school districts, and sponsors many events related to education, the arts, and the community.