Director Profile - Bob Gertsch

Bob Gertsch has a significant role at UFirst FCU. Not only is he a director, he is also chair of the supervisory committee. Bob has been a member of the committee since the late 1990’s and has chaired the committee for over 5 years. His service on the board and this important committee followed many years of membership and involvement in the credit union. Bob is a native of Plattsburgh and, except for the years he spent in the US Navy, he has lived his entire life on Elizabeth St. in Plattsburgh. He has worked for Plattsburgh State University in the computer information systems department for 30 years and has been a member of the credit union for almost as long. He was recruited by Tom Mercadante, one of the charter members of the SUNY Plattsburgh FCU, to serve on the loan committee in the late 1980’s. His experience in overseeing credit union operations has been invaluable in our recent years of growth. Bob believes that his dual roles as board member and supervisory committee chair complement each other. His board involvement helps him keep his finger on the pulse of the credit union assists him in his work as supervisory chair.

Bob related a wonderful story that illustrates the unique, personalized service provided by staff to UFirst members. A member with whom he was acquainted took a trip out of state to visit a relative who became very ill during the visit. The member had to extend her visit while she cared for her relative. Meantime, she had to arrange bill payments and other transactions at home while she was away. She called the credit union who set up daily contacts with a UFirst staff person who helped facilitate the necessary transfers and payments to meet her obligations. Bob noted that this member’s loyalty to UFirst is likely to remain solid for life.

I asked Bob what factors he thinks will be most significant for the credit union going forward. Bob believes that the growth we have seen in the past year and anticipate in the future challenges the credit union. We need to assure the credit union’s solid fiscal foundation by increasing capital while providing financial services to our members. We need to remain true to credit union goals and ideals. Bob believes that it is a real challenge for credit unions to remain distinct from other financial institutions like banks. He encourages members to take pride in their membership in UFirst. The beautiful operations center that they use on a regular basis belongs to them and represents their share in the growth and success of UFirst.

During my interview Bob provided Boardcast readers (and listeners) with a wonderful explanation of the role of the supervisory committee. Below is an audio clip which includes this excerpt. He mentions that the supervisory committee has its own unique email address (supervisory@ufirstfcu.net) for members to use in communicating concerns to the members of the committee. Bob invites members with concerns regarding their accounts to email him.