Photo courtesy of Dutch Point Credit Union

Charlyn Tanner
President and CEO,
Age: 60
Industry experience: 25
years

In the midst of consolidation and bigger banks eating up small institutions, one local credit union in Connecticut is looking to keep up with the times. 

Dutch Point Credit Union recently rebranded is building a new main branch. The credit union will be moving into the Goff Brook Plaza, located at 1269 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield.  

The new main branch is projected to open in the summer of 2025.

“This relocation is all about creating a better experience for you, with enhanced amenities, greater accessibility, and an environment that reflects our commitment to serving your needs,” the credit union told members via s statement on its website. “We’re moving into a spot that’s already part of your daily routine—close to the places where you shop, dine and take care of everyday tasks—making it even easier to access the services you rely on.” 

Additionally, the branch will feature an interactive teller machine. 

Dutch Point was founded in 1960 by a group of Hartford Electric Light Company (HELCO) employees and the name of the credit union was derived from Hartford’s Dutch Point Power Plant. In 1976, the credit union built its first main office and branch at 195 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield. 

Now, Dutch Point has more than 24,000 members and boasts assets of over $490 million. Along with its new branch location, towards the end of 2024 the credit union rebranded in efforts to bring its logo and brand into the new era of banking. This iteration of the logo was the most significant update to the bank’s logo since 1960. 

Q: Dutch Point’s new branch is an interesting topic as banking gets more digital. What are your thoughts on the importance of physical branches? How can they be updated to step into the future?
A: We see it like a financial education hub, not just transactional base, but where our members can come into and talk. We have financial credit union counselors – we’re not doing investment advising services, but advising our members on how they can save for retirement through IRAs that we offer, reviewing credit reports, how we can lower someone’s rate on their mortgage or their car loan, and how can we help them pay off debt and become more financially secure. As far as digital goes. We have a robust digital platform. We offer Zelle, we offer SavvyMoney, where it’ll give you your credit score, give you ways to reduce your desk debt. We also have Zogo, our financial literacy app. 

Q: When it comes to a new branch design, you want it to be some place that’s good for employees, but also good for the customer. What goes into the thought and design process when trying to meet those goals?
CT: Our partner is Solidus, and our architect is Studio Q. The process designing took at least six months to come up with a concept that we liked and that our board of directors approved of. At the same time, we redid our logo. We did that rebranding all at the same time. So the process to see what you want to look like, how you want to represent yourself, what does your brand say about you – all those things went into consideration when we developed the branch.

Also, we had a study done by a company called AccuBranch to see where our members live, where it would be the best location for them as we moved our branch. We look at traffic patterns and what we came up with was probably the best location in town now that we’re going to be next to Raising Canes. Finding property is the hardest part of the process, to find the location that meets our members needs and the branch design is a group effort for everybody here. 

Q: You have a new logo and you talk about some modern elements of the branch. Why undertake these efforts?
CT: Oh, I think to survive, you have to be relevant. So we’re offering products and services that our members need and also having a brand that’s not stale. We’ve been 63 years-plus, with the same, logo that made us look dated and we’re not dated. We have all the technology that any bank or credit union has, so we wanted our brand to reflect that image. 

Q: What stood out about the location of the new branch building?
CT: Mainly, easy access. It’s on the border of Rocky Hill. It’s in Wethersfield, right off Interstate 91 so there will be easy access for our members. Also, you know, right in that location a lot of places to eat, Doro marketplace, the gym. Some medical offices are across the street, too, so it’s just in a great location where people come and do their business every day. We feel like our building will be a great advertisement for the credit union, being in that location and having our new logos stand out. 

Tanner’s Five Favorite American Smooth Ball Room Dances: 

  1. Waltz 
  2. Tango 
  3. Foxtrot 
  4. Viennese Waltz 
  5. Argentine Tango