FOCUS: STRATEGIC BRANCH PLANNING

Santa Cruz Community Credit Union truly is an organization started by the people for the people. In 1977, a group of citizens identified a need for a community-focused financial institution, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone no matter what their economic status. From these humble beginnings, when money was literally kept in a cigar box, to today, they have maintained their commitment to promoting positive social and economic change and have grown to serve over 10,000 members.

This commitment to growth, a high level of service and supporting the community led Santa Cruz CCU to a partnership with La Macchia Group. They had established a presence in the Watsonville area, yet they felt their existing space was not an inspiring workplace and didn’t truly connect with their members. To overcome this, they leased a new retail space - the storefront of a major retail strip mall, adjacent to a grocery store. They wanted a partner who could help them create a branded environment with forward-thinking member service, a team that could deliver an exceptional retail experience.

“We had an existing branch that was very run down,” says President/CEO of Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, Beth Carr. “We had procured a new retail space but needed a partner who would think outside the box and not just recreate our standard branch. Based on the space we already had, La Macchia turned out to be a perfect partner. The La Macchia team listened to our team’s knowledge of the community we served and brought in their expertise to make the magic happen.”

 

A PLAN FOR SUCCESS

While Santa Cruz CCU truly understood its market, La Macchia Group took great care to conduct the research necessary to support their success. Carr appreciated the team’s due diligence to enhance their market understanding and confirm their growth plans were properly supported. 

“La Macchia provided an excellent analysis and plan for our entire field of membership and our branch location was confirmed within that plan,” Carr says. “The analysis was well done, and centered around existing members, expansion and growth, as well as income.”

The Watsonville market has a large Hispanic population, a large portion of the population immigrants. A major factor in the location selection was positioning the Credit Union to better serve this demographic. They wanted the design to provide an inviting and open setting to enhance members' interactions and minimize any language barriers.

TACKLING THE CHALLENGES

There were numerous ideas to be shared at the beginning of the design phase. Santa Cruz CCU was a knowledgeable client with many thoughts on how to better serve their market. And as typical with most projects, there were challenges that provided restrictions for making their ideas a reality. In the case of Santa Cruz CCU, budget, timeframe and available square footage became the guidelines for design development. Due to the lease agreement of their existing space, the Credit Union had a definitive timeframe they needed to meet. Furthermore, only some of the many ideas they had could be accomplished in a 2,000-sq.ft. space. In addition, the Credit Union was in the middle of a rebrand and had not made a final decision on their logo and color scheme. As a result, La Macchia Group needed to create a design solution that could effectively infuse either brand direction into the interior space.

“We know our community had a strong feel for what we needed to accomplish,” says Carr. “La Macchia listened to us, supported our convictions with research and implemented a better vision of what we wanted.”

A VIBRANT BRANDED EXPERIENCE

This retail journey begins with a modern storefront that is punctuated with bold brand signage. The strong forms, pops of color and visibility through the full glass entry attracts attention and entices people to look inside. A pronounced soffit detail and vibrant accent wall highlight the new teller pod configuration, introducing members to the more open and inviting retail experience. Bilingual messaging adds to the welcoming appeal. A combination of hoteling stations and private offices support accessibility and privacy, providing the Credit Union with a flexible work environment that allows them to accommodate a variety of work and meeting functions. Members with families have access to a Children’s Area which can also act as a meeting space to complete transactions.