Fort Worth-based EECU broke ground April 3 on its 14th location, a 2,800-square-foot branch located at 3451 Texas Sage Trail in the Alliance Town Center.
The Heritage Trace branch, which involves an almost $3 million investment, is in a shopping center anchored by Kroger Marketplace, Best Buy, Belk, JCPenney and Sam Moon. The branch will serve as a prototype, combining traditional employees and a drive-thru with new methods of banking, including virtual and self-service options.
Construction on the new facility is expected to be complete in August. In addition to drive-thru banking, the branch will feature ATM and night depository, video conferencing stations for members to chat with specialists and a self-service bar where members can complete simple transactions on tablets.
“This branch will be designed to meet the needs of our members’ busy lifestyles,” said EECU President and CEO Lonnie Nicholson. “We’ve become used to the convenience of performing retail transactions electronically and our members will appreciate the same ease of functionality when they do their banking with EECU.”
The Hillwood development in Alliance Town Center is one of several rapidly growing business communities in North Fort Worth. According to Nicholson, the location was a natural choice for the credit union’s expansion due to the number of growing businesses, residential developments and hundreds of existing EECU members who already live in proximity.
EECU was founded in 1934 to serve the financial needs of Fort Worth educators. Today, with assets of more than $1.7 billion, EECU is a community-based credit union that continues its tradition of serving customers in greater Fort Worth and surrounding areas, primarily Tarrant, Parker and Johnson counties. The credit union has 13 branch locations and alternative delivery channels including online and mobile resources and 55,000 free ATMs worldwide.
Robert W. Kelly Architect Inc. serves as architect and Muckleroy & Falls Construction Co. serves as the general contractor for both the recent Cullen Street EECU renovation and the Heritage Trace Branch.