The latest collaboration between Access Credit Union and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers promises exciting perks for fans and innovative community initiatives.
Manitoba’s biggest financial cooperative has punched the ball over the goal line with its latest partnership.
Access Credit Union has been very active on the amalgamation trail for a couple of years but its latest negotiation will see its logo quite literally scoring touchdowns as the official financial institution of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. (The Access logo will be featured on the Bombers’ jerseys and the credit union will also have in-stadium branding.)
“We are thrilled to welcome Access Credit Union in a long-term partnership between two organizations with parallel visions and goals,” says Wade Miller, president and CEO of the Blue Bombers. “We are committed to striving for excellence and enhancing the fan experience and we’ve seen that reflected in the Access Credit Union group.”
Terms of the deal have not been released but finding recognizable partners with similar goals has long been on the Access radar, says Adam Monteith, its chief marketing officer.
“We’re always looking for ways for our membership to have value beyond the credit union branches. This is one of the most significant ways to do that. The Bombers are one of the best known brands in the province,” he says.
Access will help the Bombers build their brand outside of the Perimeter Highway in communities where it has branches, such as Selkirk, Gimli, Morris, Altona, Winkler, Morden, Headingley and Starbuck, Monteith says.
“We’re already operating in the communities where (Miller) wants to be,” he says.
Monteith is also planning to use the new partnership to help school-age kids, particularly teenagers, learn about money in ways that aren’t traditionally taught in the classroom.
“We can leverage the Blue Bombers’ brand and team members to bring financial literacy into schools through our Financial Literacy Trainers. That’s a social problem that we need to overcome,” he says. “Schools will teach you about the sine and cosine of angles but they don’t teach you about signing and co-signing of cheques or financial documents.”
The Access-Bombers partnership will feature exclusive benefits for fans, such as a Bombers’ debit card that will offer savings at the Bomber store, exclusive game-day opportunities such as a VIP entrance and a pre-game sideline experience.
That’s not all but more information on the partnership and related initiatives will be released prior to the start of the season on June 6.
One of Access’ most recent amalgamations is Sunova Credit Union, which carved out its niche in the market thanks to its D.O.G. (director of greetings), St. Bernard dogs that quite literally met customers at the front door. Access has adopted the program, which includes soon-to-be retiring canine Bill and up-and-comer Nickel. Both have met the Bombers’ mascots, Buzz and Boomer.
Access has more than $12 billion in assets under management.
