Corde Kurtz
On Monday, September 23rd, GECU and the University Of El Paso Texas (UTEP) had a crowd of hundreds of people cheering in delight for the unveiling of a big black mystery box on the UTEP campus.
Media coverage, news cameras, students, and alumni – they were all there to join the GECU Credit Union in supporting a community cause. The crowd and excitement were everything a credit union could hope for in community awareness and involvement.
The final suspenseful dropping of the curtain revealed a giant GECU Tower Clock to countdown the 100 days until UTEPs Centennial Celebration to be held January 1, 2014.
How was a credit union able to think outside the branch and execute on such an innovative idea?
The behind-the-scenes story is the juicy part for those of us in the financial industry – filled with innovation, creativity, teamwork, banking technology, and a “make-it-happen” attitude to the rescue.
Community Ties Key to Attracting Loyal Student Members
With a branch across the street from the UTEP campus (a DBSI project about to open), GECU, the largest financial institution in El Paso, TX, has built a strong partnership with UTEP over the years. UTEP has a student body of more than 22,000, and an even larger amount of alumni, so a strong relationship is key for GECU in attracting a loyal student following of members at the campus.
When UTEP looked to GECU with an urgent request, GECU was there to jump on it. UTEP needed something to help build excitement and countdown the 100 days until their Centennial Celebration. Could GECU show their support and assist in getting something built - in less than 2 months?
GECU obliged, and turned to the only technology experts they knew that had already delivered so many innovative ideas for their branch design and builds…. DBSI.
GECU's Out of the Box Ideas Brought to Life with DBSI
The request to build a top secret clock tower with digital signage? Not one DBSI had encountered before. The timing of less than 2 months? Next to impossible. Our Answer? Can do! The final delivery? Impeccable!
All under the single direction of DBSI, the different teams needed to execute this project quickly got to work.
While the construction and design teams were busy collaborating on the layout and how the tower could be built in a top secret fashion, the DBSI technology teams were busy devising the software and animation that would run the tower’s digital display.
The innovation doesn’t stop there. GECU and DBSI were able to apply banking technology principles to the technology used for the tower. The plan? Use a digital display similar to the ones DBSI had installed in GECU branches.
The teams were able to replicate the smaller digital display concept into a much larger version to be the platform for the Centennial Countdown, and a place to list upcoming UTEP events after the Centennial Celebration was over. By applying the same methods and software behind the digital marketing boards, the new clock tower would be a familiar platform for GECU, complete with a simple Content Management System (CMS) for easy updates for future events.
DBSI Helps Branches Execute on all Fronts... Even Out of the Branch
The final project was not only delivered on time, but under budget as well. DBSI was able to bring it all together and execute quickly by having a comprehensive services team under one roof. Overall DBSI was able to take the design and build the tower, develop digital technology to display the tower, code the software to run the tower, and have a project manager overseeing all of this to ensure everything was working together as planned.
When the big day came this past Monday, September 23rd, all eyes were on GECU for delivering such an amazing gift to the University. The crowd was ecstatic and the event was seamless.
The rest they say…. is history
Have a banking vision you need help executing on? Need some fresh ideas on a branch transformation for your branch network? DBSI can make your vision a reality. Contact us to get started.
