Strong Currency

Tim McAlpine
Chilliwack
Creative Director/Principal, Currency Passport Marketing
Envision Financial

Tim McAlpine's experience with a large traditional bank mirrors that of most small business owners, and it's the reason that he decided to switch his business account to a local credit union.

"I'd been with my bank for many years and the account manager kept changing. I often didn't know who was handling my account, and in the end, they really couldn't give me a good reason to stay with them," says Tim in the slick, modern offices of Currency Passport, formerly the McAlpine Group.

Currency Passport is a full-service marketing and advertising agency in Chilliwack, a bustling city at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley about an hour's drive from Vancouver. McAlpine started his business in 1990 and has developed an impressive client list in two specific areas of specialization: credit unions and companies involved in the province's exciting tourism industry.

"Since we work for ten Canadian credit unions, it made sense for us to open an account with a credit union," says McAlpine, who eventually settled on the Young Street (Chilliwack) branch of Envision Financial. "The banks we approached weren't very interested. I went into one bank just to talk and find out what services and benefits they could offer us, but they wouldn't talk to me unless I gave them all kinds of irrelevant information that they wanted to key into their database. At Envision, they sat down and asked me all sorts of pertinent questions about both my personal and professional goals, and how I saw the company's future taking shape."

McAlpine was especially impressed when a representative from Envision asked to come into Currency Passport's office to review it business operations.

"The real difference between the big banks and credit unions is that credit unions really care. Hands-down, I find the financial advisors at my credit union to be much more helpful than at my old bank. They're very professional and have a depth of expertise that I appreciate. They really know their stuff and they're into supporting smaller businesses because of their involvement in smaller communities and local economies."

Partnering with a BC credit union proved to be an astute business move for Currency Passport. Now Tim McAlpine can envision the future with confidence, and that's pretty strong currency!

If you have an interesting story to tell about switching to a credit union, let us know.