Access Credit Union celebrated the new look of its Winkler branch with a ribbon cutting celebration last week.
The downtown branch has been undergoing major renovations in recent months to create a space with a more modern feel that better meets the needs of customers and staff alike, said Access CEO Larry Davey.
“Probably the biggest thing is we wanted to focus on bringing the light in from outside for not only the members when they’re here so that it’s brighter, but for the staff who are working here ongoing,” he said.
“We did a huge transition on offices and the availability of light, downstairs and upstairs,” Davey continued. “And we also had to factor in people’s work patterns now, having changed after COVID. So there are offices here for hotelling where people can come and use them.”
That last feature has become increasingly necessary as Access CU continues to expand across southern Manitoba, which means more staff are travelling to work between branch locations.
The renovations also carved out room for Access to move its training centre from the corporate offices in the Stanley corridor to Winkler, and created larger spaces for its IT and call centre departments.
The financial institution has been at this location for decades, Davey observed, so the time had come for a remodel.
“We renovated in the ‘90s and early 2000s, and after 20 years, 25 years, it was time to do that refresh because the branch experience has transitioned so much over the last number of years,” he said, pointing, in example, to the increasing use of electronic banking in that time, necessitating fewer in-branch member services representatives.
“This this is the type of look that we’re looking for for Access as we continue to renovate offices,” Davey said. “We took some of the learnings for our Innovation Centre and our Carman branches and put them into this. We will continue to learn as we move into other branches for renovations as well.”
The Winkler branch has 45 staff working there on a daily basis, shared branch managing partner Mark Peters.
“Being in the heart of the city is awesome for us,” he said, noting they often see members from the neighbouring businesses walk over to do their daily banking.
“We did analyze whether it should relocate, but this was viewed as the perfect location for us,” added Davey.
The renovations make for a much more efficient layout, Peters observed.
“We were able to add a lot more offices on the main floor so all banking can be done on the main floor, and the upstairs is more of a support system for the main floor staff.”
The refreshed branch will “serve us well for years to come,” Davey said.
