WESTconsin Credit Union | Communities

My decision to pursue a career with WESTconsin Credit Union has truly been one of the greatest decisions of my life. Not only have I been blessed with opportunities to better myself and my career, but what has proven ten times more gratifying are the opportunities I have been afforded to help people. To help in our community, in our organization, in our members’ lives and in the lives of our employees.

Having the distinct opportunity to be a leader in a new office, in a new community to serve and with new employees was not something I took lightly. I was fortunate to be trained by some of the absolute best in our company (and in the industry, I might add!) and the first realization I had when working with this team was that I had joined an awesome company that was so very selfless in their approach. WESTconsin truly LIVES their mission statement and it isn’t just a decorative piece that hangs on the wall. 

I was quickly introduced to our commitment to quality service and again, it was much more powerful than words on a page. I quickly found myself marching in a parade, proudly wearing a WESTconsin t-shirt, in order to show support of the Menomonie High School, because that’s just what we do. As fun as that was, I didn’t have time to relish in that long, because before I knew it we were off to participate in a Homecoming ceremony, teach a 3^rd grade class for Junior Achievement, and participate in local law enforcement’s National Night Out. The opportunities to help people continued to surface time and time again.

It wasn’t lost on me that the reason we were able to help was, in fact, the great team we have and the caring, dedicated individuals that have committed to providing the best service possible. Their personal development became a very quick mission and focus of mine. The life events they each were celebrating and experiencing were never done so alone. It became quickly like a family. When someone on the team celebrated a life event, we all celebrated a life event. When a teammate’s family suffered a tragedy, we all suffered that tragedy and rallied around them in support at a level, of which I’d never seen before.

This sense of family didn’t stop with internal members. I quickly realized the emphasis we, as WESTconsin, place on training our teams to impact the lives of our external members. I will never forget the day I was asked for a moment of my time. For a supervisor, that can sometimes be a loaded question but I was eager to hear what this particular member had to share with me. She was a recent widow and wanted to share with me the true compassion she had experienced with the MSR she had been working with. She went on to explain that this was one of her most dreaded of “errands” to run relative to the recent passing of what she described as “the love of her life”. She went on to tell me that she had dreaded this the most, because it was one of the last on her checklist of items to take care of and that it meant to her a sense of finality. She enjoyed talking of her beloved husband and that the MSR was so very gracious, patient and KIND with her and provided her much more of an experience than just “paperwork”. I explained to her what an honor it was for us to be able to help her with what her financial needs were but most importantly for any part we could have in helping to keep her husband’s memory alive. 

These are just a few of so many things I have come to love about being a part of the WESTconsin team. There is not a day that goes by that we aren’t creating a positive impact to someone, for someone, for a community, for a member, for a family, for a business, for a dreamer or for a visionary. I am beyond proud to work for a company that allows, encourages, and inspires me so many opportunities to help create positive change every single day!

Jennifer A. Rathke
Vice President - Member Advocacy
Administrative Center
WESTconsin Credit Union

To join our amazing team, visit WESTconsincu.org/about-us/careers!