Serving our members, it’s our sole purpose. Providing stellar service and products is what’s kept us in business since 1936. Together, we are real people, living the credit union philosophy of #PeopleHelpingPeople. Every day, we are grateful for the chance to showcase the #CUDifference.
Share how you’ve experienced that difference. Give kudos to FFCCU or a teammate here!
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Bill has over 40 years of experience in credit unions and previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors for 30 years. Bill is a retired Captain of the Cleveland Fire Department. Along with his credit union experience, he has served for 16 years on the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund Board. He believes that credit unions are powered by providing the best customer service to members. Bill volunteers at St. Ambrose Parish and the Fire Museum renovation. Bill and his wife live in Brunswick and have two grown children.
Tony is honored to have been the current Board Director since 1999. He has been a credit union member of Cleveland Fire Fighter since 1988. Tony graduated with a BA degree in Business from Hiram College and an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. He is currently an Assistant Chief with the Cleveland Fire Department.
Ben Laurendeau has been employed in the credit union industry since 1987 in a variety of positions. Ben has held the position of President/CEO with Firefighters Community Credit Union since January of 2005. Ben holds an Associate Degree in Accounting from Terra Community College, A Bachelor Degree in Accounting from Tiffin University and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Baldwin Wallace University. Ben serves as a Director on the Ohio Credit Union League Services Corporation Board and serves on the Ohio Credit Union League Audit Committee.
Gary is a lifelong resident of Greater Cleveland and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2018. Many of his family members have served in the Cleveland Fire department and are long-time members of FFCCU. Gary holds a BA from Columbia College and a JD g from Cleveland State University. He has worked for both Cuyahoga County and the US Attorney’s office in Cleveland during his legal career. Now retired, Gary and his wife live in Lakewood.
Barb is a current Board Director of FFCCU and a fully vested member. She has an MBA in Finance and has spent 25 years teaching to all walks of life. Barb is a volunteer with the Foundation for Geauga Parks, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Lorain County Spirit of America, and Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio. Barb is a lifelong resident of the Cleveland area. She and her husband have one daughter.
Alyssa Garcia Evanoff joined Firefighters Community Credit Union as the Chief Marketing Officer in February 2019. Alyssa has nearly two decades of experience in brand management and strategic marketing with a variety of organizations across the Greater Cleveland area. During her career, she has developed successful marketing and creative campaigns that have repositioned brand image and increased brand loyalty through emerging digital trends, content marketing and user experience strategy. Alyssa is a graduate of Miami University and sits on the board of the Cleveland chapter of the American Advertising Federation.
Jessica Bittner joined FFCCU as a teller in 2009. In 2012 she was promoted to branch manager, and has managed multiple branches throughout the credit union. Jessica holds a Bachelors in Human Resource Management & Business Management, with a minor in accounting from Baldwin Wallace University. She was promoted to COO in 2021.
Kathleen Riggs joined FFCCU as Chief Retail Officer in 2013. Kathy has been in the financial services industry for over 25 years, holding a variety of positions. Kathleen received her bachelors degree in psychology from Kent State University and is a certified trainer of CUNA’s Creating Member Loyalty program.
Paul Humphrey was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. He joined FFCCU in 2017 as the Chief Lending Officer. Paul is a graduate of Kent State University. He holds the designation of Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor (CCUFC) from CUNA. Paul has managed lending programs in both small and large credit unions and brings that unique perspective to serve the members of FFCCU.
John Carrick is the Chief Financial Officer of Firefighters Community Credit Union in Cleveland, Ohio. John was hired by Greater Cleveland Firefighters Credit Union (former name of Firefighters Community Credit Union) as an Accounting Assistant in February 1993, was promoted to acting CFO in 1995, and was awarded the position of CFO in 1996. John has assisted in the acquisition of multiple mergers for Firefighters Community Credit Union and has managed two different Merging Credit Unions during the merger process. John is a former member of the Audit Committee of the Cleveland Chapter of the Ohio Credit Union League. John holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Cleveland State University.
Dennis has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2017. He is invested in forming bonds between the Credit Union and the community and helping members improve their economic situations. He has a strong desire to have a voice in the decision-making process of an institution that he was raised with and believes in. Dennis has been a part of the Cleveland Fire Department for 25 years and is currently a Captain. Dennis and his wife live in the Cleveland area with their three children.
Damian has served on the Board of Directors for over 10 years. He has been the Citywide Service Manager for the City of Cleveland since 1983 and manages the demolition of houses and buildings. He holds degrees in Law and Engineering and is a member of the Ohio Bar. Damian lives with his wife in the Cleveland area. He has been a credit union member for 30 years.
Rich serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors and has been a board member since 2009. He has been a Cleveland Firefighter since 1989 and is presently a Battalion Chief serving the city’s lower west side. Rich is a founding member and Treasurer of the Firefighters Memorial Ride. Since their inception in 2004, they have donated over $250,000 to the families of fallen Fire, Police, and EMS workers. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Finance from Cleveland State University.
James is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors and has served on the Board since 1982. He has also held the position of Secretary. Jim is a retired Cleveland Firefighter after 30 years of service. He is the past treasurer of Fire Fighters Local 93 and served on the Union Executive Board for 18 years. Jim is also a former Worker’s Compensation Representative for Local 93 and the NOFF.
Bryan has served on the FFCCU Board of Directors since 2006 and looks forward to continuing to help the credit union move forward and provide quality services to members. Born and raised in Cleveland, Bryan and his wife live in Lakewood and have three grown children. He holds a degree in Communications from Cleveland State University and spent 40-years as a cameraman for the MLB and NBA. After 33 years, he retired as a Captain from the Cleveland Fire Department. He is a former Sergeant at Arms for Local 93 IAFF and was Secretary for the Firefighters Memorial.
Bob is a lifelong Cleveland resident and has been a member of FFCCU since 1993. He has served on the FFCCU board since 2019. Bob is a graduate of Cleveland State University and has served as a Cleveland firefighter for the past 28 years, becoming a lieutenant in 2002. He and his wife live in Cleveland and have two grown daughters.
Jim has been a credit union member for over 40 years and has served on the Board of Directors since 2012. He has been a Cleveland Firefighter for 29 years, currently stationed at Engine Company 13. James has served on the Cleveland Firefighters Relief Fund board and was a former Union Steward and Committee Member for Firefighters Local 93. He and his wife have three children.
Just had a good online chat with Karen who was very helpful.
I just wanted to say what a great experience it was working with Jennifer Stanfield in the loan process. She made everything easy,she was extremely responsive, and helped us understand every step of the process. Kudos both to FFCCU and to Jennifer.
I just spoke to Alishea and she was wonderful. She helped with some decisions about savings and helped with some account issues. She Rocks!!!!!!!
I have to give Ashley a shout out. She helped me in every way I asked, going above and beyond and was funny and relatable. She didn’t make it feel like a “business” transaction at all by making small talk, I felt easily comfortable with her and will tell my friends and family about Ashley and Firefighters Credit Union for the ultimate help and service. Thank you.
Karen is AWESOME!!! Always super helpful, patient and understanding.
Want to thank Karen for her great support!!! You were a huge help.
Just wanted to give kudos to Margaret G. at the Emerald Parkway Branch for coming to my rescue when I had issues using my ATM card at another bank, which ultimately left me without a card and access to my funds at FFCCU!!! We love the excellent service we always get at FFCCU. I’m glad this is our only bank now.
Karen was great! She worked through my problem and got it fixed right away!
Megan was extremely helpful over the live chat when helping me reset my debit card pin. The process was very quick and easy
Karen was a big help and got me pointed in the right direction!! Thanks!!
Karen was very helpful, and patient with me. Thank you very much.
Thank you Karen so very much for your help!
Thanks to Justin for getting me back into my account with minimal difficulty. Keep Up the good work.
Ginny Hainen is the best. She always has the answers when we call or stop in and if she doesn’t she quickly finds out and gets back to us. It’s great to know we can count on her to help us out even on very short notice. Appreciate all you do Ginny! Thanks.
Tomesha Vaughn has gone above and beyond in helping me with my car loan application. She was patient and knowledgeable in responding to all the questions that I had. She was very thorough and made me feel very confident with the loan process. Even though I have been a FCCU member for years, I hadn’t taken advantage of the many services offered. After discussing some of the benefits of membership, I also got a Visa card. Tomesha was very personable and is a great asset to the FCCU family. Thanks again, Tomesha!
Beverly at the downtown location is amazing! Very personable. Made me feel totally at ease. Her suggestions will help net me some great results! Kudos to you!
Randa Parsons at the Emerald Branch has been soooo helpful these past 2 weeks as we traded in a car, bought a new one, cancelled extended warranty, looked for new extended warranty, what a chore.
I could never have navigated to all this without her help. Always pleasant, always happy to help.
Thanks Rhanda
@Pat Deighton congratulations on your new car! We try to be helpful and we’ll be sure to let Randa know that you appreciated her assistance. She is a rockstar.
Sumintra Singh is a treasure and a great asset to Firefighters Community Credit Union. Always ready to help and very friendly. Thank you for such great customer service.
LeeAnn was absolutely amazing! She was very helpful and prompt. I really appreciate excellent customer service, and LeeAnn is the EPITOME of that! Thanks LeeAnn!
@Deandre Moore Thank you for those kind words! We’ll be sure to share this with LeeAnn.
March 03. 2017- Kudos to Megan!!!
FFCCU truly has wonderful customer/family service, I just had the best service and some things pointed out to me about my credit that will be a huge benefit to myself and my family.
The people here, Megan especially, helped me so much today and pointed me to the right resources with as much information as she could give me and I truly appreciate it!
@Moni94 That’s awesome. We love helping people and making a real difference for them. Thanks for visiting and we’ll be sure to share this with Megan.
I want to give high kudos to all the young ladies in the N. Ridgeville Office, especially Cinda , Kelsie, and all of the tellers, I have dealt with. The are always so bright and cheerful, even on Monday mornings, always greeting me with a smile and friendly “Hello!”. On Thursday, March 2, 2017, Cinda provided me with great assistance in setting up a separate checking account after my divorce, her empathy and compassion greatly assisted in the transition from a joint account with my ex-wife to setting up a separate checking account for myself. She was very helpful in… Read more »
@David Igneczi we’re so glad you’re back! Thanks for this wonderful compliment. We’ll be sure to share this with the North Ridgeville team. We do offer online/mobile banking and a FREE app for iPhones and Droids which may be even more convenient for you. For instance, with the App you can deposit checks right form home! Check it out and let us know if we can help answer any questions. https://www.ffcommunity.com/productsservices/247-access
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Ray F
I would like to thank Karen Wiens for helping me out whenever I call for assistance with my Credit Union needs . Karen is always prompt and provides excellent service. I hope the FFCCU Knows what a great employee they have. Give her a raise. $$$
Ray F
@58954105400235595 thanks for sharing this Ray. Karen is awesome and we’ll be sure to pass this along.
OMG, Where do I start, Sumintra Singh is the best! Every time I need something or just need to run ideas past her, she is always willing to help. She never seems too busy to answer any of my millions of questions and never gets upset when I change directions in a middle of the deal. I know that she is someone I can always count on and provides well received professional guidance. She always returns phone calls and emails right away so there is never any downtime with Ms. Singh. She is truly an asset to FFCCU. Mannie S.… Read more »
@Mannie Saini thank you so much for this awesome compliment. We’re glad that you’ve taken notice that real people, like Sumintra, can make a real difference for people. Thanks for being a member of FFCCU. We’ll be sure to share this with Sumintra.
@Mannie Saini we’re all about serving our members! Thanks for sharing and we’ll be sure to tell Sumintra.
Heather provided me with excellent service this morning. She was very professional with a situation that was very frustrating and she made it a very smooth process. She provided me with Superb customer service
I tried registering my new debit card and what ever I did wrong I got access blocked. I cannot physically make it to the actual office today so I went online and Karen was so helpful. She got my card activated for me. She was very efficient. I appreciate her help so much. She is an asset to the credit union.
@ADunne we’re glad Karen was able to help you. She and the other teammates in the Member Contact Center love to chat with our members online or on the phone. We’ll be sure to let Karen know that you were happy with her service. Thanks for being a member of FFCCU.
Justin was great to work with. Very helpful and professional. Hope he gets a bonus or at least free lunch for working hard and doing a great job 🙂
I want to thank Ginny and Vee for always doing a great job every time I see them. Always friendly and helpful.
@GKroll thanks for sharing!
I don’t have a direct comment for one specific employee, but I want to give a huge thank you to everyone at the Emerald Parkway branch for simply being friendly every time I’ve walked in. Our family has been with FFCCU for roughly 5 years now, just opened my savings last year about this time. I’m very impressed with your staff at this location, I hope they don’t go anywhere else! They really treat you like we’re family!
@RMahonSugalski Thanks! Members matter and we mean that! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the Emerald Parkway Branch. We’ll be sure to pass this along to the team!
Thanks to Karen for her quick response to my question on CHAT and for her help in transferring funds! Reps are always very friendly and helpful.
I wanted to give a huge thank you to Margaret helping me get a auto loan in record speed. I showed up without an appointment for an out of state auto loan and she handled it like a champion. I couldn’t be happier.
@NewTruck congratulations on your new vehicle! We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed working with Margaret. We try to make things as easy as possible for our members and love that you took the time to share this feedback. Thank you!
I would like to give kudos to Semintra at the North Ridgeville branch for her help with opening checking and savings accounts. She is very knowledgeable and helpful.
I would like to give a kudos to Brenda Monaco on her behalf of helping me Open a traditional IRA. She was prompt and very efficient in straightening out the my issue. She steered me in the right direction. Thank you Brenda!!!
I met Jenny Stanfield by phone, what a gem!!! She has been helpful, thoughtful and more than a customer service professional, she’s efficient and friendly at the same time. I can hear her smile through the phone! Give her a raise and may she train others to be just like her. What enthusiasm for the customer!!! Never let her go.
Pamela was great in this “Live Chat” feature. Definitely efficient and quick. It’s nice to be able to talk to a real person instead of a voice prompt. Keep up the great work!
@rach_starfire We’re so glad you were able to take advantage of LiveChat!
Margaret Gilbride helped me get a vehicle loan recently and she was wonderful. She was quick, a pleasure to talk to and very helpful. I have been a PNC customer for over 3 years. Every since I’ve lived in OH, because my Delta Credit Union is only in GA where I moved from. I was so happy with the service I got from Margaret, the ease of getting my loan approved and taken care of. I was able to pick up my truck within a few days of getting this started. And yes, I first went to PNC for a… Read more »
Wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Melissa Gamble at the Wellington branch for going above and beyond in helping my husband and me free up some money during a tight spot. She worked really hard to consolidate our credit debt into a more manageable monthly payment, thereby allowing us to keep our bills in check and give us the extra cash that we needed to keep our finances healthy.
My wife and I have been dealing with Sumintra Singh via email and over the phone for the past couple of weeks and couldn’t have been more pleased with the service we received. We applied online for a loan to buy out our current leased vehicle and received a reply practically immediately and had an approval within a day or two. Sumintra was a true professional and is now also a valued business associate. She walked us and talked us through the complete loan application process and she really impressed when she made a trip to FedEx for us to overnight the payoff check.… Read more »
Heather was an excellent, prompt and attentive representative through your ‘Live Chat’ feature. Thanks for kicking butt!
@maddyzero That’s for the kind words. Keep being awesome!
Heather was very helpful and processed my payment vis chat, this was very convenient for me!
@danidubs80 It’s great to hear you’re taking advantage of our LiveChat service! We hope you’ll keep it in mind the next time you need to contact us.
I would like to thank LeAnne, for all of her help and patience in answering my questions. She was so kind! Thanks!!!
@KatieMcC Thanks for giving LeeAnn Kudos, Katie. We’ll let her know you had a great experience!
Would like to thank Leann for being so helpful in answering my questions today!! keep up the fantastic work! Happy New Year!!!!
@jmm1009 Happy New Year to you too! Keep us in mind in 2017.
@Frank McDonall Happy New Year, Frank!
I would like to give kudos to Ginny Hainen at the Oberlin branch. Ginny is always so helpful with anything I need, she is quick to respond and investigate any issues. Because of the customer service that I receive with Ginny I now have my mortgage, 2 car loans, and a personal loan with FFCCU. Ginny continually goes above and beyond and I truly appreciate the service she provides!!!
My husband and I just recently joined FFCCU. Margaret Gilbride of the Grayton rd office was awesome in helping us refinance our equity and car and bike loans. She went above and beyond to help everything go smoothly. Always pleasant and willing to help us transition from a different bank. I highly recommend her and hope she gets the recognition she deserves. Kudos to Margaret!!
From the Millers
@Miller16 Welcome Miller family! We’re glad your transition is going smoothly!
Pamela was awesome i just recently joined the credit union and i must say I have never been so impressed as I am with their customer service
@YolandA Davis We’re so pleased to hear that you’re having a great experience so far! Happy Holidays!
Happy Holiday to all that work at the Willoughby branch. Everyone that we have dealt with have all was been pleasant and very helpful I really like Valerie she has been sweet always has a very pleasant smile and greets you which make you feel special. Again great job to all. Happy Holidays to everyone.
From the Doley’s
@Annette01 Have a blessed holiday season!
Hi Folks, I would like to take this time to wish all of our Members, Teammates, Executive Staff and Board Members a Holy and Happy Christmas and a very prosperous New Year. To our Members, we at Firefighters Community Credit Union hope that we can continue to be your primary financial institution. Your loyalty to our credit union is very commendable. To our Teammates without your hard work, we would be just another credit union. To our Executive Team, your hard work and dedication has kept Firefighters C U a leading force in the Credit Union Movement. To my fellow Board… Read more »
Thanks Heather for going above and beyond to point me in the right direction!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to dive a little deeper to make sure I will get the assistance I need.
@wsimms We’re always here for you!
Sumintra Singh is the best! She was extremely helpful with our equity loan. What the world needs now is more people like her! P.s. the rest of the North Ridgeville branch are pretty wonderful as well.
@jjrothgery We couldn’t agree more!
@jjrothgery Yes! Come see us again soon!
Thank heaven for Karen. She is a lifesaver she helped me to retrieve my account information that I didn’t save when singing up online. We need more customer service reps like her…. Awesome job Karen.
Thank Heaven for Karen…. she was great. I didn’t get my account number when I signed up online and she retrieved it for me. Her customer service is the best we need more like her. Awesome job Karen. thank you