Teammate Times

Last updated: 7/14/2026

Well, well, wellness!

The Wellness Program year kicked off on July 1^st with some exciting new benefits.

Teammates who complete an annual physical, eye exam, or dental exam can now earn paid time off.

See updated program for full details!

We’ve also created a DocuSign webform that can be used to submit your requests electronically!

Teammate wellness allows us all to be our best selves and best serve our members, both internal and external.

Fantastic results for May…

ROA – Goal .73% or more (Independent of the Bonus Accrual)

The Net Income for May was excellent as we had $328,908.78 which brings us to $1,135,763.20 so far this year which projects to an ROA of .88%. One of the factors leading to the success for May was having a Provision for Loan Loss expense of only $37,000.00.

Delinquency – Goal 1.00%(avg) or less

May’s delinquency numbers improved a little from April. We have 130 loans that are 2 months or more delinquent with balances of $1,849,189.56 (a decrease of $66,000 from last month). The fact that overall loan balances increased $1.9M in May also helped. The ratio for the month was .73% which lowered the average through 5 months to .75%.

Charge Offs – Goal .50% or less

Charge-offs in May ($64,763) were below our monthly average this year and we had a good month of recoveries ($24,293) therefore, our ratio improved from .33% to .30%. Charge-offs can fluctuate from month to month so we may have some larger months on the horizon, but we are still doing very well.

Net Operating Expense ratio – Goal 2.79% or less (Independent of the Bonus Accrual)

Operating expenses for May were just about the same as April. Since Assets did grow by $2.3M the ratio did improve again from 2.71% to 2.69%. Doing great.

Loan Growth – Goal 3.00% or more

Another very good month of loan volume. We disbursed 233 loans in May for $9.3M which led to that $1.9M increase in balances I mentioned earlier. We had a good month of First and Second Mortgage loans and a good month of Participation loans. The growth in May puts us at 3.24% already this year. Just because we have already achieved 3% this year doesn’t mean we can relax. We need to finish the year at a 3% or more increase compared to where we started the year at. Keep it going. Let’s see how much we can grow.

Loan/Share – Goal 78.00% or more

Share balances increased $1.7M in May but since loans increased by $1.9M, the ratio improved again from 78.81% to 78.99%. We are currently above the goal but, just like with loan growth, we have a long way to go before the end of the year. Let’s see if we can get to 80%.

10/10 clock it 🕰️

Thanks, John.

We have quite a few new teammates and there have been a couple instances where members were scheduled for a 15 minute phone call, but accidentally thought they were coming into the branch for an in-person meeting. Just wanted to shoot out something quick and simple just to clarify so there isn’t any confusion 🙂

Due to travelling to all of the branches, I am unable to have teammates schedule in-person meetings. The Calendly link is available to schedule a 15 minute intro call which helps gauge the member’s interest, discern how we may be able to help, and to schedule a virtual or in-person meeting. If a member is requesting to meet in person and does not want to schedule to 15 minute call first, please send me an email with all the same info you would have entered into Calendly so that I can call and schedule with them at the branch most convenient for them.

https://calendly.com/nichole-coyle/30-minute-discovery-call

Thank you for all your hard work and referrals! We have been able to help so many more members recently and that’s all thanks to you!

Nichole Coyle, CFP®, CSLP®
Financial Planner

Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Located at: Firefighters Community Credit Union
2300 St Clair Ave NE Cleveland, OH 44114
216.621.4644 x1607 office
330.607.2213 mobile

Investment Advisor Representative offering advisory services and securities through Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, a Broker-Dealer and Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

Cetera is not affiliated with the financial institution where investment services are offered. Investments are: Not FDIC/NCUSIF insured * May lose value * Not financial institution guaranteed * Not a deposit * Not insured by a federal government agency.

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July marks the first month of our 2nd “semester” charity – a return to our friends at The Littlest Heroes. As a reminder, all charity candy bar sales proceeds and other community fundraising efforts will go to this charity that aids families confronting pediatric cancer. We will also be participating in their Adopt-A-Family program again this year in November & December – more info on that will be coming later in the year.

There will be VTO (Volunteer Time Off) opportunities with our previous charity partner: FoodStrong. For more information, reach out to Antonia Rogdriguez ( arodriguez@ffcommunity.com ).

Keep an eye on your email in the next week or so for RSVP information and link for our FFCCU Teammate Summer Picnic. Save the date for August 29 | 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm

New “Recognize” Badges are Here

We’re adding a few new badges in Recognize to help teammates celebrate some of life’s biggest moments, both inside and outside of work.

The new badges include Celebration, Retirement, Just Married, and New Baby. These badges are designed to make it easier to recognize teammates when something exciting is happening in their lives, whether they are starting a new chapter, growing their family, getting married, or simply have a reason worth celebrating.Recognize is already a great way to say thank you, give a shoutout, and celebrate great work. These new badges give us another way to show support for the people behind the work.

So the next time you hear about a teammate’s big milestone, take a moment to send a badge and help make their day a little more special. A small note can go a long way, and now we have even more ways to celebrate each other.

Bill Deighton

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.

Anthony Missig

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

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 D. Arbeznik

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.

Alyssa Garcia Evanoff

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

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

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

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

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 Corrigan

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 Borkowski

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 Bowman

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 E. Polk

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 Gallagher

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.

Robert Schwind

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.

James Andrews, Jr.

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.

Teammate Times

Last updated: 7/14/2026

Well, well, wellness!