Since 2003 Zellco Federal Credit Union, located at 547 Eagle Day Ave., has been assisting its members in Columbia with all of their financial needs.
Zellco began as a bank for paper mill employees in Bogalusa, where the main office remains today, before branching out to other locations, including Columbia and Franklinton. The Columbia branch is the only one in Mississippi.
Columbia Branch Manager and Primary Loan Officer Sarah Magee has been at Zellco for more than three years and said the credit union can offer lower rates on loans because it isn’t owned by a major corporation.
“The biggest difference is the credit union is member owned. Everybody who has an account with us is an owner,” she said. “It makes us a not-for-profit organization, and we can offer better rates on loans than most banks do.”
Zellco does far more than offer competitive loan rates, though.
“We have a full-service banking facility and do just about anything a bank does,” Magee said. “We offer checking, savings, Christmas clubs, loans, IRAs and the full gamut of whatever your financial need may be.”
The credit union isn’t just concerned with gaining new members, though. The branch and its employees want to make a difference in the community and are using their expertise to do so.
“For young people who don’t have any credit or people that have messed up their credit we have a few things we can do to help them get on track. We focus on that,” Magee said. “In a few weeks we’re actually going to be offering some credit counseling courses. That’s another means we use to help people repair their credit or establish good credit.”
Zellco’s first financial wellness course to help people build or fix their credit will be held at Magnolia Inn & Suites April 24 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.
The first step in making a change to better prepare your financial future is simply deciding to make that change, which is something Magee knows about.
“I had been doing accounting most of my career, and I was just ready for something different. This came up, and I’ve really enjoyed working here,” she said. “We’re able to help out our members.”
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Zellco tries to make its members feel at home and feel like they are talking to a friend who they can trust.
“We just try to be more of a personal banker and try to determine what each person needs to work with them on an individual basis. We know people by their first name when they walk through the door and try to make it a personal experience for the members who bank with us,” Magee said. “It makes them more at ease when they come in and makes them feel a part of our credit union here. That, in turn, makes them want to come to us when they want to borrow money or open different types of accounts.”
Zellco Federal Credit Union can be reached by phone at (601) 731-2245, on its website zellcofcu.org or by email at zellco@bellsouth.net.
Pictured Above: Zellco Federal Credit Union Branch Manager Sarah Magee is in her fourth year with the branch. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
