Cheney Federal CU unveils new logo, look

Cheney Federal Credit Union decided it needed a fresh new look and the long-time West Plains financial institution unveiled that this past Monday at their logo launch party.

A community member since 1951 when it was formed at Eastern Washington State College, the event attracted all facets of the citizenry in Cheney to watch as CFCU chief executive officer Jo An Sanders unveiled the logo from under a tarp that had been wrapped over the top of the institution's new reader board.

Following the unveiling, those present had an opportunity to take part in an open house, enjoy a complimentary lunch and sign up for door prizes.

Best described as looking like a Google map pin, the new logo tries to convey the message "That we are truly local and here for you," CFCU's director of marketing and community relations, Kathleen Schreiber, wrote in a news release. "Member deposits stay here, benefit the West Plains directly and are loaned back out to members at highly competitive rates," she added.

CFCU's new colors are red and black, the predominant colors of the three West Plains educational entities: Eastern Washington University and the Cheney and Medical Lake school districts.

CFCU partnered with Mary Lefkowski, owner of Fusion Design in Cheney to develop and create the new logo. According to Lefkowski, "Cheney Federal Credit Union approached their new branding design with a very open mind."

Schreiber echoed that thought in a Monday afternoon interview. The project was full of collaboration, she said.

"It was definitely something everyone, including the board of directors, worked on," she said. "We all had a buy in, we all had a say, we all contributed toward the concept."

Schreiber was hired at CFCU in April after resigning from her position as executive director of the West Plains Chamber of Commerce. "One of the main things they wanted me to do was the rebrand," Schreiber said. "But as the new person I can't just say, 'Here's your logo.'"

In the end, Schreiber said the logo epitomizes who and what CFCU is. "We're the only financial institution that exclusively serves the West Plains."

About 15 different designs were submitted, followed by the process of weeding those out.

"We ended up kind of blending two together," Schreiber explained. "Several different color schemes were considered, it really was quite a democratic process in a lot of ways with all of our staff here."

CFCU's current membership stands at just under 5,000 active members with more than $85 million in assets. Membership in the credit union was expanded in 2013 to include everyone who lives within the boundaries of the Cheney and Medical Lake school districts. That encompasses approximately 450 square miles.

"We have 40 percent of the deposits for the Cheney market," Schreiber said.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.