The ones who move mountains.

There are earthmovers—you know, the folks who move tons upon tons of soil to build structures. And then there are Earthmovers. Individuals who create seismic shifts of a different kind. Meet Kelly McDonough, President/CEO of $323M Earthmover Credit Union in Aurora, IL. Newly appointed in 2019, Kelly brought her own strong midwestern roots and made it her mission to strengthen the shop’s midwestern culture, all while fully harnessing the power of her team. And then COVID-19 hit.

Turning a crisis into potential.

In early January, well before Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home orders and ordered businesses shut down in mid-March, Kelly had begun to prepare for remote staff operations to make sure their members would continue to receive seamless service. She presented her pandemic plan, which included issuing laptops to staff to facilitate remote access, to the board in February. The plan proved to be both critical and fortuitous as events were unfolding rapidly.

To say that Kelly was proactive would be giving her short shrift. Closely following the development of the virus in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, she relied on her experience in crisis mitigation. Her background, which includes a Masters’ Degree in Business Continuity Management, gave her both the insight and the know-how to handle the looming pandemic, by foreseeing the tightening restrictions and resultant branch closures.

A commitment to stability and growth

This kind of decisive action led to an organized transition to branch closures without leaving the credit union scrambling. Members never felt blindsided, staff never unprepared. Member FAQs were written and distributed before the shutdown, remote services well established. Under Kelly’s leadership, Earthmover Credit Union had its continuity plan well in hand, reassuring members that it is an essential business, indeed.

Earthmover Credit Union is recognized among the top 200 healthiest credit unions in America. From capitalization and deposit growth to loan-to-reserve ratios, Kelly upholds a long tradition of stability and commitment to excellence. No obstacle is too large to overcome. Carrying on the proud tradition of earthmovers from Caterpillar—the credit union’s original SEG—Kelly and her team are truly Earthmovers in their own right. We salute them.

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