Focus on ‘family’ at Navigant

FAMILY AFFAIR: Navigant Credit Union CEO Gary Furtado has an
FAMILY AFFAIR: Navigant Credit Union CEO Gary Furtado has an "unbelievable commitment to family, to community and to work," according to Marketing Vice President Tim Draper. Furtado is pictured above with Pamela Malafronte, left, and Deborah Drechnowicz. / COURTESY NAVIGANT

How many employees have bosses who value family above work? All 260 of Navigant Credit Union’s employees do.

President and CEO Gary Furtado “has an unbelievable commitment to family, to community and to work. Families first, after that work and community,” said Tim Draper, vice president of marketing. When Furtado interviewed a woman applying for a senior position, he told her they had to finish by a specific time so that he could leave to watch his son play baseball. “That’s the kind of thing you can do if you work here,” Draper said.

Headquartered in Smithfield, the company has enticing benefits – generous medical and dental insurance, diverse 401(k) offerings and a defined-benefit pension plan, tuition reimbursement for industry-related education, a fitness center with free classes and generous time off. Yet, they represent a small piece of the larger puzzle that makes Navigant the winner in the Small-Employer Category in PBN’s Best Places to Work awards program.

“We treat colleagues like family,” said Draper. Fellow employees rally around to support co-workers facing medical crises and celebrate with those having babies; that commitment is simply part of Navigant’s DNA.

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Although job openings are frequently filled by internal candidates, Navigant devotes significant energies to new-employee training. Every new hire is partnered with a navigator, an experienced employee who serves as a “buddy” for the new hire’s first several weeks. The navigator typically takes the new employee to lunch on his or her first day of work, reviews orientation materials and explains Navigant’s culture.

“We’ve tried to identify navigators throughout the organization to cover different … jobs … so they can do some hands-on training,” said Nancy Wilson, assistant vice president of human resources.

Late last year, the company completed a lengthy and comprehensive conversion of its computer systems. As a “thank you” for employees’ dedicated service throughout the process, Furtado, president and CEO since 1988, announced that every employee would receive an extra week of vacation.

Furtado gives a “state of the credit union” speech at the annual employee meetings, which include raffle gifts such as additional vacation time, a 50-inch flat-screen TV, Red Sox and PPAC tickets and gift cards, among others, said Wilson. “We’re a very work-life balanced culture. [Work] is a big part of everybody’s life, but it’s not our whole life.”

Other annual events that unite employees – scattered throughout 13 branches across Rhode Island – include a summertime cookout for employees and a Christmas party for employees and their spouses or significant others.

With 65,000 members and $1.5 billion in assets, Navigant offers everything a large community bank offers, including personal and business loans and wealth management programs, said Draper, and members can access their accounts from a smartphone or other mobile device.

As a big proponent of financial education, the community-minded credit union annually contributes $2,500 to each of 16 high schools in northern Rhode Island for the online EverFi program, a 10-module financial-literacy course. Students who successfully complete the course earn a certificate.

Navigant’s VForce initiative allows employees up to eight paid hours a year to volunteer. Special Olympics, just one of many nonprofit organizations supported by Navigant, frequently welcomes VForce volunteers; Navigant’s mail clerk is a young man with Down syndrome. Employees may nominate organizations to receive donations from participants in casual-Friday and summer-attire programs.

When, in the course of their work, employees fulfill one of Navigant’s internal core values – “live it, own it, learn it, share it” – or receive a letter of appreciation from a member, they earn the President’s Award, which includes lunch with Furtado at the University Club in Providence.

Founded in 1915, Navigant – formerly the Credit Union Central Falls – eagerly anticipates its next century of service to Rhode Islanders. “If we continue to treat our employees like family and … do right by our communities, we’ll continue to be successful,” said Draper. •

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