Credit Union history
* 1954: Chattanooga DuPont Nylon Employees Credit Union started * 1983: Alsimag and Green Charger Credit Unions merge with Dupont credit union * 1984: Name changed to Dupont Community Credit Union and membership opened to anyone who lives or works in Hamilton County * 1988: Signal Knitting Mills merges with Dupont credit union * 1999: Dixie Group Federal Credit Union merges with Dupont credit union About the credit union * Offices: Offices in Hixson Pike (opened in 1984), East Brainerd Road (opened in 1997), Soddy Daisy (in 2007) and Ooltewah (opened in 2011) * Assets: $114 million * Membership: 13,500 * Staff: 29 employees led by CEO Kendall Foster
Kendall FosterChattanooga's fourth-biggest credit union is getting a new name.
The Dupont Community Credit Union is dropping the Dupont name it has used since its start 61 years ago. This week, new signs were put at the credit union's four offices boasting the new name: Scenic Community Credit Union.
"With fewer Dupont employees and retirees in town, we wanted to have a name that better represented our community charter," said Kendall Foster, the credit union CEO. "This is a kind of play off of the Scenic City name, but since we serve more than just the city we wanted to have a community name as our brand. We want people to know that we are your community credit union."
The Dupont credit union expanded its field of membership to become a community charter for all of Hamilton County in 1984 and expanded that field to the entire 6-county Chattanooga metropolitan area in 2011.
The credit union has absorbed six other credit unions since its start in the Chattanooga Dupont plant in 1954 shortly after the chemical giant built its nylon plant in Hixson following World War II.
"We serve the entire region now and over time we expect to add another office, probably in Catoosa County," Foster said. "But we still try to maintain a very personal service and we try to know and serve our members, who own our credit union."
The Scenic Community Credit Union has about 13,500 members, who collectively own the nonprofit credit union.
The only bigger credit unions in Chattanooga are the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, ComTrust Federal Credit Union and the Chattanooga First Federal Credit Union.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340.