Northland moves into Alpena
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ALPENA -- Feb. 1 will be a special day for members and staff of Northland Area Federal Credit Union as its new headquarters in Alpena will open to the public.
The new, four-story building on Bagley Street has taken several years to complete, but it is nearly ready to serve current and new members.
Marketing Director Matt Duthler said the company has 15 branches, but Alpena will be its home base. He said everyone is excited to fully open the facility, which, for now, is only accepting appointments to register new members because of coronavirus restrictions.
The drive-thru and ATM are open, but the lobby will remain closed for a couple more weeks.
Duthler said many factors were considered before choosing a location for Northland's headquarters. He said Alpena was selected because of what the community offers and the potential for future growth for the area and the company.
"There is a good hospital, a good school system, with lots of choices, and there were just a lot of reasons Alpena made sense," he said. "We think there is an opportunity for tremendous growth here, and we want to be a part of it, and help achieve it."
Northland has had a satellite office in the city since 2014 that was exclusive for lending services, but that office has closed and its services offered at the new location on Bagley Street.
Since arriving in Alpena, the credit union has been active in the community and has gone out of its way to support local events and fundraisers. Duthler said the company will continue to do so moving forward, because being a part of the community is important.
"We live in this community and are your neighbors, so we want to support it," he said. "We also want to do more than just make out a check. We encourage our staff to become involved and volunteer, as well."
Duthler said the project was slowed a tad because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but, now that the headquarters is on the verge of fully opening, he is excited to see the response of people when they get to see the facility.
He said there will likely be an official grand opening celebration in the summer.
Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.