What’s in a Name? – How We Came to be Fox Communities Credit Union

Early in our history, Combined Locks Credit Union quickly great to include many area communities

When the time had come where Combined Locks Credit Union had outgrown not just the Combined Locks Paper Mill, but the village itself, it was time to think about a new name. They needed a name that would welcome and include all of the communities that they served, and they eventually arrived at Fox Communities Credit Union.  To hear a few of the other names that they considered, watch the video below! This is only a small clip from a longer, special Fox Communities history video that we created. The video tells the story of Fox’s beginnings, how we’ve grown, and what makes us such a special organization (spoiler alert: it’s how much we care about each other and our communities)! We have also made the full video available if you’d like to watch it – and you should –  it’s 25 minutes of heartwarming history.

Greg Hilbert: When the credit union was first started, it was called the Combined Locks Credit Union. As our credit union grew, it was felt that the Combined Locks Credit Union name might be confusing.

Janice Timmers: Because of our growth, we were feeling as though we needed a name that would encompass all the communities.

George Ulman: We couldn’t be Locks Mill anymore and everybody came up with several names.

John Rietveld: It started out as Fox Cities Credit Union, but we were not Fox Cities.

George Ulman: NOVA – Number One Valley Associate.

Steve Vande Hey: One was Fox Heritage and one was Fox Communities Credit Union.

Greg Hilbert: We had a little contest. We asked members to help us select a new name.

Steve Vande Hey: We did sort of a survey, and people definitely warmed up to the Communities name much better. That was really why we went in that direction.

Greg Hilbert: Ultimately, the board chose the name Fox Communities Credit Union.

Janice Timmers: This was the best. Fox Communities was definitely the very best choice.

Greg Hilbert – Retired President & CEO, Fox Communities Credit Union
Janice Timmers – Retired Board Member, Fox Communities Credit Union
George Ulman – Retired Board Member, Fox Communities Credit Union
Steve Vande Hey – Retired Board Member, Fox Communities Credit Union
John Rietveld – Retired Board Member, Fox Communities Credit Union