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CUES Financial Suppliers Forum Suppliers of the Year Named
The honorees are The Database Marketing Agency, DEI, PEMCO Technology Services and CUNA Mutual Group.

CUES Chairman Gary Irvin, CCE, far left, was on hand to congratulate the first-ever CUES Suppliers of the Year: The Database Marketing Agency Inc., DEI Inc., PEMCO Technology Services Inc. and CUNA Mutual. From left is Rich Weissman, president/CEO, The Database Marketing Agency Inc.; Cynthia Grow, co-founder and visioneer, DEI Inc.; Dan Cook, CEO, PEMCO Technology Services Inc.; and Larry Blanchard, SVP/corporate and legislative affairs, CUNA Mutual Group.

This is the first year the CUES FSF Supplier of the Year award has been given. It represents firms that dedicate themselves to their credit union customers. Five categories of firms, by number of employees, were judged on their contribution to the credit union industry, the benefits of their products and services to the movement, their role in the community, and achievement in the industry. There were winners in four of the categories.

The Database Marketing Agency Inc. is the winner in the category of 26 to 50 employees. Since its founding in 1996, The Database Marketing Agency has successfully grown to become a premiere company in the industry, uniquely integrating financial, marketing and sales data with online access for improving bottom-line performance. Rich Weissman, president/CEO of The Database Marketing Agency Inc., said, “This award is the culmination of many years of providing credit unions with state-of-the-art systems and support, resulting in our clients becoming top performers in the industry. We provide much more than ‘just a system’ and our clients enjoy a true competitive advantage through their partnership with The Database Marketing Agency Inc.”

As the winner in the category of 51 to 75 employees, DEI Inc. has been an FSF member for more than 10 years. DEI introduced the importance of brand image and retail merchandising to help credit unions differentiate themselves from banks. Today, 85 percent of DEI Inc.’s total annual sales is from credit unions. Cynthia Grow, co-founder and visioneer, commented, “Over the years, we have had the opportunity to work one on one with top-notch CEOs because of our involvement in CUES. DEI Inc.’s management and staff are ecstatic that we were selected out of the many other worthy companies to receive this first-time award. It especially means so much to all of us as we celebrate our 20th anniversary!”

PEMCO Technology Services Inc. is the winner in the 76 to 100 employees category. The company serves the transaction-handling needs of credit unions through its PowerLink Visa, MasterCard and ATM processing system, providing cardholders with real-time access to their account balances. The firm has also been a member of FSF since 1995. CEO Dan Cook said, “It is a tremendous honor to be named CUES Supplier of the Year in the award’s very first year of existence. We greatly appreciate the nomination and letters of recommendation written by our customers, as well as the ongoing support we receive from more than 230 customers nationwide. I feel this recognition is a product of the high value we place on our heritage in the credit union industry and our place within its community.”

The winner in the category of more than 100 employees is CUNA Mutual Group. Since 1935, CUNA Mutual has grown to offer lending, protection, investment, financial, employee and member solutions to help credit unions succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace, and assist them in helping members achieve financial security. CUNA Mutual Group has more than 300 products and services dedicated solely to credit unions. CEO Jeff Post said, “CUNA Mutual is proud to partner with the Credit Union Executives Society on many strategic and educational initiatives that address the needs of credit union leaders. We are honored to be selected for the first-ever CUES Supplier of the Year award. This recognition simply strengthens our belief in collaboration within the credit union system. We know working together we can accomplish more for the credit unions we serve.”

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