Celebrating International Credit Union Day: Dupaco’s legacy, impact and member commitment

DUBUQUE, Iowa— Today, Dupaco Credit Union joins credit unions around the world in celebrating International Credit Union Day, an annual event commemorating the credit union movement’s impact and achievements. This year marks the 77th anniversary of both the global celebration and Dupaco’s founding.

Founded on July 17, 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, Dupaco was built on the principles of thrift, access to affordable credit and the opportunity for its members to own and control their money on a democratic basis, aiming to improve their economic and social conditions. Today, those values continue to guide the credit union’s mission to improve the financial well-being of its members and the communities it serves.

“International Credit Union Day is a great reminder to celebrate what makes credit unions different,” said Joe Hearn, Dupaco President/CEO. “Dupaco is more than just a local financial institution. We’re a financial cooperative, owned by its community of members with a mission to build a life worth loving.”

During the financial cooperative’s 77 years, Dupaco continuously seeks to enhance value for its member-owners. The cooperative achieves this in a variety of ways, including:

• Product, service and technology enhancements. In fact, so far in 2025, Dupaco’s fraud team and our innovative technology has helped prevent nearly $7 million in potential fraud losses.
• Enhanced member well-being tools like Bright Track which gives members personalized money-saving recommendations and helps monitor members’ accounts and credit scores. In 2024, 60,233 members took charge of their credit by using this free Dupaco tool and 81.54% who continuously used the tool for a full year, boosted or held steady in their credit-score range!
• Community impact. Dupaco is committed to empowering people and strengthening communities by investing in efforts aligned with affordable housing and homeownership, upskilling and reskilling, and small business development.
• Staff expertise and service. In 2024, Dupaco invested 20,026 hours in employee training (that’s about 33 hours per employee in a formal learning experience!).
• Higher savings rates. In 2024, Dupaco members worked toward their savings goals by saving and investing $2.7+ billion for their futures. Dupaco paid out $62,551,747 in dividends to its member-owners.
• Lower loan rates and fees. In 2024, about 1 in 4 loans were for $2,500 or less, helping members tackle goals, big or small, and keeping them affordable.

After 77 years, one thing remains consistent for Dupaco: all members have an equal say in their credit union, where each member has one vote for their board of directors, no matter how much money they have in deposits or loans at Dupaco.

Dupaco’s current volunteer board of directors are:

• Ellen Goodmann Miller, chair of the board; Resource Development Specialist, Gronen; and Hawks Goodmann & Associates
• Randy Skemp, vice chair; Vice President of Sales, Active Network, LLC
• Andy Schroeder, secretary; Vice President, Prenger Solutions Group
• Renee Poppe, treasurer; Senior Vice President, Sales Service Center, Medline Industries
• Denise Dolan; retired, Auditor, Dubuque County
• Jeff Gonner; retired, Chief of Staff, Medical Associates
• Ron Meyers; retired, Principal, Wahlert High School
• Antonio Mouzon; Director, Office of Community Impact, City of Dubuque
• Bob Wethal; Vice President of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer, Mercy Medical Center

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ABOUT DUPACO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

Dupaco Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa. It is dedicated to the financial well-being of its members, and specializes in personalized financial counseling, money advice and education. It offers savings, loans, investments, insurance and wealth management products for individuals and businesses. Dupaco serves residents in 118 counties throughout Iowa, northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Founded in 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, membership has grown to more than 176,000 with assets exceeding $3.6 billion. It has over 600 employees and 23 branch office locations. Learn more at www.dupaco.com.