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Shell New Orleans Federal Credit Union, which was federally chartered in 1947, has 44 employees of varying experience levels. Teller Lauren LeCron, left, has been with the company for six months, while
account processor Dawn Miller has been with the credit union for 25 years.
Photo by Frank Aymami
Shell New Orleans
Federal Credit Union
In the two years Jennifer Sahuque has been
an employee with Shell New Orleans Federal
Credit Union, she has embraced a guiding
principle of the institution.
“They like to see you go up through the
ranks here,” she said of the credit union, which
was chartered to serve the New Orleans
employees of Shell Oil but is not run by the
company. “If a position is opening up, they let
you know about it. And if it is something you
are interested in and qualified for, there’s a
good chance you’ll get the job.”
Even more impressive, Sahuque said, is the
credit union’s tuition reimbursement policy
that pays up to $1,000 per semester and $3,000
for an entire year, including summer classes,
for any employee taking college-level courses.
For Sahuque, a telephone sales representative,
that help is crucial while she pursues her
accounting degree.
“And once I get that degree, I can apply it to
different positions that may be opened here
because I want to continue working and learning
as much as possible about the business.”
That sense of career momentum has been
one of the primary reasons why Guizell Rosales
has been with Shell New Orleans Federal
Credit Union for more than two decades.
“I was a branch manager for two years, and
also a teller and teller supervisor,” said Rosales,
now a lending manager. “I am the type of person
who is always looking for the opportunity
to learn more, and they give you that here.
“It isn’t just that they promote from within,
which they do, but that they encourage crossdepartment
training so that you can really
expand and learn as much about the business
from as many different perspectives as possible,”
Rosales said.
Sahuque, who previously worked as a teller,
said the company enables employees to learn
more about different parts of the business.
“I became a service representative so that I
could learn more about customer service and
Nature of business: banking and finance
Where based: New Orleans
Employees: 44
Average starting salary: $26,436
Median salary: $46,155
Average employment time: seven years and three months
Benefits: health care with 100 percent coverage, dental and
vision plans, paid maternity leave, 401(k) with 6 percent
match, continuing education program, flexible hours, employee
recognition program
Wait time for benefits: first of month after date of hire
Paid days off: 26
Web site: www.shellnofcu.com
relations,” she said.
CEO Michelle Duhe said helping employees
advance is a priority at the credit union.
“By offering training opportunities and educational
reimbursements, we try to do whatever
we can to help a person here who has the
drive to advance,” she said.
The personal relationships employees forge
with the credit union customers helps nurture
employee happiness, Rosales said.
“Credit unions really emphasize member
service,” she said. “We know the people who
come in here by name and really like it when
we can do something that might make a positive
difference in their lives.”
Sahuque said the focus is always on member
service.
“When a member is happy, so are we.”•
— Garry Boulard
66 2009 Best Places to Work