Posted on Fri, Nov. 20, 2009

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Great Plains Credit Union gains space and visibility

BY JERRY SIEBENMARK

The Wichita Eagle

More than two years after entering Wichita, Great Plains Federal Credit Union is relocating its sole branch to a larger, more visible building.

Ken Martin, president of the Joplin, Mo.-based credit union, said that Great Plains will open in a former pharmacy at 3100 E. Central by the end of month.

"We just did not have the type of access that's needed in the financial business," Martin said of the credit union's current location at 315 N. Hillside.

The new building is 1,800 square feet compared with about 1,000 at the Hillside location.

Plus, it gains a drive-through, more parking and heightened visibility. The new location is just west of Central and Hillside.

Martin said Great Plains has signed a lease on the building for "several years."

Eventually the $276 million credit union would like to build its own branch building in Wichita.

"So far we're happy with the success we've had in Wichita, and it is a growing area for us," Martin said. "We're convinced it will keep getting better and we hope in the near future we can add a new

facility there."

The local economy is keeping Great Plains from taking on a new construction project, he said.

Great Plains entered Wichita in 2007 when it took over Communities United Credit Union, which had been declared insolvent earlier that year and was being operated by the Kansas Department of Credit Unions.

Great Plains operates 11 branches in Kansas, Missouri and Texas.

The Wichita branch employs five people.

Reach Jerry Siebenmark at 316-268-6576 or jsiebenmark@wichitaeagle.com.

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