This June we're shining the spotlight on Bert Kullerstrand, Tech CU's Merrillville Branch Manager. He's been with Tech CU for 13 years.
"Bert was instrumental in opening our Cedar Lake Branch in 2019. He does a fabulous job at training his team to achieve success! You can always count on him to bring great ideas and great energy to all he does. Bert really cares about the membership at Tech, and he takes pride in getting it right the first time. I am most impressed with his green thumb! If you ever need planting advice, he is your guy! Bert is currently the Manager at the Merrillville Branch and I am grateful to have him on the Tech CU Team!”
- Tracy Anderson, VP of Member Experience.
We asked Bert some questions to learn a little bit more about his experiences at Tech CU and what he likes to do in his free time.
• What do you like about your role at Tech CU?
As someone who was once a Member Service Representative, and built a small group of loyal members who “only wanted to work with me”, then to become an Assistant Manager who built an even larger following, it was a struggle at first, as a Branch Manager, to let go of the hands-on approach. I’ve really started to enjoy training and working with the staff to make them more confident in what they do, and how they interact with the members, to grow their own following. While progress with that is difficult to measure, you can see it pay off as more members tell us how much they enjoy working with our branch, and when they bring in their family members because of their great experiences, it lets the staff (and me) know that we’re doing things right.
• What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I like being outside as much as possible. I love working on my landscaping or garden, walking my dog Hefalump, or just sitting outside enjoying the fresh air after work. When I have enough free time, I like to get out and do some trail hiking to give me a rare combination of exercise and peace and quiet.
• What is one thing on your “bucket list”?
So far I only have one thing on my bucket list…and that’s: Make a bucket list! But I would like to go to Hawaii and parasail over the ocean.
• What about becoming an adult caught you completely off guard?
I guess what caught me off guard about being an adult is how as kids we saw adults as all-knowing, and in fact, there are many things that as an adult we have to figure out on the spot or fake it until we make it!
