Special recognition awards given to local Realtors

The Realtor Association of Southwestern Illinois recognized numerous members at its annual awards luncheon on March 15 at the Scott Event Center at Scott Air Force Base.

Julie Heltne, a broker with RE/MAX Signature Properties in Shiloh, received the 2017 Realtor of the Year award. The Realtor of the Year award is a very high honor the association bestows on a member. It is presented to an individual whose dedication to excellence has most profoundly enhanced the professional image of realtors.

The award recognizes the Realtor of the Year’s personal leadership and service qualities, applied not only to the real estate industry, but also to the promotion of civic, community and charitable causes. The award, while not granted for a specific business accomplishment, is earned by realtors who have made a mark in the real estate industry.

Heltne served several years on the board of directors, but the her service did not stop there.

“As chair of the Awards Task Force for a few years, this dedicated realtor added a unique flair and creative perspective to the events. She can always be seen with a welcoming smile and positive attitude,” a release from RASI said. “While balancing work and a great family, Julie also took the time to take the Realtor After-Hours to a whole new level, which has continued to grow each year, thanks to her unrelenting commitment to this ever-expanding event each month. Her dedication and support of the association are truly appreciated.”

The 2017 Affiliate of the Year award was given to Kate Cline of Benchmark Title in Shiloh. The Affiliate of the Year award is the highest honor an affiliate member can receive. It is awarded to a dedicated individual who demonstrates an ongoing commitment to supporting the association’s activities. The 2017 Affiliate of the Year is the ideal picture of service, support and kindness.

“Kate always arrives early to help setup events and usually the last to leave, as she is always willing to lend a hand to the association and her peers. Her loyal nature can be seen in her continual and consistent activity with the association. This affiliate goes above and beyond — even to the extent of helping the association decorate for the holidays. She is greatly appreciated by the association,” the release from RASI said.

Doug Shoemaker of USA Mortgage in O’Fallon was awarded the Community Achievement Award. The Community Achievement Award is given to an association member who is making an exceptional impact on the community through volunteer work.

“Doug is a longtime supporter of veterans. This member has spent years planning and coordinating a huge local annual event supporting a local charity called Climb for PTSD. This organization helps veterans, who normally have to wait months, get the assistance they need immediately. The award recipient has planned the Midwest Wingfest for many years. This WingFest has served over 80,000 people over 400,000 wings for this great cause,” the release from RASI said.

Providence Bank announces promotion of Jeff Bullock

Providence Bank has announced the promotion of Jeff Bullock to business development officer for the Fairview Heights market. In his new role, Bullock will be marketing the bank’s deposit products and services to businesses and individuals to cultivate new relationships and strengthen business development efforts in Fairview Heights and the surrounding area.

Bullock has over eight years of banking and lending experience. He is a long-standing resident of Fairview Heights and currently serves as treasurer for the Metro East Regional Chamber of Commerce; Secretary/Treasurer for the Belleville Chapter of Business Network International; Member of the Metro East Lenders Group which provides financial literacy to families within low-to-moderate income communities. Bullock was honored as one of 2016’s “Top Southern Illinois People to Know to Succeed in Business.”

Bullock’s office is located at the Fairview Heights Banking Center at 4600 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights.　

Scott Credit Union holds annual meeting

Scott Credit Union, with its not-for-profit, cooperative structure, was able to continue providing a better value to members through another successful year in 2016, the local credit union reported to members at its 74th annual meeting, which was held recently at SCU’s home office in Edwardsville.

SCU President and CEO Frank Padak reported that Scott Credit Union ended 2016 continuing to be a strong and sound financial institution. The credit union finished the year with capital of 8.89 percent of assets. SCU remains well above the 7.00 percent regulatory standard to be considered well capitalized.

Scott Credit Union continued its success with growth in membership and deposits as well as steady loan volume, according to Padak.

“We continued to grow throughout 2016 and had net income of $8.5 million,” Padak told the crowd at the meeting.

Padak noted that Scott Credit Union was again able to reward a bonus dividend and loan interest rebate to members in 2016.

“The real bottom line for us as a credit union is providing the best value possible to our members,” Padak said. “Because we had positive growth, maintained our strong capital position, and had solid earnings, we were able to reward our active members with a nearly $1.5 million bonus dividend and loan interest rebate.”

“It really was another successful year for Scott Credit Union and its members,” he said.

Scott Credit Union reported assets of $1.09 billion at the end of 2016. The credit union had an increase in membership of over 2.6 percent to more than 135,280 members and growth in deposits. Scott Credit Union’s total deposits grew 4.2 percent last year.

“Our growth continues to allow us to provide services that historically have only been available at larger financial institutions,” Padak noted. “The economies of scale created by our growth and conservative management also continue to serve our membership well through competitive rates and low fees.”

The credit union continues to focus on providing exceptional service and making decisions that benefit its members.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with how well our business has grown and how much our members are enjoying the benefits of the services we offer,” Padak said. “Because of our cooperative structure, we answer to our members, not to a small group of stockholders. When we do well, our members benefit. That’s the great thing about our not-for-profit cooperative structure. It is really the best model for the consumer.”

Additionally, Padak announced that in 2016, SCU began to offer a new tool in its branches called Savings Detector. The tool gives SCU representatives the ability to see if we can save a member money on an auto loan or credit card balance they have with another financial institution.

“Savings Detector helped us save members over $565,000 in 2016 simply by refinancing auto loans or credit cards with SCU,” Padak noted.

Padak also said that Scott Credit Union has remained committed to being the best place to work. This strategy resulted in SCU being ranked in the list of Top Workplaces for medium size businesses in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2016. SCU was one of 12 companies recognized as a Best Place to Work for a fifth consecutive year.

“We are extremely proud of this honor because we believe that employees who enjoy their workplace will provide even better service to our members,” he said.

Also at the meeting, Scott Credit Union’s volunteer Board of Directors was elected for 2017. The Board includes William Hostetter, CMSgt (USAF Retired) as Chairman; Dale Huegen as Vice Chairman; Roselyn Altman as Secretary; Frank Padak as Treasurer; Carolyn Choate; Donald Pierre, SMSgt (USAF Retired); and Sheila Vallowe.

Betty Renth was recognized at the meeting as an Emeritus Director. Renth served on the Board for over 60 years and was Chairman from 1971 through her retirement in May of 2016.

Scott Credit Union’s Associate Directors also were introduced at the meeting. These directors included Judith Beussink, Michele Gehlbach, Lawrence Haffner, Sarah Kopatz, Christopher Sobrino and Mark Witkowski.

This story was originally published April 18, 2017 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Special recognition awards given to local Realtors."