Thank you, Doug Bridges

I got an email this week from Doug Bridges at Provincial Credit Union, announcing his impending retirement.

I’ve been a credit union member for coming up on 32 years; Doug has been an important go-to contact there for the last 26 of those years. 

Truth be told, I’ve never known what Doug’s actual job title was; his email signature on retirement was “Community Development Officer,” but I have always thought of him as “person to talk to about the credit union, and how it could be better.” 

When I look back at my email exchanges with Doug over the years, I see subject lines like:

• Solution to Banking Problem?
• Connect my account with my brothers?
• Downtown ATM?
• Language Selection
• Currency Exchange Rate
• Question about MemberDirect
• Printed Statements for Personal Accounts
• Foreign Withdrawls 
• Traveling in Europe

In other words, a little bit of everything. And Doug has was always quick and ready with a helpful reply, bringing truth to the notion that we are members of the credit union, not merely customers.

It was only this fall that I realized that Doug’s father was the late, great Vance Bridges. Vance was a force in the coop movement, and he brought the same spirit to his coop dealings with me that Doug brought to our dealings at Provincial.

Best wishes on your retirement, Doug: you will be greatly missed.