San Diego County Credit Union Marketing Exec Honored by Industry Publication

Downtown resident Nathan Schmidt, executive vice president of marketing and business development with San Diego County Credit Union, San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, has been honored by CU Times, a national magazine that reports on the credit union industry, with a “Trailblazer 40 Below” award.

Schmidt was recognized by CU Times for helping to launch a series of lifestyle products and services, including SDCCU Mobile Live Chat, SMS text banking, alerts and eNotices. In addition, the magazine said that SDCCU was the first-to-market in San Diego with the SDCCU mobile deposit app.

The magazine quoted Schmidt: “To me innovation is constant improvement. It’s not just products, it’s delivering on how people search, interact and communicate with you. Who thought we’d take pictures of checks and [make] deposits on smartphones six to 10 years ago?

CU Times noted that in 2012, SDCCU strengthened its corporate value brand to reflect a more accurate market position in the communities it serves. SDCCU’s message: provide breakthrough banking products that meet the demands of today’s lifestyle and deliver banking services that save members money. CU Times said, “That has helped SDCCU successfully differentiate itself.”

“We are very proud of Nathan for receiving this deserving award,” said Teresa Halleck, San Diego County Credit Union president & CEO. “Nathan has led us through several very successful initiatives that have expanded benefits and services to our customers and contributed to growth and revenue gains for the credit union.”

This is Schmidt’s second award for recognition as a credit union industry young executive. He was recently selected by SD Metro, a news magazine covering the San Diego region, for one of its “40 Under 40” awards. The honor signifies that Schmidt is one of the San Diego business community’s top 40 business professionals under the age of 40.

Schmidt, with 15 years of financial services management experience, joined SDCCU in 2011 after serving as Vice President of Marketing and eServices at Schools Financial Credit Union of Sacramento, Calif. At SDCCU, he is responsible for strategic planning, marketing, product development, business development, and community and media relations. Schmidt has a track record of bringing new products and services to market with a focus on driving revenue and profit gains.

Schmidt has been active as a board member and past president of the California Credit Union League, Sacramento Valley Chapter, and as a member of the Service Delivery Advisory Group for PSCU Financial Services, the nation’s largest credit union services organization, based in St. Petersburg, Fla. He has also served on the Education Resource Board for California State University, Sacramento and the Advisory Council for the Sacramento City College School of Business.

Schmidt also recently became a LEAD San Diego INFLUENCE graduate. LEAD San Diego exists to enhance the quality of life in the San Diego region through a growing network of capable and engaged civic leaders. He also is a member of the board of directors of the San Diego Bowl Game Association, a non-profit organization that produces two college football bowl games, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and the Holiday Bowl, played annually in December at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. SDCCU is the only credit union in the nation to serve as title sponsor of a college football bowl game among the 35 bowl games played during the holidays. SDCCU has served as the title sponsor of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl since the bowl game’s inception in 2005.

A native of Van Nuys, Calif., Schmidt has a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento, and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College of Moraga, Calif. He has taught marketing and business management courses at the University of Phoenix.

San Diego County Credit Union is San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution serving San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. SDCCU has assets of $6 billion, more than 245,000 customers, 29 convenient branch locations and 30,000 surcharge-FREE ATMs. From FREE Checking with eStatements and SDCCU Mobile Deposit, to home and auto loans, Visa credit cards, money market accounts and business banking services, including commercial real estate loans; SDCCU provides breakthrough banking products that meet the demands of today’s lifestyle and delivers banking services that save customers money. Federally insured by NCUA and is an equal housing lender. For more information, visit www.sdccu.com.