UNITY — Following the announcement of Gerald Hauta’s retirement as CEO at Unity Credit Union, many knew he was leaving some pretty big shoes to fill. After six months of searching, Kelly Longley accepted the position and is already settling into his role.
Longley grew up in Omega, a small community in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan. He was raised on his family’s mixed grain and cattle farm, graduating from Omega School. After graduation, he initially wanted to become a teacher, but after taking a year of education and internships, he felt it was not the direction he wanted to pursue. He then began working for the railroad for a few years, which also didn’t feel like where he needed to be. He found a two-year program at SIAST in Moose Jaw that specialized in the financial services industry and was hired by CIBC right out of college.
During his time with CIBC, Longley was a part of five different communities. He made his first move to the credit union system in Canora, where he was for six years. He transitioned to Wainwright, Alta., to work at the credit union there for four years before moving further west to Dawson Creek, B.C., to take on his first CEO role. He returned to Wainwright for the CEO position there until the branch merged with Vision Credit Union, after which he moved to Peace Hills Trust, a First Nations-owned federally regulated financial institution based in Edmonton, Alta.
Longley, along with his wife Robyn, decided to make their way back to their home province of Saskatchewan now that their children, Kayden and Breeanna, have left home. When the position at Unity Credit Union became available, Longley wanted to return to the type of community he had grown up in and lived in throughout his career.
“When I was interviewing for the job, I was telling the board that it wasn’t my first trip to Unity. I’ve been through here before, so I knew the area for sure,” said Longley.
With his first month as the CEO now under his belt, Longley said the staff at the branch has been very welcoming, helpful and open to dialogue, which is making it easier for him to learn various procedures and processes.
“The Unity Credit Union has been very successful and has had a very good CEO for the past 18 years. I’ve told staff already that this is going to be different; I’m not Gerald. I can’t get up in the morning and pretend that I am him. There is going to be a change, but I think my experience and knowledge of where technology is taking us, where regulation is taking us, I’m pretty in tune with what makes a credit union’s heart beat,” added the new CEO.
For the Unity Credit Union board, it was that mindset that made Longley a strong candidate for the position. President Colette Lewin said during the interview process, Longley not only brought a wide range of experience, but also challenged the board while sharing similar thought processes.
“He told us that if the board was looking to merge anytime soon, he was not the guy for us. That stood out for the board, and he wanted to be back in small-town Saskatchewan,” added Lewin.
While there may be some changes, Longley also said he wants to continue the legacy that has already been established, including giving back to the community.
During his time in Wainwright, Longley was involved in forming the Encompass Community Charitable Foundation, a board he continues to sit on. The foundation provides over $200,000 per year to communities served by the former Encompass Credit Union, helping museums, minor sports teams, hockey arenas and hospitals, to name a few.
“There’s a huge amount of ask, and unfortunately, we can’t commit to every ask. But we’re pretty proud of the fact that there’s over $200,000 going back into those communities every year,” said Longley.
Although he is in the process of moving into the community, he is looking forward to spending some time in and around the community. He is excited to hit the fairway at the Unity Golf Course and take in some of the sports games the community has to offer, especially hockey.
“Both of my kids play hockey at a very competitive level, and my son still plays in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. I have always been a Riders fan. I think I was the only person in Dawson Creek who had a Roughrider barbecue cover. I used to play ball, slow pitch and all that kind of stuff, but as I age, I am slowing down,” said Longley.
Before Hauta fully retired, he welcomed Longley to Unity Credit Union’s AGM, where he bestowed some helpful advice to the newcomer.
“I can’t quote it word-for-word, but said ‘Blame the old guy that was here before you as much as you possibly can.’ In all honesty, Gerald’s done a tremendous job here and my focus is going to be continuing to maintain a focus for the membership, focus for the community and ensuring that we’re doing everything that we can to ensure our members are happy with the services we offer and the community is happy with us being a corporate citizen,” said Longley.
