Why staying true to your values matters now more than ever

April 28, 2021

Libro CEO Steve Bolton photo

There’s no longer any doubt that we expect companies to show us, through their actions, they have good values. Companies can and must exist beyond servicing the bottom line.

Long after the COVID-19 crisis passes, the world won’t forget the values-driven companies that led with a conscience. Libro has always done that — and always will. We’ll all be stronger for it.

How Libro Credit Union is leading with purpose

In any decision we make, we are balancing the interests of our Owners, staff and our communities. Profit is not Libro’s end game — it’s all about prosperity in southwestern Ontario. We know some of you are experiencing loss, sickness and worry in a way you never imagined and if we can help relieve some of that burden by providing trusted financial advice, let us do that for you.

FOR OUR OWNERS

First off, a big thanks to all of you for being patient while we adjusted and readjusted how we support you. We’re staying true to our coaching philosophy and helping you navigate some pretty uncertain times. Our coaches are helping Owners redefine what prosperity means right now and coming up with a plan that suits each unique circumstance.

We’ve also changed the way we are providing service and finding new ways to get things done for you. We doubled the capacity of our call centre so that we can answer your calls, meaning we pick up the phone, and as much as possible we’re not waiting for you to call — we’re reaching out to you.

Libro Credit Union has been leading the way in providing solutions for our retail and business Owners. We’ve helped thousands of businesses access government aid and we’re fulfilling applications in four to five days. There are a lot of programs and changes occurring and it can be confusing, and the best advice I can give all of you – is to seek advice. We are providing advice over the phone, through video conferencing, and through targeted emails that can help you navigate your business and personal finances.

The biggest support we can be is as a trusted advisor, to walk you through the best options for you. Please continue to reach out to your Coach. They want to help.

FOR OUR STAFF

We have as many staff working from home as possible and, for those working in the branches, we are taking precautions to keep them safe.

All Libro staff are receiving full pay and benefits, including those who are experiencing sickness or are taking time off to care for children or other family members. I can’t stress enough how amazing Libro staff have been through this and have truly come together as one team to serve Libro Owners. They are being extremely innovative in finding ways to connect and simply get things done. This crisis has brought about many positive changes to how we do business and support Owners, and we expect many improvements to stick around long after COVID-19.

FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

Advice, experience and community are our core business, so our commitment to our communities remains steadfast. We contributed $320,000 to eight regional United Way emergency support efforts to help relieve some of the most pressing needs in our communities. Libro will also maintain funding commitments for initiatives as planned for 2020, even if the event or project has been postponed, or adjusted. We’re turning our minds now to how we continue to grow prosperity in our communities in the long-term. We recently launched a recovery and rebuilding design challenge, to harness the power of great ideas in response to COVID-19.

Looking forward to the future

We will continue to lead with our Owners, staff and communities top of mind. We are learning a great deal through all of this and are confident we will come out stronger on the other end. Again, please check in with your coach and let us help you through these times. We’re going to get through this together, and our collective actions today will determine the stories told tomorrow.

Steve Bolton's Photo

By Steve Bolton

Head Coach, President, and CEO