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Stephen Behler, executive VP at $157 million Kemba Cincinnati Credit Union Inc., was awarded CUES Operations Professional of the Year Award at its 1999 Operations & Technology Conference awards banquet in Honolulu in May. Behler can talk for hours about the programs initiated under his direction, but the ever-present pronoun sprinkled within the conversation is "we." Behler is profiled.

Only one name appears on the CUES Operations Professional of the Year Award, but if you ask this year's winner, Stephen Behler, CCE, about the honor, you might think a few more names should be added.

Behler, executive vice president at $157 million Kemba Cincinnati Credit Union Inc., can talk for hours about the programs initiated under his direction. But the ever-present pronoun sprinkled within the conversation is "we." From Kemba Cincinnati CU President/CEO William Lowes to management and staffers and a strong board of directors, Behler deflects praise from himself and gives generous credit to those around him.

"We certainly don't go out and seek recognition," says Behler, discussing the honor of being named CUES' top operations professional at its 1999 Operations & Technology Conference awards banquet in Honolulu in May. The award is presented annually to the operations professional who meets the following criteria: outstanding contributions to the employing credit union's performance, achievements within the credit union movement, contributions to CUES and its councils, individual professional development and education, contributions to the community, and operational problem-solving action and success.

"We just strive for perfection, to serve members every day to the best of our ability, just meet every need we can," he adds.

While Behler is humble about his honor, his boss, Lowes, is dishing out praise.

"I can't imagine anyone being more deserving of this honor than Steve because at Kemba, we think of him as our Operations Executive of the Year every year," he said. "Steve is a very hard-working, loyal second executive and helps make my job much easier and less stressful."

In his role, Behler balances the hard numbers on the business side of the credit union with the personal interests and wants of members. While members would love access to every possible service (and for free), Behler says it's essential to have strong fiscal policies that dictate what can and can't be. Decisions made by Kemba Cincinnati CU officials may not always be popular with all members, but Behler takes comfort in believing each choice has benefits for its membership.

All Behler's efforts come back to one lofty objective--at the crux of the credit union movement-serving members. "It really comes down to focusing on the members and meeting their needs," he says.

SERVING MEMBERS

Behler has been busy over the past year implementing several programs and projects for Kemba Cincinnati CU and its 28,000 members. In 1998, he:

purchased/renovated a 17,000-square-foot main office building and leased the old credit union property;

centralized call center operations with a focus on member services and new sales that resulted in a 10.1 percent loan growth in 1998;

successfully negotiated a merger with Gibson Federal Credit Union, a small Cincinnati-- based operation.

researched and developed a credit union service organization, which includes tax preparation, mortgage origination and car buying services;

implemented a successful risk-based lending program;

organized a Y2K task force, which at press time had brought the credit union's critical systems to 95 percent compliance and 90 percent compliance in non-critical systems with a goal of 100 percent compliance by June 1999; and

increased total assets, shares and capital-to-assets ratio each by 13 percent.

OPEN COMMUNICATION

One thing that made all of those tasks easier for Behler is open communication among Kemba Cincinnati CU employees that ensures everyone is on the same page and shares the same goals. That philosophy is a driving force behind virtually every project undertaken at Kemba, and it takes constant planning to pull it off successfully.

"We look into the crystal ball every day-what are we doing; where are we going-and the plan changes all the time," Behler says.

For example, Kemba Cincinnati CU entered new headquarters in 1998 and centralized much of its operations at that time. Behler saw the move as an opportunity to tie in several other changes.

Working closely with other managers, Behler oversaw the development of two call centers-one to handle the membership services area and another designed exclusively to manage new and existing loans, where growth had been relatively flat. At the same time, the credit union installed a new telephone system to work with the volume of calls received and reduce the credit union's concerns about such phone issues as hold times, lost calls and hang-ups. Kemba Cincinnati CU does about 60 percent of its business by phone, with some 800 calls daily.

Besides the call centers and telephones, people needed to be moved between buildings as well. To ensure a smooth transition, Behler and the rest of the credit union's team made sure it was fully prepared before moving-which it did in one weekend so that members wouldn't suffer interruptions in normal business operations.

"When we look back now, it has worked out extremely well," he says.

WALKING THE MEMBER TALK

Even the best management team would be useless unless it focused on members' needs. When it comes to taking care of members, Behler wants to make sure Kemba Cincinnati CU walks the talk.

"We are here to truly enhance the lives of our members in the services and products we offer," Behler says. "We live that every day."

That philosophy drove Kemba Cincinnati CU's CUSO from the drawing board to implementation in January 1999. Behler sees the CUSO as an opportunity to provide innovative, practical business solutions that can help the credit union maintain and attract its market share. A car-buying service, mortgage-referral processing and tax preparation help make up the core products, with plans to expand support to credit unions not able to meet Y2K compliance. Kemba Cincinnati CU also will offer CUSO services to other Cincinnati-area credit unions.

"It's a new business for us, but we're looking at some real serious growth opportunities," Behler says, adding the credit union also has plans in 1999 for home banking and opening two new branches. "We can do that because we have a strong capital base."

SECRET SERVICE

Behler also involved members in ensuring Kemba Cincinnati CU is living up to its goal of enhancing their lives. He instituted a secret shopper system where members "scored" credit union performance during a transaction. Comments received helped Behler find the intangibles-used in training sessions-that help the credit union build relationships.

Initially, shoppers' scores were low, but steadily increased as employees became aware of their perceived shortcoming. The secret shopper program isn't designed to punish bad employees but rather encourage employees to give their best daily, and the results are higher scores and increased satisfaction from members.

"We wanted to know exactly what was happening at the point of transaction, not only what we were telling them, but also how they feel about Kemba Cincinnati CU after they've hung up or left the lobby," Behler says. "We treat them like we want to be treated."

But the real secret to giving good service, he says, is making your job fun. That can be accomplished as easily as offering kind words to fellow employees when they're having a bad day. If the credit union's workforce feels good about what they do, Behler believes that feeling will translate into everyone working hard to serve the members.

"We want you to show up, give 100 percent, have fun and then go home and be with your family," he says. "What we do is extremely important and the lives you touch are meaningful, but we want you to have fun doing it. My whole theory is if they're happy and like what they're doing, they'll give 100 percent."

Behler came to Kemba Cincinnati CU nearly 21 years ago when, while working at a local country club, a member said that when Behler wanted a "real job" he should give him a call. Although his knowledge of credit unions was limited, Behler met with that member, Lowes, and got his start as a loan interviewer. Behler credits Lowes as a strong mentor, teaching everything he knows about credit unions.

A CUES member since 1994, Behler takes advantage of the organization's educational opportunities, including his 1998 graduation from CUES' CEO Institute, which he says helped him achieve measurable progress in his ability and approach and prepared him for the next level of management. He served on the Ohio Credit Union League board of directors, and also as league representative on the Cincinnati Chapter Board.

Away from the credit union, Behler indulges in his two passions: his family, which consists of wife Kathy and five children, and golf.

Behler also gives back to the community, whether it is through his local church council or battling a city ordinance that designated an area near the credit union's main office as a "red-light district." His generosity continued even when receiving the CUES Operations Professional of the Year Award. The honor included a donation by CUES to his charity of choice, the American Heart Association. It's part of Behler's belief that you lead by example.

"A lot of people have a lot to give; it's wasted just sitting in some closed office," he says. "You have to choose things that have meaning for the community. If it has real meaning and purpose, then I'm responsible for getting involved and doing what's right."