Before Purdue Federal Credit Union Assistant Sales Manager Sean Lavelle was working in finance, he considered going into the culinary field.
Lavelle grew up in Ill., and then attended Joliet Junior College for culinary school. While he liked the work, he realized it wasn’t his dream job and wanted to pursue a different career path. After a cross-country move to Ariz., he was introduced to and fell in love with the world of financial services, and he’s been in the field ever since.
“I think what inspired me was that I wanted to learn more about financial services,” he said. “I just wanted to get more knowledge around it. I thought I wanted to go and be a mortgage representative at first, but I stuck with the retail side and loved everything about it. I love the face-to-face interaction, being able to help members out, and things like that. I think that's what inspired me as well, that I was able to be there and help out and have close relationships with members and figure out or hear their stories, too.”
When Lavelle ventured out west, he got a job at Wells Fargo and worked his way up from a bank teller to a personal banker in the four years he was there. He also met his wife while in Ariz., and after some time decided they wanted to move back to the Chicagoland area to be closer to his family.
“I met my wife and we decided to move back up here because I have family here, which brought us back to the area and I transferred with Wells Fargo,” he said.
Later on, Lavelle was working at a bank in East Chicago as an Assistant Manager. He was there for another four years and liked the company and the work, but knew it was time to find a job closer to home. He had just found out he and his wife were expecting their first child, and the everyday commute was becoming not ideal for the situation at hand.
It was actually Purdue Federal Sales Manager Charleen Anstead that informed Lavelle of the job opening at Purdue Federal Credit Union’s Crown Point location. The two had already known each other for some time, and Anstead encouraged Lavelle to apply to his current position.
Lavelle began his position at the credit union in August, and six months in, he already feels right at home.
“Ever since I started, the whole company team has been very warm, welcoming, and very caring,” he said. “You reach out to different departments and they're always willing to help. I'm not saying any other institution doesn’t want to do that, but all the areas and departments I’ve gone to for help here have always been willing to help out; they're always willing to help out and go the extra mile to get that information for you.”
Lavelle also enjoys the small office size, allowing him to get to know his colleagues and coworkers better, even though the credit union is based out of West Lafayette, over an hour away.
“It's a great organization and everybody's very close; everybody knows each other. Even though it is a West Lafayette-based credit union, they're always willing to come up here and visit us and I think it's just more their culture,” he said.
The staff, both at his location and elsewhere, have even gone out of their way to show their appreciation for Lavelle, something he treasures greatly.
“I wake up in the morning and I just love coming to work. It's not stressful. They really make it a fun environment. My manager has been out for maternity leave so her boss, Tracy, has been very warm and welcoming and is always checking up on me to see if I need help and stuff like that. When I had my first child, the CEO, Bob, sent me flowers as well as a nice handwritten card, too. I think it's just the culture and really the environment of everybody is just a positive feeling the minute you get into the company to work here,” he said.
Lavelle also said the close-knit atmosphere allows him to get to know his members better as well, making for some great conversations while also being able to help them with their finances, a win-win in Lavelle’s book.
When Lavelle isn’t at work, he loves spending time with his wife, his one-month-old newborn daughter, and their dog, Waffles. He also enjoys bowling and although family and work-life has kept him busy, he still likes to get out and bowl when he can. He was even the captain of his high school bowling team.
No matter where life takes him, though, Lavelle knows the credit union will always serve as his home away from home.
“I’ve always wanted to find somewhere that I could really find myself while working there as long as I can or even retire with, and to me, Purdue Federal is that place. I don't care if anybody else offers me more money. I'd be like, ‘No, I'm happy here, I’m staying.’ That's where I am,” he said.
For more information on Purdue Federal Credit Union, visit PURDUEFED.COM.
