Get to Know Our EVP
Podcast Transcription
Money Talk is a podcast brought to you by PFCU where we will share tips and tricks and talk to the experts on all things finance related. Join us as we cover everything from credit and loans to cyber security and careers. No matter where you are in life, PFCU is here for you.
Maddy: Welcome to another episode of PFCU’s Money Talk Podcast, as always, I’m your host Maddy. The next PFCU executive that we have the pleasure of getting to know is Joe Krieger. Joe gives us a glance into his life from his career and his family to his favorite vacation and hobbies. So, without further ado, here’s Joe.
Well thank you for taking some time to talk to me today. I really appreciate it.
Joe: You bet.
Maddy: I appreciate it.
Joe: I’ve been here going on 10 years in April. I’ve been in the lending area the whole time here. Started out as Lending Manager and as we grew, titles kind of changed but it’s pretty much the same position to SVP of lending and then starting this year, EVP, so, pretty much on the lending side of the house and now across different areas so I get to see a lot of different things.
Maddy: Good. Let’s talk about your very first job, like, maybe when you were like 16. Your very first job. What was it?
Joe: My very first job was babysitting my cousins and I was getting $10 a day and then my brother, who’s younger than me got a job at the farm getting two and a quarter an hour. So, since I was going to be saving for college and in a quicker need than my brother, we swapped out and I started working at a farm then when I was probably 12.
Maddy: Nice. How long did you do that for?
Joe: Through high school and then during the summers at school after college, I’d come back and work on the farm.
Maddy: Yeah, did you like it or were you just kind of getting through?
Joe: No, I liked it.
Maddy: You did?
Joe: It was great.
Maddy: Yeah.
Joe: I mean, we had a little farm, we had horses and stuff at my parent’s house so I was used to how that works, so.
Maddy: Oh, okay.
Joe: A lot of cleaning pens, moving poo and…
Maddy: Hard work!
Joe: Hard work, yes. But rewarding work I would say, you can see what you’re doing at the end of the day where now, sometimes, it’s a little harder to conceptualize that I guess. You can see it moving in increments but you don’t see the pen that you just pitched.
Maddy: Right, no. It’s nice and clean and yeah.
Joe: Yes.
Maddy: Yeah. So, how did you get started in the credit union world? You said you’ve been with PFCU for about 10 years.
Joe: Yup.
Maddy: Were you somewhere else in credit union land before that?
Joe: Nope, I was a member. I’ve been a member, actually this kind of funny but, well I think it’s funny. The box of stuff your parents give you when you’re moving out of the house officially actually had my membership ledger and it was, my birthday is actually March 19th, and it was March 21st that it was opened up two days after I was born so I found that kind of interesting.
Maddy: Yeah.
Joe: Coming back afterwards, kind of looking through stuff and seeing that. So, I was with PFCU as a member through high school then went to school and dropped it because I didn’t have a local presence when I went to college and then ironically, I was looking for a vehicle loan when I was at my last job, got connected back with PFCU because they had the best rate for a vehicle loan and then went in and met Amanda Keller in Lansing and went through the loan closing with her.
Maddy: Oh yeah.
Joe: It was an interesting experience because it took us a while because of some challenges but I thought it was amazing because Amanda sent me a card. And kind of an apology card and a gift card in it.
Maddy: That’s so nice!
Joe: And it really stuck out as like something of an example of going above and beyond. So, and then two months later, things were changing in my world at the other job and I put an application in to PFCU and Liz Blundy who was the HR person said, we’ve got your resume, we’ll put it on file and we all know what that means.
Maddy: Right.
Joe: And then a couple of months later, she actually called me when Gary May was retiring, the previous CEO, an opportunity opened up.
Maddy: Oh cool. Yeah, you hear, we’ll put your resume on file and you’re like…
Joe: Yup.
Maddy: I’m never going to hear from you again.
Joe: I didn’t give two thoughts about it.
Maddy: Right. And now here we are.
Joe: Here we are.
Maddy: Very cool. What is something that someone would be surprised to learn about you?
Joe: Surprised to learn about me. I also got to let the audience know, Maddy, that I did not get the questions beforehand.
Maddy: Oh c’mon, you’re calling me out right now!
Joe: Surprised to learn about me. I think I’m pretty open. I have family, I mean a lot of people have family. I have three kids, nothing really surprising there. I’m competitive, I don’t think that’s very surprising, I love playing basketball, I haven’t played basketball in a while it seems like but it’s something that kind of gets those competitive juices out of me. Now it’s just playing around and playing basketball with the kids and coaching the kids, I get a lot of enjoyment out of that.
Maddy: Nice. So, do you coach their teams or a team?
Joe: I’m not coaching right now but I’ve coached my, what is she? She’s 15 now, taking driver’s training. I’ve helped coached probably four or five years for her basketball and I’ve done little league coaching for baseball and things like that.
Maddy: Is there a favorite vacation that you’ve taken or dream vacation that you would like to take?
Joe: Besides my honeymoon which I think I have to say is one of the best vacations. That was kind of a cruise in the Bahamas, but honestly above that we did an Alaska RV trip with my father-in-law, my uncle and my brother-in-law and that was just…
Maddy: Was that cool? I would love to do that.
Joe: It was totally amazing, glorious, you can’t describe what it is to be there.
Maddy: Yeah, wow.
Joe: That is definitely my future when I have months on end to go traveling.
Maddy: Yeah, my husband always talks about wanting to do, well he wants to move to Alaska and live off the land.
Joe: That sounds amazing.
Maddy: No, no, no. We can vacation but.
Joe: Yes.
Maddy: What do you like to do for fun in your free time?
Joe: Free time is a lot of the kids’ stuff now. Again, we have, well, she’s 15, 12 and then 8-year-old youngest daughter too and it’s just a lot of sports stuff, running around with that, so.
Maddy: Yeah.
Joe: That’s fun. I enjoy hunting and fishing and those things but again, those are different. Kids’ stuff takes a lot of that time but it’s been exciting because the kids are now hunting and things like that and they’re getting enjoyment out of that which is amazing and fun.
Maddy: Yeah, they get to do that with you.
Joe: Yes. It doesn’t always align but it’s nice when some of the kids’ interests align with what you like to do too.
Maddy: Right! Yeah, for sure. What is your favorite thing to spend money on and your least favorite thing to spend money on?
Joe: I don’t like to spend money anything. I am cheap.
Maddy: Okay.
Joe: I am an investigator. Fortunately, my wife has similar, I wouldn’t say Miser attitude but she recognizes that we need new vehicles, we need new things so, yes. As for exciting things, if I was going to spend money, it’s more so being around friends or vacations. I have no problem justifying that in my mind.
Maddy: Those experiences rather than the stuff.
Joe: Correct. I don’t know, it’s somewhat conditioned, I think we enjoy what we get out of things and even working with the kids and just helping them recognize it’s not the product or what you’re buying, it’s more of that journey and the experiences that you have on that. It’s hard to necessarily always see that but I think as long as the experiences can be fun with them, it’s learned.
Maddy: Well and they’re at that age too where you start instilling those things and showing them experiences are valuable. And I think, especially teenagers, they like stuff.
Joe: Yeah, I’ve got my teenager, she does, well, she has her own little job, she saves money, she’s better at saving than me. It’s funny how you see, my son, if he gets an allowance or anything, it’s spent.
Maddy: Is it gone?
Joe: It’s gone. That pack of gum was more important than saving.
Maddy: Right, right. Okay, so that was my last question. I do have a lightening round.
Joe: Uh-oh.
Maddy: Are you ready?
Joe: Yup.
Maddy: Okay, it’s kind of a this or that. Coffee or tea?
Joe: Coffee.
Maddy: You didn’t hesitate at all. Summer or winter?
Joe: Fall and spring.
Maddy: Okay. Hulu or Netflix?
Joe: Hulu.
Maddy: Online shopping or do you prefer to go to the store?
Joe: Neither but I appreciate my wife doing a lot of the online shopping. Stuff just shows up and you try it on and you’re good.
Maddy: Yeah.
Joe: And you don’t have to do so I love that.
Maddy: Okay. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Joe: Big time early bird. I feel very energetic and rejuvenated in the morning. These are one-word answers that I’m expanding upon.
Maddy: No that’s good, that’s good. So, you don’t hit snooze ten times like I do?
Joe: I don’t, well, sometimes I want to but I usually don’t in the mornings. But I’ve been called an old man for 10 years now because I like to go to bed at 8:30, 9:00.
Maddy: Hey, I, you know, I’m all about that. Cats or dogs?
Joe: Dog.
Maddy: Do you have dogs?
Joe: Dog and cat.
Maddy: Do you prefer texting or calling?
Joe: Calling but I’m seeing the advantages of texting after 15 or 20 years, whatever that is that it’s been around.
Maddy: Yup, yup. Do you like to eat in or do you prefer to go out to eat?
Joe: That’s a hard one, it depends.
Maddy: Is there a nice balance there?
Joe: There’s a nice balance. I think as a family going out to dinner is nice but at the same time after a week it’s nice of Friday night to stay home with the family if there’s not an event going on.
Maddy: And the last one. The beach or mountains?
Joe: Mountains.
Maddy: Very good! That’s all I had!
Joe: Alright.
Maddy: I appreciate your time.
Money Talk is a podcast brought to you by PFCU. PFCU offers many products and services to fit your needs, from our various loan and account options to our team of financial coaches to help you reach your goals. Make sure to take advantage of the many conveniences PFCU offers such as the mobile app, mobile wallets, bill pay and more. Visit our website at PFCU the number four me dot com to learn more. PFCU is an equal housing lender and is federally insured by the NCUA.