Service Credit Union Celebrates New HQ in Grand Style

Gov. John Lynch observed, "What a magnificent building," when he opened his remarks at the new Service Credit Union corporate offices grand opening celebration on Friday afternoon.

Lynch was one of several state and local dignitaries who attended the event at Service Credit Union's new corporate campus on 3003 Lafayette Road nearly one year after he helped the company celebrate the laying of the last beam for the new corporate offices' steel frame.

"I think Service Credit Union is a model organization in New Hampshire," said Lynch, who issued a proclamation naming Oct. 12, 2012 as Service Credit Union Day in New Hampshire.

Lynch said SCU does three things really well: its commitment to the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces; its commitment to their employees; and the company's commitment to the community.

Lynch said that every time he experienced one of the three 100-year flood events, a tornado, earthquake and Tropical Storm Irene during his eight-year tenure, SCU President and CEO Gordon Simmons was always the first people who called and asked, "What can I do to help?"

Lynch lauded SCU for donating so much to the New Hampshire Food Bank, to natural disaster relief funds and for sponsoring the Boston-Portsmouth Air Show at Pease International Airport.

Simmons joked with Lynch, "We haven't seen the last of him. I'm writing his name on the ballot."

Lynch, SCU Board of Directors Chair Barbara Roberge and other SCU officials cut the ribbon on stage to mark the grand opening of the new corporate offices that are housed in a 100,000 square-foot state of the art building that is LEED certified and includes many energy efficient features such as solar panels on its roof.

The grand opening ceremony then shifted to the placing of time time capsule in the main lobby wall. Lynch and Roberge placed the time capsule in the wall and Portsmouth Mayor Eric Spear and Army Budget Major General Phillip McGhee placed the plaque over the time capsule opening. Simmons said the time capsule will not be opened for 50 years, or not until the year 2062.

Its contents include Lynch's proclamation, the 2011 Annual Report, photos of past and current SCU presidents and CEO's, a DVD of the building construction photos and commemorative coins from several branches of the Armed Services along with patches from the Portsmouth police and fire departments and a City of Portsmouth commemorative coin.

According to Simmons, the new corporate offices will allow the company to grow over the next 10- to 15 years. There will be 100 employees who will work in the new corporate offices and 60 new jobs will be created. Following further expansion, Simmons said 40 more jobs will be created.

The corporate offices also include 17 acres with expansive grounds for employees that include a lunch pavilion, walking trails and rock gardens. There is also out outdoor cafe terrace on the the top floor that overlooks the grounds.

Simmons said SCU officials wanted to help the City of Portsmouth create a new gateway for the Route One corridor which could encourage other companies to do business there.

"The design embodies Service Credit Union's values of service to the citizens of New Hampshire, its members, its employees and the credit union's commitment to environmental stewardship," said Simmons in a prepared statement. "The design incorporates a variety of efficient systems and sustainable design features that will minimize the building's energy use while creating comfortable and highly functional work spaces."

Some of the green features include a light color roof to reflect sunlight and produce heat gain, geothermal heating and cooling, solar hot water heating and reduced water usage.

Service Credit Union officials will offer public free, self-guided tours of its new corporate complex on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors with MP3 players can download and audio file for the tour, which should take about 25 minutes, according to Lori Holmes, the assistant vice president of marketing.

During her remarks, Roberge noted how far Service Credit Union has come since it first opened in 1957 at the former Pease Air Force Base to provide Airmen and civilian workers with banking. Fast forward 55 years later, and Service Credit Union has more than $2 billion in assets and has more than 168,000 members worldwide with branches in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Germany.