Global Credit Union, of Spokane, has opened its first branch in the Tri-Cities and plans to open its second branch there in October.


Global opened a branch office in Pasco on June 18, inside a new Yokes Washington Foods Inc. supermarket, says Ed Neunherz, a Global senior vice president.


That 1,000-square-foot office, at 4905 Road 68, has a staff of four, three teller stations, an ATMand a drive-up window that Global believes might be the first at a financial institution grocery-store branch in the western U.S.


Weve looked at the state; weve looked at the region, and not found another grocery-store branch with a drive-up lane, Neunherz says.


While he cant say now whether Global might expand further in the Tri-Cities, Neunherz does say, We are currently exploring opportunities to expand the company in various markets throughout the state of Washington. Asked if that includes the west side of the state, he says, We are looking everywhere.


Globals second Tri-Cities branch will be in a Yokes store in Kennewick, at 1410 W. 27th. The credit union is spending about $130,000 on the branch, with Bales Construction Inc., of Spokane, handling construction. Design Source Inc., also of Spokane, designed the branch, which will employ a staff of five and also will have a drive-up window.


Global says it spent roughly the same on its Pasco branch, and that Bales Construction and Design Source also handled that project.


Including the new branch, Global has 13 branches in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, plus a real estate loan center in Coeur dAlene and branches at three U.S. military installations in Italy.


Its also remodeling a building at the northeast corner of Riverside Avenue and Post Street in downtown Spokane to house a commercial real estate lending center and full-service branch. It has said it plans to offer a full list of business-banking services there. Last week, Global said it had just been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration to be an SBA lender.


Neunherz says that in the Tri-Cities, Global hopes to grow with Yokes.


The economy has been good there, he says. Also, Global already had some members in the Tri-Cities and believed it saw an opportunity to grow and provide financial services in that market, Neunherz says.


While its too early for Global to tell how well its new Pasco branch is doing, he adds, I know on the grocery side theyre just extremely pleased with what theyre seeing so far.


He says the credit unions grocery-store branches offer all of the same services that Global provides in its free-standing branches.