Idaho Central Credit Union has quietly become one of Spokane’s fastest-growing financial institutions.

In the 3 1/2 years after opening its first branch in Spokane County, the Chubbuck, Idaho-based financial institution has expanded to six locations, including downtown Spokane, North Spokane, Spokane Valley, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake, and the South Hill. It also has tripled its regional membership to about 15,000 and is building out a commercial banking division of 18 team members led by a newly appointed vice president of commercial lending for the Pacific Northwest, TJ Brill.

Brill says his role is a completely new position created to accommodate ICCU’s commercial demand and growth. His Boise-based counterpart's duties have increased significantly; to support that growth, ICCU has created additional positions in the Inland Northwest to help structure its expansion, he says.

“We have a super diverse team with different skill sets,” Brill says of the commercial banking team. “We are not necessarily focused on one industry or one type of business; we have a group spread across our footprint here that can really dig pretty deep into all sorts of industries.”

This month, the credit union is expanding to Central Washington with the opening of a new Kennewick branch on Nov. 4, says Manny Hochheimer, assistant vice president of Washington branches at ICCU.

“We will lead with Kennewick, followed by Richland and Pasco,” Hochheimer says. “That will be a fantastic market for us, really great growth potential. We’ve got wonderful partnerships already there on the community development and sponsorship side.”

Brill attributes the company’s expanding branch network to its growing membership.

“That expansion is thoughtful and it’s also strategic,” says Brill. “But I also think it fills the need that our community is asking for.”

ICCU first entered the Washington market in March 2022 with a Spokane branch located at the former Banner Bank building at 41 W. Riverside. Founded in 1940 as a state-chartered credit union, ICCU has since grown to serve over 750,000 members and has built a branch network of 59 locations throughout Idaho, Washington, Arizona, and eastern Oregon. ICCU employs about 200 people in Spokane and Kootenai counties and the organization has a total of 2,100 employees.

The organization’s growth is reflected in its numbers, Hochheimer says, noting that ICCU’s deposit base for Spokane is $311 million, representing 40% growth for the year so far.

“That’s a major outlier in the banking industry,” he says.

According to the Journal’s Spokane-Area Credit Unions list, as of Dec. 31, 2024, ICCU's total deposits were $222.2 million in Spokane County and the credit union had 12,500 members, up from $161.5 million in deposits and 9,700 members the previous year. In Kootenai County, ICCU reported $787.4 million in deposits for the period ending Dec. 31, 2024, and had 35,000 members, compared to $707.2 million in deposits for the year-earlier period and 30,700 members.

As ICCU’s branch locations and membership expands, so too is its commercial banking portfolio. Brill says working with business clients helps the credit union to extend its community outreach, impacting companies and their employees. 

“If we can work with a corporation or a small business and provide solutions for them, it really does make a big impact for their employees as well,” Brill says. “I try to look at it as not just an individual business but all of the families that they employ, and if I’m a good financial partner, then we can make a super positive impact for a lot of people at one time.”

Brill and his team operate in Spokane and the Tri-Cities where they support customers across ICCU's four-state footprint, he says. The commercial banking team includes 10 commercial bankers, one Small Business Administration specialist, three treasury specialists, and support staff.

Demand has been strong for ICCU's commercial team this year in the manufacturing, health care, retail services, and construction sectors, Brill says. He adds that the organization is emphasizing relationships that extend beyond business lending. Through its community development program, ICCU invests in nonprofits and offers volunteer hours and financial education to residents and employees of its member businesses.

The organization offers a community development team comprised of 15 full-time employees whose sole focus is facilitating outreach and philanthropy, he says. The dedicated team allows the credit union to organize regular volunteer hours for events such as Second Harvest Inland Northwest food drives, Tom’s Turkey Drive, and with organizations like Post Falls-based Anna Schindler Foundation, he says.

That sense of connection also defines ICCU’s internal culture, Hochheimer says. Earlier this year, ICCU was named the winner of the Journal's 2025 Best Places to Work Inland Northwest large company category. Both Hochheimer and Brill say the recognition shows ICCU approaches its employees as it does its members: with an emphasis on support, opportunity, and belonging.

Hochheimer says the organization’s culture is one of its most effective recruitment tools, especially as ICCU continues to expand its footprint. The credit union prioritizes hiring people with strong customer service backgrounds, even if they lack previous banking experience, and provides a clear path for advancement.

“I want to hire good people,” Hochheimer says. “If that is a barista who has great customer service, I want to bring that person over and have them learn member services and financial services. I can teach financial services, no problem. I can’t teach personality and outreach and all those intangibles that you look for in a person.”

ICCU also encourages internal mobility, giving employees the chance to move between retail, commercial, and community development roles as they build their careers. Brill says that flexibility, paired with the company’s strong benefits and volunteer programs, helps the credit union maintain low turnover and attract applicants.

“I think because of our culture, people love talking about working here,” Brill says. “We have a very strong culture of recognizing people’s accomplishments and giving them shout-outs and praise, … and when you’re at a place where you feel supported and you feel valued, it’s easy to go home and say, 'You know, man, I had a great day.'”