Christmas At Dakota West

The countdown to Christmas is on, and what better way to get in the spirit than entering our annual Dakota West Member Giveaway. Each branch is selecting its own special gift for our members to help brighten your holidays.

Are you feeling the stress of the holiday season? Our New England branch will be holding a drawing for a neck heater/massager. Whether you want to relax yourself, or share the warmth with someone on your gift list, you can register to win this plus a rain gauge for your home.

If you visit our New Town branch, you can register to win a traditional Silk Star Quilt. Our team in New Town is counting down the days until the drawing, so stop by today and sign up to win.

In addition to our annual giveaway, our Bowman branch is excited to participate in several of the community events including this Wednesday’s Festival of the Lights and Deck The Streets, plus Sunday’s Community Chorus Christmas Concert. This event has been part of our community for more than fifty years.

Stop into one of our branches to register. Even if you are just cruising through one of our drive-throughs, please ask for a Member Giveaway sign-up slip so you can join in the merriment no matter which branch you visit.

From our employees to your family, we wish you the merriest of Christmas seasons!

Money Rules Of Thumb From Our Staff

When our members are in need of financial products, they often speak with their loan officer or one of our Member Service Representatives, but when seeking financial advice, our staff likewise can provide words of wisdom. We recently asked some of our staff to offer us their financial planning suggestions that they use to guide their own finance – words that they would likewise share with a friend, neighbor or a member who asked for guidance in developing financial plans.

Budgeting often forms the basis of our staff’s two cents worth, from creating one, to sticking with it, which we know can be easier said than done.

As old-fashioned as it may seem in the modern age of online accounts, Lindsey in our Grenora branch suggests, “Always write down your transactions in a register and balance your account regularly.” Doing so helps you more easily recognize when you’ve exceeded your budget.

Dennis in Watford City agrees. “Balance your checkbook every month when you get the statement – makes you monitor your account for fraud or unusual charges.” Keeping tabs on your dollars and cents alerts you to transaction errors, duplicate charges, and charges and credits from online purchases and refunds.

In addition to what you allocate for spending, consider where you divide your incoming funds. Todd in our Washburn branch recommends, “The 50/30/20 rule. Fifty percent of after tax income for needs, thirty percent for wants, and twenty percent for savings (additional retirement, investments, cash). Best rule a wage earning person can live by for long run financial solvency.”

If watching your account penny-for-penny is not your style, Khadero (New Town) recommends an estimating approach. “Over budget expenses and under budget income.”

To find out what approach works best for your present and future financial goals, we encourage you to visit with one of our loan officers and discover how Dakota West can help you put together short- and long-term plans based on your personal needs and what we can build together to help you live, dream, and achieve.

Meet Khadero Taylor

“No matter how zig-zag the route from my original destination, I knew I would always end up at Dakota West.”

Khadero Taylor, our new Branch Manager at our New Town location, began working with us shortly after graduating from Minot State University, but even his journey here took a few zigs and zags. Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Khadero adapted to the environment at Dakota West even more seamlessly than he adapted to the climate change between the Caribbean and North Dakota.

Providing both front line and loan support since his arrival in New Town, Khadero loves the culture of his new home on the banks of Lake Sakakawea. “Due to the energy sector, there’s such diversity. Our membership shows that even though our branch is a local thing, we help a wide range of people in the community.” Belonging to a credit union, Khadero explains, gives people more of a sense of ownership in their financial institution.

When not at the branch, it is likely Khadero could be just about anywhere. He finds traveling, driving, and seeing new sites to be one of his favorite pursuits, but there are times when he prefers to hunker down at home, or shoot hoops at the gym. Even soaking in some peace and quiet, he admits, is not a bad way to enjoy his free time.

In a bumpy year, 2020 is certainly wrapping up on a high note for him. “This year has been a journey. I’ve learned from a lot of people throughout the organization. I like how unified we are, how we operate as a family.” Please stop by and congratulate Khadero on his new role leading our staff and serving our members in Montrail County.

The Diversity of Our Branches

Yes, all of the Dakota West branches offer personal service to our members (and future members) and yes, all of our communities are nestled in western North Dakota, but if you zoom in, you’ll notice what makes each of our branches unique and special in each of our communities.

Grenora, one of the oldest branches in the Dakota West organization is the only financial institution within 30 miles of the community. Originally built around the Great Northern Railroad (GreNoRa), This community is as valuable to the region as Dakota West is to its northwestern members.

With a membership radius of fifty miles, Bowman’s community reaches beyond the edges of North Dakota. Unlike any other branch, our Bowman location serves members in Baker, Montana and Buffalo, South Dakota, and into Hettinger, North Dakota making it our only three-state location.

Serving our members of the MHA Nation at our New Town branch, our Member Service Representatives are learning traditional Hidatsa greetings to welcome elders who visit our branch on the Fort Berthold Reservation. We thank our members for the sense of family this shared communication brings to us.

Watford City is Dakota West’s home base, but it’s also the center of a county that includes a national park, two major rivers, two time zones, and blends both the history of agriculture and the modern advancements of the energy industry.

Located just twenty miles from Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport, our New England branch plays a vital role for the smaller communities of Hettinger County. The constancy of a credit union benefits the residents in the less-populated regions of North Dakota, and for half a century, this location has served as a valuable resource.

Each summer our Washburn branch provides account support to number of seasonal residents who come from the west coast of the United States and even from South Africa who return each year to lend a hand to our agricultural community. We welcome back our summer members who are helping to continue the traditions of farming and honey production in our McLean County community.

It’s the small ways our Mohall branch impacts our northeast region. When the north winds blow, it certainly is a benefit to be the only financial institution in town with drive-through service so our members can remain warm and toasty in their vehicles. In the summer, it’s also on the way to Lake Metigoshe for travelers needing to take advantage of our shared branch services.

In existence since 1940, our Turtle Lake branch is just down the street from Rusty the Turtle, the namesake placed to celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the town in eastern McLean County.

We invite you to explore any of our branches when you are travelling throughout the Dakota West region. You may meet new faces, but you’ll always receive the same quality service. See you here soon!