Financial services provider Desjardins hosted a celebration Monday as they cut the ribbon on their new digs in the heart of downtown Sudbury.
The Desjardins Centre is located on Elm Street next to the Rainbow Centre and boasts one-stop shopping for an array of financial needs for individuals and businesses alike. The facility boasts 11,000 square feet of office space, and seven parking spots in front of the building.
Roughly 40 employees will work inside the Desjardins Centre, providing an array of financial services.
"This was built by listening to you, the community," said Desjardins CEO Guy Cormier. "It's quite impressive what they've done here. I hope our members will feel comfortable and at home when they enter this building. This will revitalize this neighbourhood and contribute to a vibrant community, and that was done by listening to you."
Being centrally located was a key component, and having their financial services hub in the middle of the city's downtown was a decision based on feedback from town hall meetings and listening to what their members wanted.
"A big thing for our members was parking, they were a bit apprehensive about being located downtown because of limited parking," said Jean-Marc Spencer, executive director Desjardins Voyageurs Credit Union.
"We have seven spaces located right out front of the building so people can drive right up and walk in."
The ability to offer all of their financial services under one roof is a big leap forward here in Sudbury, says Cormier, as it will reduce a lot of the legwork that can be associated with managing your finances.
"It's quite unique, we've done this in Quebec and in Toronto, and Sudbury is a great market for us so we wanted to bring this service here," said Cormier. "Our members will have access to all of our expertise in one roof. There's no more going here and there, to the bank, to the credit union. This will allow members to do business much more easily and all in one place."
The event also connected to the merging of 11 Voyageur Credit Unions (Caisses Populaire), a decision that was made last November. Bringing these credit unions together allows for greater capacity building for Desjardins Voyageurs Credit Union.
When banks make a profit, they are doled out as dividends to shareholders, but since Desjardins doesn't have shareholders, their profits go back to their members and the community.
In 2018, Voyageurs Credit Union contributed more than $2 million to the community, and earlier in the day on Monday, Desjardins donated $300,000 to support Laurentian University business students (https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/new-bursaries-to-support-sudbury-business-students-1431650).
"We're excited to see this come to life," said Spencer. "We've been looking at this for two or three years now, so to have this downtown, contributing to the community, it's very exciting."
