On Saturday, Nikkei Credit Union celebrated 75 years of serving the community. From the moment of arrival at the credit union, it was clear that the Nikkei team put in tremendous thought and care into the community gathering.
Guests were kindly greeted at the door and given a tour of the new remodeled Nikkei’s headquarters. Should guests become hungry, there was no shortage of food available – a beautiful charcuterie board was the center piece of the board room, complete with sushi, fruit, spam musubi and more for guests to enjoy.
The credit union’s 75th anniversary was filled with cultural celebration. Lion dancers from Shishigumi LA performed, bringing cheers and laughter to the crowd. Representatives from the Gardena Buddhist Church also performed Taiko, the art of traditional Japanese drumming.
Jon Hernandez, CEO of Nikkei Credit Union, led his team to shine a light on the true meaning of the credit union difference – bringing communities together. Nikkei’s 75th anniversary celebration brought together representatives from across Southern California. Credit union and local leaders from the region were happy to join the festivities, including:
Nikkei Credit Union is a full-service financial institution serving the Japanese American community in Southern California. The credit union started on September 29, 1951, when 12 members pooled their funds together to found the Gardena Valley Japanese Credit Union.
Growth and success led the credit union to change their name in 1998 to Nikkei Credit Union. In 2019, Nikkei Credit Union opened its doors to the Filipino community by adding Mabuhay Credit Union as a division of Nikkei Credit Union. Now, Nikkei and Mabuhay serve over 4,700 members and are over $86 million in assets.
Overall, the celebration was a memorable occasion to be remembered for years to come. Nikkei Credit Union truly highlighted the spirit of the credit union mission of “people helping people” and demonstrated how generations of service in the credit union movement can uplift communities.
