In 1935, employees of Jacksonville, Florida’s electric and water cooperative formed a credit union to serve the city’s port, water, and electric workers. Initially the credit union was called Jacksonville Utilities Employees Credit Union. Later, when the credit union expanded to serve all city workers, the name became Jax Metro Credit Union. The credit union has a long history of serving local city employees and nearby residents, including many who previously had been unbanked.
The video includes interviews with a long-time former CEO, Sheree Eddie; Paul Tutwiler, current member, and CEO, Northwest Jacksonville CDC; Gene Montgomery, former board member; and David Reed, former board member. They each share their perspective on how they fell in love with the credit union and what it meant to the community over decades of service. The video also features archival and contemporary images of the credit union and the surrounding community.
Jax Metro merged with Self-Help Credit Union in 2017. The folks interviewed in the video make it clear that Jax Metro was a strong and successful credit union at that time, and they could afford to be selective about a partner that could take them to the next level of service. After considering a number of partners, they chose Self-Help because they felt the two shared a common culture. They welcomed Self-Help as a kindred credit union with a “member-first, member-driven” approach.
For even more of an insider's view, see our blog post by Glynis Fekete, who grew up in the credit union as the daughter of CEO Sheree Eddie.
Self-Help is honored to share this story and help continue the Jax Metro legacy. Enjoy this short documentary of a local, worker-driven credit union providing vital services in the Jacksonville community!