Credit union buys Kalispell building

The Whitefish Credit Union has purchased a building in Kalispell where it will move its back-office services.  

In November, the credit union purchased the 30,000-square-foot Forum Building in south Kalispell across the street from the Hilton Garden Inn on U.S. 93.

Over the coming months, the credit union will complete some minor remodels, according to Chief Executive Officer Jim Kenyon. 

“We’ll need to add some security, but nothing large,” he said during a phone interview. “We plan to open during the second quarter.” 

Whitefish Credit Union will be the sole occupant of the building that will house 70 employees. 

The building will provide a central location for all back-office services such as quality assurance and accounting. The location will be cashless, and will not offer any member services. 

“Basically, it will be everything behind the scenes that makes the company tick,” Kenyon said. 

Right now, various back-office services are done by employees in several rented office buildings in Whitefish. 

The Kalispell building has growth potential for the company, according to Kenyon. 

The Forum Building is large enough to allow for more employees and services in the future as the company grows naturally, and Whitefish Credit Union already owns a plot of land adjacent to the Forum Building where it may build in the future. 

“I don’t know exactly what the future holds for us there, but this is a great step for us,” he said. 

Whitefish Credit Union was state chartered in 1934 and has since become Montana’s largest credit union, with over $1 billion in assets, according to its website. 

The credit union has offices in Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Kalispell, Thompson Falls, Eureka and Polson. 

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.