Global Credit Union Opens Branch in Utqiaġvik
From left to right: Erica Kemp (VP Branch Administration Alaska), Stacy Markham (AVP Interior Alaska), Elizabeth Pavlas (Chief Operations Officer), Destiny O’Daniel (ABM Parks Highway Branch), Neena Aina (FSR Utqiaġvik Branch), Dexter Bordeaux (Branch Manager Utqiaġvik Branch), Goeff Lundfelt (President & CEO), and Kent B. Berthiaume (Chairman).
Photo Credit: Global Credit Union
Customers of Global Credit Union in Utqiaġvik now have the service of a teller window and a loan desk. The credit union’s newest branch opened July 9 in Alaska’s northernmost town inside the AC Stuaqpak supermarket, expanding access to financial services for the North Slope community.
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The new branch is the credit union’s twenty-eighth in Alaska, joining the network a year after Global upgraded its presence in Juneau to a full-service Financial Center. It’s also Global’s first branch north of Fairbanks, joining the Alaska Commercial Company supermarket that returned to the property last year under the AC Stuaqpak brand name.
Global has been collaborating since 2024 with Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC), the landlord of the town’s largest retail building. The branch reflects a shared investment with UIC in strengthening financial resources for North Slope residents and businesses, from deposits, withdrawals, and loans to financial education, small business support, and retirement planning.
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August 2026
“We are honored to serve the Utqiaġvik community and grateful for the partnership and support that helped make this new location possible,” says Geoff Lundfelt, president and CEO of Global Credit Union. “The grand opening was exciting and humbling. We were pleased to stand beside our partners from UIC, our new team members, and the community to celebrate bringing in-person financial resources to the community. It was also a great opportunity to thank the community for their long-time membership and for their incredible support of this new branch. We couldn’t be more excited.”
The branch employs three individuals, including a branch manager and two financial services representatives. In addition to traditional banking services, Global plans to offer free programs to support financial empowerment in the region, including workshops on budgeting, credit management, and savings strategies; training in mobile tools and online banking; guidance on accounts, payroll services, and access to capital for small businesses; and consultations and workshops for retirement and investment planning.
