The Darden Family
Members Since: 1996
Favorite Branch: Springfield Gateway
Love Their: Credit Union Membership
Uncommon Oregonians: The Go-Getter Dardens
A lot of people like to stay busy and plan ahead. Some people are good at it. Kim Darden and her family are experts with a can-do attitude and the remarkable ability to find happiness in everything they do.
For Kim, that upbeat attitude has always been part of her DNA. A Sheldon High School graduate, Kim got her degree back in the 1990s, joined the pharmaceutical industry, and began raising a family.
“I joined the credit union when I was in college,” Kim said when asked about her membership.
It wasn’t long until she and her husband opened a business account at Northwest Community Credit Union and started their own real-estate rental empire, as well as a business modifying homes for those with specific physical needs. Today, the couple still owns and manages several of their residential properties with an eye to the future.
The Dardens plan to use those properties to fund their kids’ college educations. While their boys may be years away from their undergraduate studies, they’re busy learning from their parent’s entrepreneurial spirit and the credit union account Kim and her husband opened for them when they were young.
The couple’s oldest son has already started his own business. He calls it Shoe Shine Shae. He started the business after he came across a shoe shine kit at a garage sale. Shae was instantly bitten by the same entrepreneurial bug that had gotten to his mom and dad years before.
“Shae uses his Northwest Community Credit Union account for his shoe shining business,” Kim proudly said. “He also sells snow cones in the summer. He even sold fidget spinners when they were all the rage. He does great with it. He keeps 25% of his profits for inventory replenishment and sometimes has a few employees help him out.”
Kim explained that after the boys’ grandmother passed away, she left each of them some money. The parents put it away in their Northwest Community savings accounts and used the inheritance as an opportunity to teach the boys about financial responsibility, how money grows over time, and smart financial choices. “We really love Northwest Community Credit Union,” Kim added. “We have all of our accounts here. It’s a great place.”
At Northwest Community Credit Union, we enjoy hearing about members like the Darden family and how they put their trust in us with their uncommon financial lives. Kim and her husband have used their membership to run their small business, teach their kids about money, finance a car or two, open a line of credit, and plan for their family’s future. We’re proud to be a part of it.
We’d be honored to help you and your family, too. We offer low- to no-cost financial products and services that are packed with benefits instead of fees, like the Northwest Visa® Rewards Card that gives you the freedom to buy what you need and earn points with every purchase.