Patty’s Desk: The Spark We Hoped For

This past June, when we wrapped up the CU Spark Tank finals at ACE25, it felt like a genuinely special moment. Kevin Knoll, our winner from Consumers Credit Union, stood alongside the other finalists on that stage, surrounded by support and clearly proud of the thoughtful, well-researched ideas they presented. As exciting as it was to watch them up there, I knew their real payoff would come later, when those ideas started turning into real-world services that help members and strengthen the work their credit unions do every day. There’s a different kind of satisfaction that comes from walking into work and seeing something come to life because of your own time and energy.

To see how things were shaping up, we recently reached out to the 2025 finalists, and I was inspired by what we heard back. Consumers Credit Union is well underway on building Kevin’s cash management idea, with plans to have it up and running by the end of the year. They also took cues from Eloisa Medina’s pitch on automated dispute filings and are preparing to go live with a new partnership with Quavo later this month.

At TBA Credit Union, Christie Dompierre’s annual financial check-up concept is already moving toward a 2026 launch. Bloom Credit Union and West Michigan Credit Union have been leaning into AI-inspired improvements based on presentations they heard earlier this year. And Members First Credit Union has been exploring Chelsea McKenzie’s idea to better support Gen Z students with everyday costs that aren’t covered by tuition. In fact, multiple credit unions reached out to her, intrigued by the idea’s potential.

All these individual updates are great, but together they represent something bigger taking shape. They show the ripple effect that can happen when we give young professionals the space to bring forward their ideas and the confidence to share them. None of these innovations came from an outside consultant or senior leadership; they came from people closest to the work, paying attention to member needs and thinking creatively about how to bridge them. 

When we started Spark Tank last year, this is exactly what we hoped it would lead to, so it’s been rewarding to see it start to come to fruition. As we look ahead to the next round of Spark Tank, my hope is that even more credit unions will encourage their talented team members to step forward. Clearly, it only strengthens your credit union when you do.

And to the young professionals out there: don’t underestimate what you bring to the table. Maybe this is the time to start exploring that idea that’s been sitting in the back of your mind. Trust me, your perspective is needed. And like I said, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of walking into work and seeing something take shape — or watching someone else benefit — because of an idea you put out into the world.

If you’re interested in getting involved this year, you can find eligibility details and the application at mcul.org/CuSparkTank. I can’t wait to see what’s on the minds of our Michigan YPs next year.

Thanks for reading.

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