NAFCU Journal May June 2021

15 W hile many credit unions found themselves pulling additional staff from regular responsibili- ties to help the commercial loan department handle the unprec- edented influx of applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, the leaders and staff at True Sky Credit Union faced a different challenge. “We had never done a small business loan before, so we had to start from the ground up—starting something new,” says Mike Shockley, vice president of lending for True Sky. “We had never worked with the Small Business Administration (SBA) before, but they did a great job helping us get through the registration process so we could offer PPP loans and making sure we were able to access the portal.” “We had already been moving in the direction of providing commercial loans and had been discussing it after hearing from members that they needed someone willing to work with small or micro businesses,” says Jon Skelly, vice president of marketing for True Sky. “The demand for PPP loans gave us a way to start offering a new service to help members who were not receiving help from their other financial institutions.” OF PROCESSES Teamwork Results in New Services and New Members By Sheryl S. Jackson THE NAFCU JOURNAL May–June 2021