Vantage West Credit Union

Vantage West Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in Arizona, with $2.7 billion in assets, 20 locations, and 175,000 members. It was founded in 1955 in a one-room barrack at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base with the mission to help Tucson’s airmen and their families. Back then, the credit union served just under 600 members with less than $60,000 in assets. By the end of the 1960s, Vantage West soared in its growth with nearly 14,000 members, and it hasn’t stopped since. In the past 60+ years, Vantage West has expanded to serve the entire state of Arizona, beyond just service men and women.

With a philosophy of building financial success for communities and always embracing the credit union movement, Vantage West invests its time in helping members create a more prosperous tomorrow.  

Before its transformation, this branch sported a more traditional style with teller lines, bullet-proof glass barriers, and confining service spaces. All of this made helping members inefficient, which is the opposite of what the institution stands for. Because of its high-traffic location and current design, the Vantage West team knew it was time to upgrade the branch. And with their other, newer branches already operating on the Universal Associate Model, it made even more sense to create a branch space that this service model could flourish in. 

Having already completed multiple successful branch transformations with DBSI as their partner, deciding who to choose for the Vantage West Speedway transformation was easy.  

A Proven Design Process 

With an eye on providing an exceptional member experience and implementation of the Universal Associate Model, Vantage West Speedway needed the right design to support its initiatives and continued growth.  

Through a branch network transformation across other Vantage West locations, the partnership between the Vantage West team and DBSI grew stronger and stronger. But that wasn’t the only thing that made for a smooth design process.  

DBSI developed a Kit of Parts for Vantage West that was created from previous branch transformations. The Kit of Parts is comprised of colors, patterns, and materials of all their retail design elements, making the design process a breeze. And to apply their Kit of Parts to this location the Vantage West team participated in design intensives at DBSI’s Collaboratory, which consisted of the DBSI interior design team presenting preliminary renderings, materials, and layout discussions. The best part of these sessions was that DBSI’s interior design team could make real-time adjustments to initial renderings for the Vantage West team to review. This resulted in the majority of the design being completed for Vantage West Speedway by the end of the design intensives.

An Onsite Discovery 

As part of our 6d design-build process, DBSI conducted a thorough discovery phase, which included an onsite visit to the branch from the DBSI team. The visit uncovered an element not initially planned for: a barrel vault ceiling. But there was one problem: it was damaged. Because of the damaged wood discovered, it was up to DBSI’s interior design team to devise an alternative. That alternative? The perfect long-term solution with a seamless look to fit the vision: knotwood. This material still gives the timeless appeal of wood but provides a lasting solution.  

The First Live-in Branch Transformation 

The Speedway branch was the first that DBSI completed as a live-in branch transformation for Vantage West, meaning that member services continued through renovations. Vantage West continued services throughout the entire transformation process. Vantage West CU prides itself on serving the members of its community, and because the Speedway branch provides access to resources for university students, closing the branch wasn't ideal. Continuing services was important to Vantage West, and it was an initiative that would only work with the right partnership.