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I’m excited to share that Great Lakes Credit Union has invested in Nook.
This is a meaningful milestone for our company, and I’m incredibly grateful for the trust and belief that investment represents.
But to me, this moment matters for reasons beyond Nook.
It says something important about the credit union industry and the kind of future we still have the opportunity to build together.
At its core, the credit union movement has always been rooted in collaboration. It has always been strongest when institutions come together around shared values, shared ownership, and the idea that we can build something better collectively than we can alone.
That is what makes the CUSO model so powerful.
Great Lakes Credit Union’s investment in Nook is more than a financial milestone. It is a credit union choosing not just to buy from the industry, but to invest in building within it.
That matters.
One of the biggest questions facing credit unions today is not just which technologies to adopt or which partners to choose. The bigger question is whether this industry will continue to build together in ways that create stronger alignment, stronger capabilities, and stronger long-term outcomes for credit unions and the members they serve.
In many industries, the future gets built by outside capital, outside incentives, and outside ownership. The credit union industry has another path.
Credit unions can come together around shared needs. They can invest in solutions they believe in. And they can help shape the infrastructure that will matter most in the years ahead.
That is a unique advantage.
And it matters now more than ever.
Member expectations are rising. Technology is moving faster. Data is becoming more important. Growth is harder. Operational complexity is increasing. Credit unions are being asked to modernize while still protecting what makes them different.
In that kind of environment, collaboration is not just a nice idea. It is a strategic advantage.
At its best, a CUSO is not just a vendor with a different label. It is a vehicle for alignment. It gives credit unions the opportunity to do more than purchase products or services. It gives them a way to participate in building something that can create broader value for the movement.
That changes the relationship.
It creates stronger feedback loops, stronger incentives, more trust, and more long-term alignment between the institutions using the solution and the organization building it.
That is the model we are building at Nook.
We started with a simple belief: credit unions deserve better infrastructure for growth.
Not just better software. Not just better campaigns. Not another disconnected set of vendors.
They deserve systems that work together. Data that can be operationalized across the organization. Technology that fits the realities of credit union operations. And partners who are aligned with the movement, not just selling into it.
That is what we are building.
So when a credit union like Great Lakes chooses to invest in Nook, I do not see it as validation of Nook alone. I see it as validation of the broader vision behind what we are building.
It says there is a future where credit unions do not just buy technology, but help shape the infrastructure and capabilities that will matter most over time.
It says collaboration is still a competitive advantage.
And it says some of the most important innovations in this industry can still come from within the movement itself.
On a personal level, that means a great deal to me.
I care deeply about the future of the credit union industry. I care about what makes this movement different. And I care about building in a way that benefits institutions, members, and the movement as a whole.
That belief is a big part of why we built Nook the way we did.
I am incredibly thankful to the team at Great Lakes Credit Union for their trust, their partnership, and their belief in what we are building.
This is an important milestone for Nook.
But more importantly, it is a meaningful example of the kind of future the credit union industry still has the chance to create.
A future built not only through innovation, but through collaboration.
Not only through technology, but through shared ownership and long-term alignment.
Not only through individual institutional success, but through a stronger movement overall.
That is the kind of future I want to help build.
And I believe the credit union industry will be stronger because of it.
Read more about Great Lakes Credit Union's Investment in Nook here.