Credit union plans construction of new facility at well-known Dubuque site

Two years after opening its first branch in Dubuque, Iowa’s largest credit union is planning to build a new facility in a well-trafficked part of town.

GreenState Credit Union will soon commence construction of a new branch at 1475 John F. Kennedy Road, which long served as the site of Richardson Motors. Contractors recently demolished the old structure to make room for the credit union’s new branch.

Jim Kelly, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for GreenState Credit Union, confirmed plans for the new location.

“We’ve wanted to have a physical presence in Dubuque for a long time, and the location we established in 2019 offered a way into the community,” Kelly wrote in an email. “But our growth rate in the market indicates that our current office will not have adequate space to serve members in the years to come … This new location will be easily accessible for members and have plenty of room for growth.”

Once completed, the new facility will serve as a full-service branch and also offer drive-thru features.

“The location will house professionals to assist members with deposits and loans, commercial accounts, mortgages, investments, insurance, and transactional services,” Kelly wrote.

GreenState Credit Union, formerly University of Iowa Community Credit Union, opened a location at 1805 JFK Road in August 2019. The credit union continues to operate out of that location, although Kelly confirmed GreenState plans to close that location once the new one is open.

Kelly said the project is “still in the early phases of planning,” adding that GreenState does not have groundbreaking or opening dates to share for the new location. However, emails exchanged between the City of Dubuque and demolition manager Conlon Construction indicated that the credit union plans to begin construction this spring.

Richardson Motors had a dealership at 1475 JFK beginning in the late 1960s and remained there until December 2019. The vehicle dealership now operates out of its new location at 5400 Westside Drive, just west of Menards along U.S. 20.

Kelly said GreenState Credit Union employs 12 people in Dubuque and indicated that number is poised to increase soon.

“Due to the rapid growth we are experiencing, we will likely add to that number over the next 18 months,” he said.

GreenState was founded in 1938 to serve University of Iowa Hospital employees. Today it is Iowa’s largest credit union, with $7.1 billion in assets and just over 260,000 members. Anyone in Iowa, as well as those living in some Wisconsin and Illinois counties, are eligible to join the cooperative.