“Green Bay is the Packers. The Packers are Green Bay,” George French III explained of where he lives and works as a mortgage lender for Marine Credit Union (MCU). An undeniable big Green Bay Packers fan, George is also a fan of helping people. “My job is great,” George said. “I get to help people for a living.”
George explained that he spends a month to a month-and-a-half getting to know those he helps with their mortgages. “I help people accomplish what they want,” he said. “I get to know them personally. It’s rewarding mentally and it’s a good job.”
“The whole point is to guide people through their journey,” George added. He said it is his job to help get their credit scores up and do whatever it takes to put them on a path to success.
“The cool thing about where I started in auto loans,” George continued saying that there were some who he couldn’t approve but got them started on the road to success, working with them to open a bank account and start saving money. Years later, he was able to help them get into a home … “from nothing to home ownership,” George said. “From one position to the next, I got to see the impact on their life. Seeing that impact on the individual and their families was massive – very rewarding.”
“MCU really wants us to help people,” George continued. “It’s good business. We live in the upper-Midwest. We are people who want to help their neighbors.”
George said he got the motivation to serve growing up with a farm family mentality. “When you take care of the community,” George said, “the community will take care of you.”
“MCU didn’t invent the wheel,” he continued, “but, they build a foundation off that wheel.” He said that MCU has made it a priority to help members have financial independence to empower them to give back to the community.
Before MCU, George managed a Family Video store. He said that the people who worked for him at Family Video were outgoing, smiling, and kind people. “MCU hired a lot of people who worked for me.” Eventually those same employees convinced George to move over to MCU. They told him, “You need to come here. It’s a good income and you get to help people. It’s really great.” So, when Family Video closed its doors, he made the move.
In addition to his community involvement, George has an interest in science fiction and space. George’s father owned a business that taught a space education curriculum to local students. George shared that going to the movies is how he and his father bonded. There was a “theme to the movies” he watched with his father. Movies such as “Star Wars” and “A Space Odyssey.” “Science fiction or space … anything that progressed technology,” he shared with a smile.
George said that the “coolest” job he ever had was working for a space tourism company and being a self-proclaimed “adventure seeker,” George said that someday he hopes to add outer space to the list of the many places he has traveled to. “I’ll get there,” he said. “It will be awesome.”
George is passionate about helping his members reach their goals as well. He likens his work to teaching someone to fish. “What I do in my job every day – let’s get them into a house, build equity. I’m helping people to learn how to be their best selves and helping people to live their best lives,” George explained. Like the Green Bay Packers, George shared, “The community owns the team, and the team gives back to the community. People helping people is a smart business model.”
