On February 20th, from 9am-11am @ Advia Credit Union, 6400 W. Main St., Kalamazoo, the Greater Southwest Chapter will host the chapter-level CU Spark Tank Competition preliminaries for eligible credit union young professionals, ages 18-40. Each credit union is encouraged to select one team member to represent them in the chapter-level competition.

The top three contestants will move on to the Greater Southwest Chapter finals on March 20th to battle it out at the Chapter Annual Meeting @ Bell’s Brewery, beginning at 5:30 pm.
 Judging will be based on an up to seven-minute oral presentation. Contestants are asked to present an idea, product or service that they think would benefit their credit union or the credit union industry. It’s that simple! The deadline for your Credit Union’s team member (1) to submit their application and updated resume for the Chapter competition is February 7th.  Send to Chapter Representative Corrie Rozell @ Corrie.rozell@marshallcommunitycu.com
 
The final winner of the Greater Southwest Chapter’s winner will be moved on to the semi-finals at the Annual Convention and Exposition in Grand Rapids June 4-5th at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, where all semi-finalists will make their presentations to a panel of judges and six contestants will move on to the finals later in the week, on the mainstage.

In addition, the Chapter level contestant will receive the following:

1. $500 cash prize
2. Expenses (hotel, meals, and mileage) to attend the AC&E semi-finals as outlined in the Competition Manual.
3. Free access to all GSW Chapter events for the 2025 calendar year. Individual will still need to RSVP to the event.

The cost of AC&E registration will be covered by MCUL for all chapter finalists. Go to mcul.org/cusparktank to download the application and for other helpful information and details about the competition. The winner and runner-up of the finals in June will receive prizes, including a scholarship and networking opportunities. Need tips on how to host an internal competition at your credit union? See this guide on best practices. If hosting an internal competition, a judging form can be made available upon request.

For  questions regarding the Greater Southwest Area Chapter competition, please contact Megan Hendrix at mhendrix@honorcu.com,  and Vanessa Marvin at vanessa.marvin@mcul.org.