On August 5, 1941, Brillion Iron Works Credit Union was founded. Formed and run by employees of the factory, Brillion Iron Works Credit Union was the town’s first and only cooperative not-for-profit financial institution. As the town of Brillion grew and the credit union continued to prove to be an asset to all of the employees and family members of employees at Brillion Iron Works, the decision was made to file for a community charter in 1979.   As a community chartered credit union, the newly named Brillion Area Credit Union could now serve more residents living, working or worshipping in the town of Brillion. The growth also allowed the credit union to further expand its product offerings and bring new jobs to the city.

On August 5, 1941, Brillion Iron Works Credit Union was founded. Formed and run by employees of the factory, Brillion Iron Works Credit Union was the town’s first and only cooperative not-for-profit financial institution. As the town of Brillion grew and the credit union continued to prove to be an asset to all of the employees and family members of employees at Brillion Iron Works, the decision was made to file for a community charter in 1979.   As a community chartered credit union, the newly named Brillion Area Credit Union could now serve more residents living, working or worshipping in the town of Brillion. The growth also allowed the credit union to further expand its product offerings and bring new jobs to the city.

In 1992, services were extended to the community of Sherwood where a second branch was opened. The nineties continued to be a decade of growth, prosperity and improvement. In 1995, Brillion Area Credit Union became known as Best Advantage Credit Union (BACU) and a new branch was built in Sherwood.

Near the end of the decade (2009), a state-of-the-art branch was built in Brillion on Jackson Street. To this day, the Jackson Street branch is a direct reflection of the culture Best Advantage has become known for — innovation and fun!

Staying true to their cooperative roots, the leadership team at Best Advantage began on a quest to make financial education available to students at their local high school, and the “Credit Union Café” came to life in Brillion High School. The Credit Union Café is an in-school branch that has been up and running in Brillion High School for seven years. Their efforts on this initiative earned them the prestigious Wisconsin Desjardins Financial Education Award in 2007.

Looking forward, the entire Best Advantage team brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and creativity to our newly formed credit union. President and CEO, Tammy Williams is a well-respected innovator within the credit union industry and brings her expertise for creating a “culture of curiosity” to the credit union. The collaborative merger between Best Advantage, CitizensFirst and Lakeview will allow all three organizations to combine our best practices and better serve our members as a whole.  All of us are excited to build on Best Advantage Credit Union’s rich history.