On March 16, 1939, a group of 59 coworkers, friends, and neighbors met without much fanfare at the Hotel Newhouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each one of them brought something different to that meeting: unique hopes, diverse experiences, and individual visions of what life could be. Yet despite their differences, they met that day with a few shared beliefs and a common purpose. They believed that their dreams were worth pursuing, that they would be better able to do that if they pooled their efforts and financial resources, and that by working together they could create greater financial possibilities for all of them. Their purpose that day was to put those beliefs into action.

That unassuming gathering was the charter meeting of the Fort Douglas Civilian Employees Credit Union—the original name of our credit union—and those 59 dreamers were our founding members. And while they believed in their new credit union's potential for good, they could not have known the impact they would have on the lives and communities of millions of people.

The credit union was initially housed in Building 207 at Fort Douglas, and its hours of service were limited to just Friday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:00. At first accounting, the 79 total members shared $788 in assets, which were kept in a Prince Albert Tobacco can. Among those members was Ray Hagen. At first, Ray served our credit union as a volunteer. However, when the credit union's service needs had grown large enough, Ray was hired as our first full-time employee, serving as both manager and treasurer. Then when the time came to appoint our first president & CEO, Ray once again answered the call.

On June 23, 1947, the credit union was relocated to the Utah General Distribution Depot in Ogden, Utah. With that move away from Fort Douglas, and with a subsequent increase in our field of membership, we changed our name to the Federal Employees Credit Union.

By 1962, the Federal Employees Credit Union had grown into Utah's largest credit union, with almost 12,000 members and over five million dollars in assets.

On April 14, 1984, at the credit union's Annual Meeting, our charter was converted to a community charter that included all 29 counties in Utah. To celebrate that new beginning, and to honor our roots and reflect our continuing dedication to always put the financial needs of our members first, we officially changed our name and logo to what we use today.

We are proud to have America in our name, and proud to carry forward a legacy of putting our members and the communities we serve first. ‘America’ denotes our historical connection with the United States government and with the civilian federal employees who worked at the American military bases and defense depots in Utah. Those early members’ deep and abiding sense of service and patriotism is something that continues to be felt within our membership to this day. ‘First’ reflects our fundamental commitment to putting the financial needs of our members at the forefront of our efforts. And the icon depicted in our credit union’s logo is a stylized representation of one of our country’s most recognizable and beloved symbols, the North American bald eagle. The logo was designed to evoke the majesty of that animal and the national ideals it represents, and to pay tribute to the wings and other insignia worn by many of the brave servicemen and -women in our armed forces.

America First has come a very long way since that small meeting at Fort Douglas more than 85 years ago. It is a testament to our rare stability and steadfastness among financial institutions that throughout our almost nine decades of service, we have only had five presidents/CEOs: Ray Hagen, James "Jim" Dawson, Olin "Rick" Craig, John Lund, and Thayne Shaffer. It is because of both our constancy and the personal attention that is our hallmark that we have been able to grow like we have.

Today, America First Credit Union comprises more than 1.3 million members, but we have never lost sight of our founding principle; we are, and have always been, people helping people. We know we can do far more together than any of us ever could alone, and since 1939 we have proven our commitment to that ideal by serving, empowering, and lifting the communities in which we live and work. We are still coworkers, friends, and neighbors working together to create greater financial opportunities for one another. We are individuals, families, and businesses doing good in and for the community, and making a genuine and lasting difference in the world.

We are America First Credit Union.