The Tempe Chamber of Commerce presented Landings Credit Union and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine with the 2014 Business Excellence Awards at the 17th annual Breakfast for Chamber Champions held today at the Embassy Suites Tempe.
“The Business Excellence Awards recognize outstanding businesses in our community,” said Mary Ann Miller, President/CEO of the Tempe Chamber. “Both Landings Credit Union and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine are amazing companies dedicated to their customers, their staffs and the community. We are proud they’re part of the Tempe Chamber, and we celebrate their continued success.”
Recipients must demonstrate a record of business success and growth, community involvement, dedication to employees, leadership, reliability and commitment to customer service.
Landings Credit Union has been serving the community since 1953 when it was founded as Tempe Schools Credit Union. From a humble beginning run out of a high school closet by a few volunteer teachers, it now employs 70 people and has 18,000 members.
For the last 10 years, Landings Credit Union has partnered with the Tempe Community Council’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program to provide free tax preparation and education to low-wage earners. During that time, over $15 million has been returned to the pockets of residents, while teaching them how to financially stabilize themselves and their families.
Aside from serving its members, community and school involvement are central to its business model. Some examples include the creation of a 0% interest education tax credit loan to support local schools and its Grade A program, which rewards students with cash deposits into their account for each “A” received on their report card.
The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) has grown during its 20 years from a six-person nonprofit to a top-tier college with 249 full- and part-time employees and an enrollment of more than 400 students. As a school of medicine and health sciences grounded in naturopathic principles, it is dedicated to the ideal that everyone deserves high-quality health care.
SCNM trains future physicians to focus on prevention, wellness and lifestyle changes. Since its beginning in 1993, more than 1,000 doctors have graduated from the college. Along with its campus-based medical facilities, it operates nine community health centers for underserved children and families, and for domestic violence victims.
Its medical center serves nearly 14,000 patients a year and houses 27 exam rooms, six classrooms, an IV-therapy suite, an in-house laboratory, Arizona’s largest natural pharmacy and a one-of-a-kind hydrotherapy suite.
The college continues its growth with the construction of a new 47,000-square-foot building. When complete, it will include auditoriums and classrooms, an expanded library, cafe, exercise facility, teaching kitchen and a healing pain center.
The Tempe Chamber would also like to recognize the other four finalists: Caliente Construction, The Dhaba, Sun Sounds of Arizona and Tempe Mission Palms Hotel.
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