Building Stronger Communities: Talisha Faber’s Mission for Economic Empowerment

On this episode of the Stories to Create Podcast, Cornell Bunting sits down with Talisha Faber, Economic Development Officer at Suncoast Credit Union, where she leads statewide initiatives focused on workforce development, affordable housing, and sustainable community growth.

A respected leader across Florida, Talisha is dedicated to building strategic partnerships that drive economic mobility and expand access to financial resources for individuals, families, and small businesses. Her work is rooted in creating opportunities that uplift communities and empower people to achieve long-term stability and success.

With more than two decades of experience spanning financial services, commercial real estate, and community development, Talisha has built a reputation for delivering results while keeping people at the center of her mission. Her professional background includes serving as a Vice President, Business Lender, and Private Client Manager at a leading financial institution, as well as a successful tenure as a Commercial Real Estate Advisor with SVN Commercial Partners.

Beyond her corporate leadership, Talisha is a dynamic and sought-after speaker who connects with women’s groups, business leaders, and nonprofit organizations. She is especially passionate about advocating for women in leadership, supporting blue-collar trades, empowering Veterans, and expanding access to workforce development and transferable skills.

A proud Florida native, Talisha’s commitment to service is deeply rooted. She has served as Treasurer of Our Mother’s Home, held a longstanding leadership role with Valerie’s House, mentored through Dress for Success, and most recently contributed as a board member for Habitat for Humanity in Lee and Hendry counties.

Her impact has been widely recognized, earning honors such as the 2023 Woman of Distinction Award from Congressman Byron Donalds, recognition as one of the Top 50 Women to KNOW in Florida, and the 2024 Humanitarian of the Year award across the United States from SVN International.

Outside of her professional and community work, Talisha is a devoted mother to two teenagers, a proud dog owner of her rescued French bulldog, and an active volunteer within her local church.

In this episode, she reflects on her upbringing in Tampa, the foundational lessons she learned while working at Publix, and the journey that led her to her current role with Suncoast Credit Union.

This is more than a conversation—it’s a story of leadership, service, and lasting impact.

Listen as her journey unfolds.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Yes, yes. Welcome to another episode of Stories to Create Podcast. Right here at ES Club. I'm your host, Cornell Bunting. I'm so excited today. Of course, you guys know it's a beautiful thing. And there's a whole lot going on. I want to thank we have a few sponsors that are coming on board, but the the ink haven't been signed, so as soon as that's signed, you guys will hear their names. But just so you guys know, in season seven, we do have some sponsors jumping on board to help the show evolve into something more this energy, right? Yeah, I know we gotta keep up. So listen, our guests on the show today, so amazing, so engaged in the Southwest Florida community, doing her thing. It's a big deal, people. Suncoast Credit Union is in the building. And I gotta tell you guys right now, without further ado, help me welcome Talisha Faber. How are you, love?

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Great, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

This is so cool, man. Now, you've been doing your thing for quite some time now. But before we dive into what you're doing here right now in Southwest, Florida, I want you to take my listeners back to the earlier. Where were you born?

SPEAKER_03 1:27

Tampa, Florida.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Oh, just up the road. Okay. So you grew up in Tampa as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

Grew up in Tampa. My dad lived, moved to Fort Myers when I was two. He was a Mason. My mom was a bartender.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

And very humble, really, beginnings, if you will.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Okay. So Mason, bartender, big money. Big money. This is Florida. Big money. Okay. Okay. So were you the only girl, or what well, where were you among the siblings?

SPEAKER_03 2:01

So I have a half-brother and a half sister. I'm the oldest.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Oh, okay. So it was you, and then mom had a married. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

And my dad remarried. Okay. So I have a brother that's five years younger and a sister that's almost ten years younger.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Wow. So you was running between two homes growing up.

SPEAKER_03 2:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

That's beautiful right there. What kind of young lady or what kind of young girl were you in school?

SPEAKER_03 2:26

I was actually a pretty well-behaved kid. I think I saw a lot of things happen in the bar business that I didn't want to create in my life. And so I think I learned what not to do, to be honest.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

And my brother was kind of the bad kid. So I think it was it was one of those where I was always trying to take care of him and steer him in the right direction. As most of us older siblings try to do.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Yes. Yes. You did like sports?

SPEAKER_03 2:58

I was actually a I took dance my whole life, and that was kind of my I went to the local community building, the YMCA kind of community center. Nice. And that kept me, you know, pretty active throughout the I mean I twirled the baton.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Cheerleading. Okay. But mostly just dance.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

You know, I could see that. I was thinking in my head, you know, she probably did cheerlead in the school. So that was dope. Wow. That's awesome. So most of that, like you got into the work world in Tampa.

SPEAKER_03 3:32

Yeah. So I was, I was, I did, I had some careers in dance, but then started my really my first career at Publix and started as a cashier making $3.25 an hour, I think it was. Come on. I'm gonna age myself a little.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

And then worked my way up to being in management and eventually retired from Publix and went into banking.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Okay. When you say retired from Publix, you did more than 10 years there?

SPEAKER_03 4:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Oh wow, okay. All right. That's a beautiful thing. Now you're into the banking world, and that's like a whole nut of beast.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Because you're pretty engaged in the community. What what is that? Like, what makes you wanting to leave from seeing people coming into a grocery store before we even jump there? I just I kind of want to get like one of those excited experience while you're at Publix. Like that you would say, you know what, I need to go above and beyond for this one customer.

SPEAKER_03 4:33

You know, I think Publix has that mentality of being creating a raving fan. And I learned that early on. They they provided Dale Carnegie Carnegie Carnegie training. There was a lot of kind of skills that I learned from working. And at the time, Publix was being sued by women.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

And so the men were all kind of fighting for positions and they were restructuring. And I learned a lot about how to manage and be leader, be a leader from those mostly men, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Now, when you say they were being sued by women, what what why?

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Because women weren't getting the promotions, but keep in mind back then, you know, you had to work 70 to 80 hours a week.

unknown 5:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

So if you're raising children or, you know, have a family, it wasn't really cohesive to the women. But I was 25, single. I could, you know, I worked the hours and put in the time, and I wasn't opposed to doing the work. And so it was for me, I I lived a life where I I could acclimate to that role. But honestly, Publix taught me a lot of, and still to this day, I have 25 years later, I still have some of those friendships, you know, in the community from my public's days.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Wow, that's beautiful. I never knew that they had an issue with the ladies back in the day to tighten that up. So that's pretty cool to know right there. Wow. Now, you know, with with you kind of understanding like the structure and system, and I know that's that's been a thing from like back where you know women felt like they they should be leveled up as how the guys were. And for you, because of how you were functioning, you didn't necessarily care about a lot of that stuff.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

I didn't. I saw the I saw the issues in the fact that women were just automatically gonna be the teller, they weren't gonna be the manager, the store manager. So I did see some of that. There was definitely, you know, you know, you could see the difference, but I think because of my age and lack of experience and really understanding of how the the community and organization worked, I I was a bit naive that way. But I mean, over the course of time, you know, we I got promoted. I was eventually running in the, you know, with the men. And and I felt like it was, you know, it was a level set for publics. So it was a unique time. I learned a lot on, you know, management just in general, but leadership during that time because these men were, you know, they were they were going into positions where they were going to be running a department instead of maybe, you know, a general manager title. And so we all kind of had to learn what we were doing differently. And so it wasn't just the men, but the women too.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Wow. Now, when you decided, you know, you were you had enough of that world, what what persuade you or push you toward a go into the banking world?

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Well, honestly, because I was a, you know, had managed the the cash office and the vault and safe and all of that, I had some experience in cash handling and I wanted to start having family. I wanted to get married. But then, you know, the the hours and the retail, you know, kind of hours was not cohesive to that. Right. So I retired from Publix and took a teller. I started as a teller in the banking world.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 8:18

And then eventually just worked my way up to, you know, running a branch, then being a you know, lender, a private client manager, did almost everything in the bank and learned kind of from the ground up.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Yeah. You know what's cool about you? Like you don't go into any space like, you know what, I'm I'm already here. So I need you guys to bring me in here. You okay with starting over again and learning what all that looked like? That is pretty cool. It is that type of humble piece of you that's from the the your mom and dad?

SPEAKER_03 8:59

Yeah, I think so. My dad is probably, well, one of the kindest men I've ever met, but also very humble and funny. But I will say that, you know, he'll go change the trash bag, you know, in the in the organization, just like anybody else would. So I saw that, you know, they were both hard workers and I learned that kind of work ethic I would say from them.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Wow, that's beautiful. You know, a lot of people have always wanted to understand why the bank functioned the way it does, but people still don't feel like they even understand what that all looks like.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Even though people feel like it's necessary to be a part of. What do you say to those individuals that said, you know, I don't even know if I even want none of my money to be in a bank?

SPEAKER_03 9:56

You know, I think now this is so I've had all my roles be at a bank, an actual bank, banking institution. This is my first time working for a credit union. And I've learned so much just on the differences between banking and credit unions. Right. So a credit union is essentially a nonprofit. And, you know, where a big bank might be looking at margins and profitability, you know, the members own the credit union. So this kind of has changed my mindset and the community aspect that we're, you know, we're giving back, you know, to the members that own the credit union.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

So anybody who says they don't want to put their money in the bank, I think there's there's always those people that are gonna put it under the mattress and there's a lack of trust there. And we've had, you know, there's been banks that have failed and FDIC, you know, there's there's a lot of kind of questions that people don't understand. But I will just say that, you know, the differences between a bank and a credit union are important to know, but also, you know, we pay you on the money that you put in the bank and then essentially lend it out to entrepreneurs that are starting and and need a hand up. So so there's, you know, there's an opportunity to make an impact by, you know, you increasing your bottom line and interest and and us lending it out, you know, to to organizations and entrepreneurs that that need it.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

That's beautiful. Growing up, what was the favorite music that you would listen to in the mornings?

SPEAKER_03 11:35

You know, my story is that a little white church bus picked me up, me and my girlfriend, my neighbor, Candy, and I didn't really have faith before that, that little white church bus. And so I have, you know, often then I think listening to the radio, you would listen to, you know, 90s hip hop, you know, maybe some Deaf Leopard, and it was all the hairbands going on. But but also intertwined in that I learned to really enjoy some worship music. And and so it it was not always, you know, maybe the most popular thing in a Baptist church to hear a hymn, but for me, it did provide this level of like faith that I didn't really have all the times of the day, or you know, so so we'd say it was it was 90s hip-hop and and mixed in with some, you know, some worship music.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

If a group of ladies come to you and they say, We have two shows happening right now, but we can only go to one of them, and we need you to accompany us. One's Bruce Springsteen, one is Bono, who you going to?

SPEAKER_03 12:53

Bruce Springsteen. Woo hoo!

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Hey Bono, not nanny, bruh. Not nanny, bruh.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Everybody loves YouTube, but I thought that was gonna be a harder question, honestly.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

This is good. So Bruce Springsteen, all I would say Bruce Springsteen.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

That's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_03 13:13

Born in the USA.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

You know what? This is true. That's big right there. Yeah. Yes, it's it's a beautiful thing. I I like a lot of that, you know, flowing. Nowadays, you know, you see where artists and big influencers have swayed people to make a lot of decisions. How do you feel on that?

SPEAKER_03 13:34

I I think music is universal. Obviously, I was a dancer, so I have a love affair of all music.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

So this political space of you know, projecting your beliefs on everybody else, I I just disagree with it, you know, strongly. I think, you know, I love Andre Bacelli, but does that mean I have to be Italian to love him? Like, no. So I think there's this level of, you know, the Super Bowl was a good example of that. Just we can we can enjoy, you know, Bad Bunny and his awesomeness, and you don't, it doesn't have to be politically geared towards, you know, women's beliefs is and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

So I just I think music's universal and let's appreciate just the music. And I don't think the artists need to share their beliefs. We're not, you know, we're we're engaging with them based on their talent of the industry they're in.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

I I like the way you put that, and I know, I know guys, that that could open up a can of worm, and I know people have all kinds of questions they want to throw at this work, and I know there's gonna be some stuff coming, but I'm trying to see how I could tread lightly on this without it going crazy. Because you know, you have artists that uh that have done great music that has been accused of stuff personally, yeah, that they've been put away, and a lot of people say we need to just get rid of everything that they did. You agree with that?

SPEAKER_03 15:06

You know, I I don't I would say it discounts the talent, but also their views could do that as well. So I I I believe in Jesus, I believe in the gray and loving everyone, and so so I don't there's there's this level of you know, where you can be black or white, but for that I don't know what artist you're specifically talking about, but I think it's just gonna discount their talent and I don't know that you throw all the music away.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Right, right, right. That was smooth. She did not smooth people.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

So that was a hard question.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

We're gonna take that. We're gonna take that. We won't even do nothing more. We won't even do more with that, because I know you guys want to go all crazy with that. But you guys are welcome. You at least have a little bit of an address. So I like the way you respond to that though. That was that was really cool. When it comes to family life, you know, because you're a mom, you're busy in the community, and of course, making sure you're on top of your game with your with your job. How do you balance all that?

SPEAKER_03 16:20

I mean, is there such a thing as balance? I you know, argue with the balance of that. I will say that being a mom, I have two teenagers, 16, almost 16 and 13, that I have loved every age and every stage, but I would say this is a really fun for me. This is a really fun stage. And my kids have been, you know, they've been watching and been a part of a lot, a lot of the conversations. I was with the mayor this week for a meeting, and my son said, How is the how is your meeting with the mayor? And and he's met the mayor, and you know, he's met, they've met the state attorney, they've met the sheriff, like so they've been part of these conversations. So I think the ballot balance is let them let them be, you know, walking alongside you and and experiencing their social and you know, personable because of those experiences that they've they've walked with me, you know, into rooms to be a part of. So I also am not afraid to say when, you know, listen, I I made a mistake and I said this wrong, and and we talk through it. Because I think the humility in that is they're learning how to be humble and and say I messed up. Like so, but I just don't know if there's really a balance to juggling all the ball all the balls in the air and hoping they don't fall.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

For a lot of parents, like well, especially single parents, that you know, they have a challenge with having those honest conversations with their teenagers. There's there's those conversations that a lot of people don't never want to talk about with their kids. Yeah. Why why do you think that is?

SPEAKER_03 18:17

Well, I can tell you when when we were growing up, and maybe it's different for you, but for me, I never had an awareness of the things going on in the in the world, like like they have. Like my 12-year-old at the time said, you know, said something about ice and the conversations they're having. So would I have ever had an experience or an understanding of that? But no, you know, so I think this is a different time that they're they're they're seeing and hearing with, you know, TV, with, you know, having a computer at their hand, you know, on the cell phones. So I think if you shy away from those conversations and you don't give them a viewpoint of all sides and let them, you know, become their own people, then I think you're doing them a disservice on parenting them, you know. So the idea that you're everything's black or white is a really, it's a a, you know, it's a it's a problem because not everything is very black and white. And if they can see things from five different sides. I mean, just yesterday I had a conversation with my daughter because she said so-and-so is said this and she was this, and you know, it's teenage girl drama. Right. But I said, maybe there's something going on in her life that she had a really rough day.

unknown 19:46

Right.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

And maybe there, you know, like, so you don't know what what her day looked like. This is true. And so let's filter with maybe she had a rough day.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Right.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

And let's start fresh tomorrow and not hold it against her. And she was like, okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

I like that.

SPEAKER_03 20:03

So could she have been mad for the next, I don't know how long and told five other people and you know, been a teenage girl? Sure. But I think let's let's give her some grace that maybe she had a bad day and and let's let's pretend like that didn't happen.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

I like that. How's the relationship with your mom right now?

SPEAKER_03 20:23

My mom passed away at 48. She was she lived in. Love. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

Yeah, she died of cardiac arrest, actually. So my my mom though was, you know, lived that rock star lifestyle. Okay. It was very hard when I was younger to understand, you know, the bartending life and what that looks like. I think now that I'm a single full-time mom, I wish I would have given her a little more grace. And we're all just doing the best we know how and the best we can. And we don't really have a manual for this parenting thing.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

Right, right. So yeah, I you know, I can't imagine, like, you know, having a mom that's a bartender because she's gone all the nighttime, she's gone. And that's when she made most of her money.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Wow. Maybe I'll bring a bartender on the show, guys. I'm just saying. Wow. But you've you've managed to kind of go through that and have become this awesome individual now that is doing so much because you s you've still very much involved. Even though you have your you know, your your kids and stuff. What would you say, like, you know, now with a lot of the events that are happening, what are the ones that stands out more for you? Be like, okay, I have to be at that event.

SPEAKER_03 21:45

Well, I mean, you know, Cornell, like your love affair for different organizations and nonprofits and for children specifically, it's gonna be something geared towards like something that's gonna impacting your heart, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 21:59

And so I will say that through my years in the banking world, the bank, you know, in the early years allowed me to create a love affair with the community. My mom had passed away. I was one of the, you know, early on board members for Valerie's House. And honestly, that created it was like free therapy for me, honestly. So I think at the times and the stages of your life, there's certain things that are going to be impactful and just impact your heart. And so for me right now, I will say that I'm strongly engaged in Habitat for Humanity, and obviously with my role at Sun Coast, but also even prior, have loved the organization. And I think there's a lot that we can do as community to impact, you know, specifically single moms that are that are changing the lives of their children by getting a habitat.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Right.

SPEAKER_03 23:00

Um so I also am strongly engaged in in keeping children out of foster care. I think that I have worked with the organization Better Together.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

And I hosted a teenage boy for some five months. And and I think there was a lot that I learned through that time with my kids, and and but I think he'd still be in foster care and we'd still be paying for him and our taxes if had we not done that. And so it allows the church to come around and be the village. And I, you know, I feel like that's that's a great business model and a great community impact partner.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

Right.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

So I think those two organizations have been, you know, pretty much in on my heart and in my world for the for the last few years.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

I love that. You know, you know, we work in a you know similar space when it comes to the the engagement of community and stuff like that. And one of the things that, you know, for a lot of people wrestle with now is how do you deal with especially the teenagers that have been traumatized by you know something that have happened to them in the home or something that happened to them from someone they trust, that that person they trust broke that that trust and now they don't even feel like they want to be here anymore, which is one of the reasons why suicide rate is, you know, somewhat what would you for someone that's listening right now, like a teen that you know that wanted to hear some type of encouragement, what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_03 24:40

You know, that was me at one point. You know, my boyfriend had broken up with me and I was definitely uh suicidal. And I will say that I think God places your steps. And if you can, you know, get help to the point where you can get through this, you're gonna come out the other end and be like, oh my gosh, like life is so beautiful. And that I had to go through that to experience this. Right. And it's kind of the stepping stone of, you know, step one of learning how to be hurt and you know, experience trauma. And and then step two is oh my gosh, like, you know, I'm stronger now. I'm you know, I'm I'm powerful.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

Right.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

And and then you start learning, I would say, that you actually can make a ripple effect and you can change the the story. There's there's an organization that my brokerage supports, SVN Commercial Partners, it's American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. And there's a walk that they that they do every year. We just started doing the last few years downtown Fort Myers. But you know, there's people that wear different necklaces, different colors that represent suicide. There's one necklace that represents I'm I'm I need help.

unknown 26:09

Right.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

And to put the have the courage to even put that necklace on is very difficult. So I I will just say that if you can get yourself help through this this one step, everything else will fall into place, and then you're gonna look back and be like, oh my gosh, you know, like that was all to get to hear.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

Wow. You hear that guys? After the storm, there's gonna be a beautiful calm.

SPEAKER_03 26:40

There's beauty in the mass, too.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

Yes, this is true.

SPEAKER_03 26:43

Sit in it.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

This is true. Well, you know, uh for a lot of people that is uncomfortable because they don't understand what's very uncomfortable. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:51

It's by design.

SPEAKER_00 26:53

Right.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

Because you're learning.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

Right.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

I mean, had you not lived this, you know, if if things were all peaches and cream your entire life, what what would you have learned? And how could you, you know, address someone that even is their testimony is is going through that. Now I can sit and say, oh my gosh, that was me. I experienced that. I was a teenage girl, you know, I was heartbroken for the first time. And and I know I know how you feel. There was nothing I could do to get out of that. I needed, I needed help.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:28

And, you know, if if we can get there, then you look back and you're like, oh my gosh, now I can speak to it.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

That's beautiful. Wow. The relationship with dad, what is that like?

SPEAKER_03 27:41

My dad is he's he's my best friend, confidant, helps me tremendously with my children. They are my son and him have a special handshake that they do anywhere, and it's not necessarily completely PJ PG. So my dad's just he's he's an amazing human, and I'm very thankful that you know that I get to live close by to him. And we he's my date to church every Sunday.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 28:13

Yeah, so he's a good human. Everyone calls him Frenchie around town, yeah, the masonry business, and he has a very good name around town. So I'm I'm pretty lucky girl to have him as my dad.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

That's a beautiful thing. Even though, you know, for a lot of the mess, you know, we do have a lot of good dads out here. Why do you think dads are still not really appreciative or celebrated the way moms are celebrated?

SPEAKER_03 28:39

No, I don't know. I I think there's this level of you still have to be the man of the house.

SPEAKER_02 28:46

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:47

And you gotta be the protector and provider. And I think there's, you know, and at least through the faith, that is the idea that you're supposed to lead your children to church, you're supposed to be the guide. And although I embrace that, I think that's a you know amazing if a man can step that way, but I don't know that men are really celebrated for what they do either.

SPEAKER_00 29:11

So I like that. On a day that's a full day for work, what does that look like for you starting from waking up?

SPEAKER_03 29:22

Waking up, I try to get a workout in. Okay. Um, I work out in the gym in my gym in my garage because I don't want to get dressed and go anywhere and have to look pretty. And then take the kids to school. I'm kind of an early riser, so five, five thirty at it. And then and then every day is different with my job at Suncoast, which is amazing because I get to meet different people making different kinds of impact, and and I get to build a strategy or think bigger, and then come together and bring all the players to the table and hope that it sticks.

SPEAKER_00 30:01

So a lot of meetings. A lot of meetings.

SPEAKER_03 30:05

A lot of meetings. I would say it's more, I think what we're doing isn't working.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Right.

SPEAKER_03 30:12

And what can we do differently? So uh you have to be a change maker and have that mentality, or else this role isn't definitely gonna work.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

Right.

SPEAKER_03 30:23

So my role as an economic development officer was created by the president and CEO of our of Suncoast Credit Union, Kevin Johnson. And his idea was that we there's there's a lot of gaps in affordability for housing, workforce initiatives, and what can we do to really, you know, fill in some of those gaps? And so to even think like that, you know, no, no bank or credit union has this role. And to even think like that is, you know, it's a big a big time, you know, thought.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

That's a big needle to even try to move.

SPEAKER_03 31:00

Yeah. And honestly, because we have so at Suncoast, we have a foundation. Every time you swipe your debit or credit card at Suncoast, four cents is now going into that foundation.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

And so essentially, like the idea that we can come at things five different ways, maybe through a loan, given a, you know, a discount on a loan, paying double the interest. Maybe we can create a benefit for a benefits package for the, you know, for retention and retaining employees. And then, you know, potentially maybe there's an opportunity to impact them through a community team or a foundation, provide financial literacy. What if we could come at it five different ways? Right. Instead of just the normal, you know, this is your interest rate, and you know, moving on, you know.

SPEAKER_00 31:51

So I don't want to put you on the spot too much. I might, but this might be a hard question, I'm gonna hit you with right now. Because of the, you know, that world that you're in, and you know, a lot of people see where they can invest in a company that would give them a certain amount of dividends possibly every month, every quarter, whatever that look like. To convince someone to say, hey, you can still come over here and we can make that money work for you. How do you tap what all those other high-performing, you know, Fortune 500 companies are doing?

SPEAKER_03 32:27

I think those high-performing Fortune 500 companies are we're running with them. We're the largest credit union in the state. We just announced an acquisition. We're eighth largest in the country right now, and we're only in Florida. So we have 2,500 plus employees more with our acquisition of launch credit union. So I think we have we have the capability and the culture to create impact at any of those, those large organizations. I will say that, you know, it's it's not just one piece of the puzzle. If, you know, if there's an opportunity to offer financial literacy to across the state for all of the employees of all the school districts, for example, which we have done, we you're not gonna see the ripple effect of that. Right. But but I can tell you there will be eventually. And so some things aren't completely measurable, but the potential for impact is is big. So if I did that for any of the large organizations just around here, which we are work, we are doing, we have the potential to impact them, you know. And it's not necessarily gonna be measurable, if you will, but they'll see it in pluay wellness, you know, their mental, you know, how they're how they're dealing with the financial stress. Just that alone, that initiative alone could really make impact. And I know you get it on the financial literacy side because of what you do. So that just that one piece could be a big, a big factor.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

Right. For a family that's watching that, just feel hopeless because they make below what some would say the the average of what a household family should be making. They don't feel they can approach a place like Sunko's and say, hey, can you guys help us get into a home? What does that even look like? Is that are you guys approachable from those type of individuals?

SPEAKER_03 34:34

Yeah, I would say our our locations are put in areas of need by design.

unknown 34:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

So we are, by design, banking the unbankable, and we want to be accessible to anyone. So where most banks will put it in highly area, you know, highly affluent areas, we aren't doing that. And we don't have a need for CRA credit like some banks, like the banks do. So we're putting those those brick and mortar locations where there's an Alice population, low, they're you know, below the poverty line. And we can provide impact. So I think because of our growth year over year and across all the credit unions, we are doing that really, really well. And I think that's really the heart behind what we're doing is really improving the financial lives of our members and our community. So it's not, it's not a, you know, it's not something we just say. Right. I think the the idea that we're actually lending to a startup, we're doing things that nobody does, you have an economic development officer, that in itself is, you know, you're we're we're shaking things up and we're there on purpose to really love on that family and and teach them and walk alongside them.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

I love that. How can people reach you?

SPEAKER_03 36:00

I am Talisha.faber at Suncoast Credit Union.com.

unknown 36:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 36:05

And I will say the other piece of that we're, you know, if you go online, you look at our stuff, and you want to have a question, we have a whole team that specifically you could text a banker, you can call them up, you can email, and you have your exclusive person. So that's one amazing thing about the the team that I actually am on is that we have this intimate personal opportunity to do that one-on-one, either through a branch or you know, through that accessibility, you know, to get to know a real personal banker that can know your story and see how we can add value.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

I love that. Well, Talisha, thank you for being on the show today.

SPEAKER_01 36:50

That's great meeting you.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Oh my goodness, this is amazing. Well, there you guys have it. Until our next episode, we have another decorative guest right here in Easter Club. Thank you. That was beautiful.