"Our members really appreciate that we're still here in the branch and I'm proud to be a part of that."

Folks are drawn to rural Alberta communities for their rich history, strong sense of community and natural beauty. This is certainly true for the small town of Castor, which boasts six different museum sites celebrating its rural heritage. It serves as a hub for several neighbouring agriculture communities and is renowned for the stunning waterfowl migration every year.

These qualities and more keep Alissa Craigie coming back, even though she moved away from Castor at the start of 2024. Despite her hour-long commute each way, Alissa is happy to travel to Castor five days a week to enjoy community ties, natural beauty and a sense of purpose in her work as a loan officer at Vision Credit Union.



We spoke with Alissa to learn about her lifelong connection to Castor, from her childhood to her daily visits today.

Tell us about growing up in the Castor area. 

I grew up in Brownfield, which is about 20 minutes outside of Castor. My family runs a mixed farm and feedlot operation, and I spent 18 years helping on the farm out there. While I’m no longer living on the family farm, I still have a connection to the ag industry. My partner and I, along with our two young daughters, live in Provost where my partner manages a grain elevator. I got my start at Vision while I was living in Castor, but since moving to Provost in early 2024, I’ve made the hour or so commute to work and to take my daughter to school.

Tell us about your role at Vision.

My official title is loan officer, but being a small branch, I kind of wear two hats. I would say that I'm also the office supervisor. I started as a member services representative like most of us do and eventually took over the loan officer position. I've been doing that for two years now and deal mostly with consumer loans. I'm learning the ag and commercial loan side of things, and then I also help manage everything in the background, the girls at the front and all the cash and those kinds of things.

What do you like most about working at a rural credit union?

I like how things are member-focused. Our members can come in here to talk to us, and they don't have to do online banking if it doesn’t suit their needs. I also like knowing our members and their situations so we can help them as best we can. I think people appreciate that, especially in this area now with everything becoming more digital and the bigger banks pulling out of the area. I think our members really appreciate that we're still here and I'm proud to be a part of that.

We also understand the farming aspect of things, so when a member can't get in here during business hours because they’re working on the farm, I get it. I grew up in it, so I can appreciate that it's difficult for them and we try to accommodate that.

What are some of your favourite things about the Castor area?

I like the sense of community and how everybody knows everybody and can support each other and pull together when needed. It’s also just beautiful out here. There's so much you get to experience with nature and the hard work that the farmers put in. You can see all of it changing through the seasons. I definitely notice that on my long drives into Castor!