Friendly Faces of Vision: Rick Tullikopf
Castor, Alberta
"I enjoy the laid-back nature and the small-town mentality of the organization where the focus is on the members."
Meet Rick Tullikopf, a Vision Credit Union branch manager whose career in the financial industry has spanned nearly 40 years and countless communities. From his first role as a teller in Calgary to managing a small but dynamic team at Vision Credit Union in Castor, this branch manager has experienced the evolution of the financial industry firsthand.
Discover his journey, what keeps him passionate about rural banking, and why Castor is the perfect place to call home.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
In 2025, I’ll have been with Battle River, now Vision Credit Union, for 20 years. Prior to that, I was with another financial institution for about 18 years, so I’m pushing 40 years in the banking business and even started out at a credit union in Calgary pretty much 40 years ago exactly, so I’ve had a full-circle career.
On the personal side, my wife is originally from Castor, so I’ve had a few different stints in town and that’s how I sort of ended up connecting here and staying here. My family is made up of my wife and I and our two grown kids who live in the Red Deer area.
Tell us about the journey that brought you to Vision.
I’m originally from Three Hills, but I went to college in Calgary for a public administration program. After graduation… I answered an ad to join a credit union in Calgary as a teller. I progressed my way through the industry with two or three years there and then made the switch to a bigger bank. They sent me to Castor a few times over 18 years. Then I moved to Stettler to join the credit union system again as assistant manager at Vision and then moved to Killam to be the branch manager there. When the opportunity came up to become the branch manager here in Castor, I made the move again.
Tell us about your current role at Vision.
We’re a pretty small branch, we only have four of us on staff, so I pretty much handle all lending for our members. I’m currently helping one of our other staff members step into my shoes with the lending aspects of the business, which is nice, but we’re a close-knit staff that can look over one another’s duties if need be. I still enjoy doing the front-line type of work and bring those skills back from when I was a teller way back in the day, so it’s nice to be able to do the full range of work at the branch.
What do you like most about working at a rural credit union?
I enjoy the laid-back nature and the small-town mentality of the organization. When I was with a big bank, it was more sales-oriented whereas the focus with Vision is on the members. I also enjoy being able to pick up the phone and call anybody at head office any time I need, which you don’t get with the big banks, especially today.
What do you enjoy most about Castor?
I’ve been a part of this community for over 20 years and I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of the people here. I also enjoy being able to walk to work every day and of course, as a golfer, there’s a really good golf course here, which also helps.
