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Kendall Garrison To Succeed Paul Trylko as Amplify Credit Union CEO
As Amplify Credit Union enters its 53rd year in 2020, it will do so with a new Chief Executive Officer as current CEO Paul Trylko retires and Executive Vice President Kendall Garrison assumes the role. The culmination of a multi-year succession plan, the changes are set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
Amplify Board Chair Willie Everett explained, “Paul has served Amplify incredibly well over his 30 years with the credit union. We’ve grown exponentially under his leadership and are poised for further growth, which is the strongest legacy a leader can leave. A champion of Amplify’s culture and dedicated developer of talent, Paul is a shining example of the adage that you should leave things better than you found them and we wish him every success in his future endeavors.”
Trylko joined the credit union in 1989 as Executive Vice President, having been a Vice President at another Austin-area credit union for 10 years prior. He was named CEO in 1998 when Amplify had $154M in assets and 44 employees. Today, the credit union has more than 200 employees, almost $1B in assets on its balance sheet and a total of approximately $1.3B in assets under management, including loans serviced for others and wealth management. Over that time, the credit union changed its charter twice, once in 2006, when it transitioned to a community charter and rebranded from the IBM Texas Employees Federal Credit Union, and again in 2017, when it adopted a state charter to expand its field of membership to serve residents across the state of Texas.
“It’s been an honor and privilege to serve alongside the employees and volunteers who serve Amplify’s members every day,” said Trylko. “I’m a firm believer in the positive role credit unions play in the lives of members and in the cooperative principles that have been the foundation of Amplify for more than 50 years. Knowing I’m leaving that mission in the capable hands of a strong leadership team gives me confidence our members will continue to be well served and our drive to bring the credit union advantage to more Texans will endure.”
Trylko’s retirement will take effect at the turn of the year, when Kendall Garrison will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer. Garrison joined Amplify in 2010 on the lending team and served as Senior Vice President of Lending until 2015, when he was named Executive Vice President. Since then, he’s been responsible for spearheading the credit union’s growth strategy and overseeing operations. In that time, Amplify has expanded real estate lending, more than doubling the size of its real estate loan portfolio to almost $350M and adding a portfolio of loans servicing for others of more than $300M. In addition, Amplify has taken a leadership position among credit unions for digital innovation, acquiring and serving the largest share of its members through remote channels, and quadrupling the size of its commercial lending portfolio to more than $100M, becoming the second-largest locally based SBA lender in Austin.
“The future is bright for credit unions, but only for those who recognize the future will not look like the past,” said Chairman Everett. “Kendall has grasped that reality since he joined Amplify almost ten years ago and he’s been a staunch advocate for a growth strategy that ensures we can continue to deliver the credit union difference far into the future. Working hand-in-hand with Paul and the Board, he’s already made a lot of progress in that direction and we’re excited to continue that work together.”
Prior to joining Amplify, Garrison had a 30-year career in mortgage banking with institutions including Franklin Bank, Extraco Bank and others. He was recently named the President of the Board of Managers for the Alliance of Austin Credit Unions, which is a collaboration of 16 Austin-area credit unions. In addition, he was Board Chair for CU Business Solutions, which was owned by seven local credit unions, and Board Chair for Communities United for Fair Lending, which was a nonprofit organization that provided affordable short-term loans to people in need as an alternative to payday lending. Beyond financial services, Garrison has also been an entrepreneur, having founded and operated Bosque Brewing Company in Waco, Texas, and he is a commercial-rated airplane pilot.
“One thing my time at Amplify has taught me so far is that if you bring together great people united by a worthy mission, anything is possible. Paul has done that over decades and it’s an honor to earn the trust of the organization to carry that forward,” said Garrison. “As we cross the threshold of one billion dollars on our balance sheet, we have a great team that will carry us forward to our next stage of growth.”
Garrison will be leading Amplify’s executive team, which has been evolving as part of its succession plan as well. Chief Operating Officer Nancy Ballman announced her retirement earlier this year, concluding 29 years with the credit union following a successful core conversion, and her responsibilities have been divided among Chief Experience Officer Stacy Armijo and Chief Information Officer Charlotte Morrison. In addition, the credit union recently chose to centralize the risk management function under Chief Risk Officer Alan Hansford. Along with Chief Financial Officer John Orton and Chief Lending Officer Mike Koch, the executive team will continue to report to Garrison.
Recent innovations delivered by this team include: the completion of a three-year core conversion that will enable stronger system integration for improved member service; a digital mortgage application experience that enables borrowers to complete applications entirely online; Apple Watch functionality for online banking that enables account holders to view balances and transactions directly on their watch; and the launch of a Safe Place to Call Home as the focus for the credit union’s social impact endeavors.
Learn More About Amplify Credit Union
Read about the history and mission of Amplify Credit Union and its leadership team.
