3,700+ Attend Annual Meeting & Member Appreciation Day

Blaze hosted 3,731 members and guests for our Annual Meeting & Member Appreciation Day on Saturday, February 24, at Grace Church in Eden Prairie.

This is the first annual meeting for Blaze, the newly-formed entity created by the merger-of-equals between Hiway Credit Union and SPIRE Credit Union earlier this year. The event follows SPIRE Credit Union’s long tradition of large, celebratory annual meetings featuring guest speakers and entertainment, and $25 cash for each registered attendee upon exit.

“In a short time, SPIRE and Hiway Credit Union have come together as Blaze and this day was our first celebration together with our members,” said Dan Stoltz, Blaze CEO. “It was such an exciting time for everyone. The energy and the atmosphere of the event was fantastic, and it was a great way to give back on many levels.”

The day started with the Blaze Expo where members and guests were able to ask questions of Blaze associates regarding financial services such as credit cards, commercial lending, mortgage, and retirement & investment services. Financial education seminars were also offered on fraud prevention, home selling, retirement planning, and financial wellness. Over 500 people attended one of the sessions lead by Blaze experts.

The main program included Blaze’s annual business meeting, with messages from CEO Dan Stoltz and President/Chief Transformation Officer Dave Boden.

The event culminated with an exciting performance from Circus Juventas, the largest youth performing arts circus school in North America. Circus Juventas serves over 1,500 students through year-round classes and summer camp programs, and performs before over 50,000 spectators annually. Their show has captivated hundreds of thousands of audience members in venues throughout the Twin Cities since 1994.

Thanks to the generous attendees, we collected 1,600 pounds of non-perishable food items that were donated to PROP in Eden Prairie to fill their shelves.

Stoltz added, “We look forward every year to seeing many long-time members, and this year was just extra special as so many who have never experienced an annual meeting like this had the opportunity to see what Blaze is all about. Seeing our members and our Blaze staff together is a wonderful reminder of the credit union philosophy of people helping people.”