SHANNON DOIRON, first vice president, marketing and deposit products, has been instrumental in leading the charge to enhance Kinecta Federal Credit Union’s brand awareness in the communities it serves. This initiative is a testament to Doiron’s entrepreneurial spirit. His peers say he’s always thinking of innovative ideas that lever-age technology, and pushing himself and his team to find better ways to do things.

Take social media. Doiron’s ideas and leadership have put the $3.7 billion asset Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based credit union at the forefront in terms of social media marketing and practices. The credit union has thousands of followers and earned multiple industry awards.

And in 2005 Doiron was part of building and deploying a new online banking system—custom-tailored to the credit union’s membership. It saved over $3 million in operating costs, and Kinecta Federal used the system for five years before outgrowing it.

Doiron also understands the importance of using marketing research to predict member behavior and identify areas of opportunity. Under his guidance, Kinecta Federal has built robust research capabilities that provide new insights about members and the areas the credit union serves.

For Doiron, the best part of his job is helping his employees succeed and achieve their career goals along with helping area communities. “I really feel fortunate that, as I drive in each morning, I’m thinking about what I can do to help my communities,” he reflects.

One focus of his efforts is local high schools. “Large banks have mostly penetrated the colleges and serve members outside of our footprint, so focusing on high schools allows us to have a greater impact,” he explains. “We approach our high school partners by finding out what their needs are and how Kinecta can address them.”

A project Doiron particularly enjoyed was Kinecta Rocks School. He and his team held a battle of the bands contest for youth bands and narrowed the competition to three. The winners opened for a national act in August. “It was a dream come true for some really talented kids, and Kinecta Federal gave them that experience,” he says.

Doiron’s learned a lot about how school systems work, what they need, and how Kinecta Federal can address those needs. “We’ve helped schools quite a bit and it’s created goodwill with them and with parents,” he says. “As a byproduct, we’ve had more brand recognition than ever before. People understand what Kinecta Federal is and what we do.”