Kirk Mondy never thought he would have a 41-year career at Ozark Federal Credit Union. Fresh out of college in 1982, he joined as a clerk and teller while seeking a position where he could use his degree in church music.
During his retirement party Friday, Mondy recalled the job he expected never materialized, but the one he had grown into was more than he could have imagined.
“I look back at 40 years and I think, how in the world did this happen? How did we come this far? ... I look back and I think I could not have done this on my own. I will say that to the whole community. I just see the hand of the Lord at work,” he said.
Within 20 years, Mondy had moved from clerk to CEO and OFCU had grown in turn. It expanded from a subset within the Veteran Affairs offices to a dedicated building in Poplar Bluff.
In 2001, the growth kicked into high gear with an additional Poplar Bluff branch and offices in Dexter, Doniphan and Piedmont. Today, the credit union serves six counties.
“Our charter began expanding. We were serving more and more people,” Mondy recalled.
And in the words of OFCU’s new CEO, Chad Wolfram, “We are continuing to grow. We continue to look for other counties to serve.”
Wolfram came on board OFCU in 2010 as vice president of lending. He has 22 years of experience in the field and Mondy is confident in his ability to carry the credit union forward.
“The credit union is in great shape financially. We’re doing well... Chad Wolfram, as the new boss, is very well-equipped to take us on forward. We’re in good hands and so I’m really pleased for the credit union, for the future,” he said.
The transition in leadership began 18 months ago when Mondy stepped down from CEO to CFO, and Wolfram became CEO. Although he is officially retiring — with plans to travel with his wife, plant a garden and continue serving the choir at Fellowship Church — Mondy will continue part-time at OFCU for some years to come.
“Our goal was to make this as smooth as possible for our members and our employees,” said Wolfram. “When you’ve been here for 41 years, there’s a lot of history and knowledge behind that, so it’s been nice to be able to keep him here.”
He feels Mondy’s leadership has put OFCU in a good place to continue growing and finding more ways to serve communities.
“Kirk has done a very good job leading, making it possible to move forward,” he said.