Scott Bolster has made a career of working for credit unions because he appreciates the credit union philosophy of putting members first.

He recently joined Whitefish Credit Union as its Chief Financial Officer. He comes to Whitefish from 1st United Credit Union in Pleasanton, California, where he served as CFO. He has a lengthy background working in finance with a focus on credit unions and has held leadership positions at six credit unions over the past two decades.

Bolster says he became aware of Whitefish Credit Union at a credit union conference several years ago and when the opportunity presented to join WCU he was excited about the opportunity.

“With the credit union your customers and owners are one in the same,” he said. “We have a volunteer board and every decision we make is about what’s best for our members and making sure the credit union is strong.”

He earned his bachelor’s in finance from San Jose State University.

Bolster also experienced the Flathead Valley a few years ago during a fishing trip on Flathead Lake and a visit to Glacier National Park.

“We swung through Whitefish and it was such a nice town,” he said. “When I got the chance I thought why not come out here. Everything fell into place and it’s such a pleasant place and I’ve already made friends here.”

A skier, he’s looking forward to hitting the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort next winter and also enjoys hiking. Bolster has a 13-year-old daughter and says much of his time has also been dedicated to assisting with her sports activities.

As CFO at the credit union, Bolster directs and oversees the credit union’s finance and accounting functions and serves as a financial and strategic business advisor to the CEO.

He looks back on the history of credit unions as people working together to help each other.

“People came together with a common bond when the average customer couldn’t get a loan and they pooled their money collectively to provide loans to people they knew,” he said. “It became an altruistic bank model.”