Credit Union Exam Solutions Presents With Flying Colors

Treichel: Hey everyone, this
is Mark Trekel with another

episode of With Flying Colors.

I'm excited today to be here with
Scott Gladden and Kenny Ray Mitchell

of Innovations Credit Union.

How you guys doing today?

Kenny Ray Mitchell:
Doing well, doing good.

Thank you.

Treichel: Glad, glad
to have you guys here.

And we're here to talk about a really cool
event that, that I'll be participating

and you guys are the leaders of.

Coming up here in January of 2026,
and that's the Qs council cruise.

Did I get that right?

The QS Council cruise, which has been
happening for many years, but I'm excited

to be able to talk about it today.

I am excited to, to
participate in January.

But Scott, if you could kind.

Layout, what this cruise is all about.

How it started and why the three of
us are so excited about being able

to get on that cruise in January.

Scott Gladden: Yeah, sure.

The council is actually the Florida
Council of Qs and the way it started

is years ago a few of us were sitting
around talking about educational

opportunities and things that we needed
to talk about that were affecting

us in our credit unions every day.

And the idea came up to start
a cruise because we're so close

to the cruise sports here.

And and make an event out of it.

And actually the costs were very
similar to land-based conferences.

And and so that's how it all started.

And it was about probably 20 years ago.

Wow.

Put this on.

And and since then we've been trying to
bring these educational opportunities at

first to just credit unions executives,
and then later we folded in the boards

audit and supervisory committees and
really trying to get them the education

that they need to serve on our boards.

And that's how it all started.

And it just, it's taken off from
there and we've done it ever since.

Treichel: And so this cruise that
we're talking about the the dates

the locations, the cruise line,
can you give some of those details?

Kenny Ray Mitchell: Yeah.

The, so it is January 16th through 20th.

We'll be going on the rural Caribbean
Radiance of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale

to the Grand Bahama Islands in Nassau.

Treichel: Very good.

I'm excited about going
back to The Bahamas.

I haven't been there since my
honeymoon in 1989, a historical

trip for me in that regard.

But that, that sounds and so it's
going outta Fort Lauderdale which

is an easy airport to get to.

And so it's the Florida Council, but
if I remember right, that includes

the connected states as well.

And it actually.

If someone's out on the West coast and or
better yet in the Midwest and it gets real

cold and, I'm from Minnesota originally.

If it gets real cold in January, if
they're looking for an escape and

they want to have a good training
program for their board or for their

executives, they're welcome as well.

Do I have that right?

Yeah, absolutely.

Kenny Ray Mitchell: Yeah, absolutely.

Everybody's invited.

Don't matter where you're from.

Everybody's invited.

Treichel: That's fantastic.

And and the council also does
include Georgia and Alabama is

is that, are they part of the
council or am I misremembering that

Kenny Ray Mitchell: They're part of
the league, but not the actual council.

Treichel: Okay, got it.

That's right.

And looking at the we'll get into the
educational side of it, but I'm looking

at the website here the prices look great.

I know.

At some juncture the opportunity to
get the good pricing might disappear.

If someone's really interested in going.

Is it wise to get in touch
to get the better pricing?

Or how does that all work?

Kenny Ray Mitchell: Yeah, you need
to get in touch as soon as possible.

You're welcome to call me (850)
832-3872 to discuss any questions

you might have about the crews.

The block's actually closing for
our initial pricing very soon,

but as long as there's cabins
on the boat, then everybody's

welcome to book and attend as well.

Treichel: And for those who
aren't watching the video,

that was you, Kenny, right?

That's your phone number.

Kenny Ray Mitchell: That's correct.

Treichel: Very good.

And I, I was pleased to see that
the wifi package is included.

And and the deluxe beverage package.

I'm not sure what that
includes, but it sounds fancy.

Kenny Ray Mitchell: Yeah, absolutely.

Includes all your drinks,
waters, sodas, anything you want.

Treichel: The I know on cruises,
I've been on a few cruises.

The coffee bars are pretty cool too.

The the fancy coffees that everybody
likes is probably included in

that as well, would be my guess.

Kenny Ray Mitchell: Yeah.

And all the ice cream you can eat.

Treichel: I'm on I'm watching
my carbs until January and I'm

celebrating sober October right now.

So I'm gonna be ready
when we get to January.

The I, I'm excited to participate and
again I'll be speaking at one of the

events and I've got a couple of my
guys that are often on the podcast.

Steve Farr and Todd Miller, who will
also be attending, and we'll be,

we'll be talking obviously about
NCA related things, but do you I'm

aware that there's a really robust
speaking crew for this cruise.

Can you walk through who else
currently is planned to be there?

As part of the educational process?

Scott Gladden: Yeah, sure.

First of all, we have John DeLoach.

He's a credit union
lawyer out of Tallahassee.

And John has helped us for years and he
does some sessions for the executive teams

on just the regulatory environment, what's
coming, what are the top, the hot buttons

things to look out for because he's so in
tune with what's going on in the industry.

And he also does the session
for the board and audit on.

Bank Secrecy Act, and ofac
which are always a big thing

they have to do every year.

And so John's always supported us.

He's a perfect speaker for this.

We have Trey Rudder and Trey's
with Corporate America, and Trey

provides some financial, training for
board and audit committee members.

And then he also has this session
where he talks to the executives

and those guys have been with us for
years and doing with us for years now.

The, some of the new folks, of course,
are your group and we got Mike.

I hope I said that and
pronounced that right.

It's a hard one from Olden
Lane coming this year.

And what I see, and I think it's on
topic, is for us to talk about what

we see in the future of the industry.

And really the consolidation
that we're seeing and the big

credit unions merging with other.

Very big credit unions and why that's
happening and what really, what the

future looks like for all of us.

And it's one thing I look at and
concerned with our credit union.

And then you have your folks
that are gonna, they're

gonna step in and talk about.

Really some NQA things
and part of that too.

Treichel: Yeah.

You got it.

Yeah.

And my and whether it's Mola or
Mola, I just call him Mike Mack.

Right?

That's what I say too.

Yeah.

Listeners, longtime listeners of
the show, Mike's been on the show

several times talking about what
you described subordinated debt.

I think we had an episode on the the NSU
Ann annual report that we do annually.

And he's a charismatic speaker
who, knows a lot about where where

things are going in the industry
and where it's been recently.

And my guys we talk a lot here.

The podcast listeners know Steve and
Todd real well, but, todd Miller wrote

the wrote a lot of the capital markets
type things that are required by NCUA.

He doesn't agree with everything that's
in there because he wasn't able to get

it quite the way he thought it should be,
which is a little bit more reasonable.

But he was a capital market
specialist for 10 years.

Director of Special Actions and
knows a lot of things about the NCA

details about the NCA exam program.

Steve Farr wrote, n NCAA's Enforcement
Manual wrote N NCAA's Risk-Based

Capital Rule, and they helped me
with my clients and they're on the

podcast a lot to talk about how to.

Pass your exam with flying colors, which
is where the podcast name come from.

Yeah, I'm excited to to get on board.

Now the, when I would go to the NCOA
conferences, there was always the agenda.

And then there was always the bar at the
hotel where a lot of business seemed to

get done, where you'd catch up with old
friends, where you'd meet new friends.

And I noticed looking at an
old agenda that every night

there's a network reception.

And I'm guessing that the, these
credit unions and this cruise and

the councils events that's a lot of
where the big business gets done and

where you break a lot of bread and
maybe have a couple glasses of wine

with new friends and old friends.

Scott Gladden: Yeah, that's exactly right.

And really, I think that's one of the
most valuable parts of the the crews.

Every night we meet at a specified
location stand around talk, and like you

said, talk to old friends, new friends.

And I can tell you in.

History in the credit union industry.

A lot of things that ha that
were talked about and went on in

those meetings has helped us in
our credit union over the years.

And and so the way it works is we all
show up, hang out, talk, and then either

we break off and smaller groups and go to
dinner and and that's the way it works.

And by the end of the cruise, most
people end up knowing everybody

else on and within our group.

That's exciting.

Kenny Ray Mitchell:
Stay in touch for years.

To me that's where the real conversations
happen because Yep, we're in a

relaxed, distraction free setting.

It's not like the typical ballroom,
the hotel conference that you go to.

It's just, and I think it.

It allows everybody to be open and
to share the ideas and to have those

conversations so you know what's
working in your credit union, what's

not working in your credit union.

So I've enjoyed it throughout the years.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Learned a lot.

I'm,

Scott Gladden: I'm looking forward to it.

I need a policy.

Like I need a policy.

Can you send me what you guys are.

Using it over there so
I can look at it too.

Treichel: That's right.

Yeah.

That's that's the beauty of the
credit union movement, right?

Is there's a camaraderie and it is a
movement, there is cooperation across

borders and across credit unions, which
is probably why these types of credit

union events are just so well done
and so meaningful for the attendees.

Very good.

So we've talked about where it's leaving.

We at Royal Caribbean, good
food on Royal Caribbean, good

quality ships, which is nice.

So you know that you're gonna be
in a safe environment a quality

environment, leaving outta Fort
Lauderdale, going to The Bahamas.

The dates again.

Could you maybe repeat those, Kenny?

Yeah.

It's

Kenny Ray Mitchell: January 16th
through the 20th, so it'll leave on

a Thursday and we'll be getting back
on a Monday, which is, and let's

Treichel: see.

And the dolphins aren't doing
well, so they're probably not gonna

be in the playoffs that weekend.

And the Vikings aren't, so
I'm not worried about it.

Todd Miller might be bummed out if the
Packers get there 'cause he's a big Packer

fan, but but I'm sure there'll be a TV
somewhere that we can catch Absolutely.

To catch those games.

Scott Gladden: Yeah.

And it's over a holiday weekend too
so the folks that are bringing guests

hopefully they have that day off and
don't have to use their leave time to

Treichel: Oh,

Scott Gladden: that's nice.

Yeah.

Treichel: Yeah.

Scott Gladden: We try to put it
over holiday weekend usually.

Treichel: Yeah.

That's smart that, I like that.

I like that.

We got a holiday weekend coming up.

Coming up this weekend this.

Yeah.

Columbus Day I started at NCA on Columbus
Day, which was a federal holiday.

I called my trainer.

I said, what do you want me to do?

He goes, you don't have to do anything.

I said why are you starting me
on Monday instead of Tuesday?

And they said, the paperwork's too hard.

So that was, I said, ah,
welcome to the government.

Kenny Ray Mitchell: I'm sorry, I misspoke.

We are coming back on a Tuesday.

I got that coming back

Treichel: on a Tuesday.

Tuesday.

So it's fri Friday to Tuesday
or Thursday to Tuesday.

It

Kenny Ray Mitchell: is
Friday to Tu Tuesday.

Friday to Tuesday.

That's yeah.

Treichel: Like you said, you
don't lose any work days unless of

course you're coming from Hawaii.

You might have to.

Yeah, you might have to

Scott Gladden: we'll take you, Steven.

Treichel: You'll, but we'll take you.

That's right.

That's right.

All right guys, this has been fun.

I'm looking forward to
to seeing you in January.

Any last thoughts for the listeners
on about the cruise or anything else?

Scott Gladden: No, I think we're good.

Just hope we get some
good weather down there.

We don't have a late, deep cold
front coming through Florida, but

other than that, let's bring your
flowery shirts and shorts and

flip flops and come learn with us.

Treichel: There you go.

And if if the weather's bad,
we'll be inside and that

just means we'll learn more.

Scott Gladden: There you go.

Treichel: All right thanks Scott.

Thanks Kenny.

I appreciate you sharing all this.

I'm looking forward to
seeing you on the cruise.

Kenny Ray Mitchell: Yep.

Sure thing.

Thank you.

Treichel: You got it.

And listeners, I want thank you watchers.

I want to thank you for
listening or watching.

This is Mark reel, signing
off with flying colors.