Financial Plus Credit Union outgrew its 800 Chestnut St. location in Ottawa years ago, but now it has a new, 32,000 square foot building to grow into.

Sixty-five employees in a building at half the size wasn’t feasible, leading CEO Tim O’Donnell to ask the board of directors for a bigger space.

“We’ve grown in just three of four years,” O’Donnell said. “It seems like we made that jump from 30,000 members to 40,000 in a snap.”

O’Donnell said a team was put together when the credit union realized it was outgrowing the old building, and that team came up with a vision for what is now located at the corner of Chestnut and Jefferson streets.

The building is large with open space and sitting areas, and windows up to the ceiling that allow natural light. The walls are lined with new offices O’Donnell said grant for some much needed space for employees.

“Social distancing actually helped us,” O’Donnell said. “We had people working so close together that moving some to work from home gave us more space.”

O’Donnell said spaces weren’t initially meant to be office space, such as rooms for printers and shredders, which had to be converted to fit everyone in the old building.

The new building also is up-to-date technologically, allowing employees to attend meetings either in-person or remotely.

“I’m sure the board were a little skeptical when we came to them with this project and showed them the bottom line, but they’ve had a lot of in us and I certainly appreciate that,” O’Donnell said.

Financial Plus Credit Union was presented with a plaque from the Ottawa Area Industry Chamber of Commerce commemorating their investment in the community.

“This is a prime example of people having faith in the city of Ottawa, the people in the city and everything we can do together,” said Chamber Director Jeff Hettrick. “We’re very proud of businesses that invest in this city.”

O’Donnell said the old Financial Plus Credit Union building next door to the new one will be torn down to create more parking spaces sometime this upcoming spring.