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About Lanternway

We started with a lantern and a lockbox.

In 1954, a handful of mill workers pooled their dimes so they could lend to each other fairly. Seventy-two years later, we are still doing exactly that.

Our story

Seventy-two years, one idea.

People helping people is not a slogan to us. It is how the whole place works.

  1. 1954

    Eleven neighbors, one kitchen table

    Ruth Calloway and ten co-workers at the Ember Mill start Lanternway Credit Union. The first office is a lockbox in Ruth's pantry. A lantern hangs on the porch so members know it is open.

  2. 1967

    A real front door

    We open our first branch on Ferry Street in Cedar Ferry. Membership opens to anyone who lives or works in the valley, not just mill families.

  3. 1983

    The flood year

    The Ember River rises and we waive loan payments for 600 families. Not one member loses their home to a missed payment that spring.

  4. 1998

    Drive-thrus and shared ATMs

    We add drive-thru lanes and join a nationwide network of shared branches and ATMs. Members can bank away from home without a fee.

  5. 2009

    We hold steady

    While big banks tighten up, we keep lending to members with sound plans. No layoffs, no branch closings.

  6. 2016

    Branch number nine

    Elmstead opens with a coin counter, a community room, and a kids' corner with real, tiny desks.

  7. Today

    41,800 owners and counting

    We have an app, a website, and a phone line that a human answers. The lantern is still lit.

Member owned

What does "member owned" mean?

It means no outside shareholders. You, the member, are the owner. Profits come back to you.

A bank has to earn money for investors. A credit union only has to take care of the people who use it. That is the whole difference.

  • One member, one voteYour $5 share gives you the same say as anyone with $500,000. You can vote for our board each spring.
  • Not-for-profitWe earn only what we need to stay strong. The rest goes back as lower loan rates, higher savings rates, and fewer fees.
  • A volunteer boardOur board members are members too. They are not paid and they live in the same towns you do.
  • Local decisionsLoans are approved by people in the valley who can pick up the phone and ask you a question.
Leadership

The people steering the ship

Four volunteer board members and four staff leaders. All of them are members. (Names are made up for this concept.)

EH

Evelyn Hartsock

Board Chair

Retired school principal and member since 1981. Evelyn still believes every kid should own a savings book.

RO

Raymond Okafor

Board Vice Chair

Owns a hardware store in Millbrook. He knows what a small business needs and when it needs it.

LB

Dr. Lena Brightwater

Board Treasurer

A nurse practitioner and long-time volunteer at the Port Alder food pantry.

TR

Tom Reiniger

President and CEO

Started as a teller in 1996. Tom still works a Saturday shift at the drive-thru once a quarter.

AM

Alicia Moreno-Vance

Chief Member Officer

Leads our branches and the Money Smarts classes. Fluent in Spanish and in spreadsheets.

JW

Jerome Whitcombe

Chief Lending Officer

Has approved more first-home loans than he can count, and remembers most of the families.

NF

Nadia Farouk

Chief Technology Officer

Keeps our app fast, our data safe, and our websites readable by everyone.

WP

Walt Pruitt

Chief Financial Officer

A numbers person who likes to explain numbers in plain words.

Community giving

Giving back is part of the job.

Last year we put our money, and our time, to work close to home.

given to local nonprofits and schools
$412,000
volunteer hours by staff
6,300
students in Money Smarts classes
3,850
households helped with free tax prep
1,150

Every employee gets 40 paid hours a year to volunteer for a cause they care about. Our branches also host free shredding days and community rooms you can book for free.

Careers

Do work that your neighbors notice.

We hire kind, curious people and teach them the rest. Tellers, loan officers, member service and tech roles open up all the time.

  • Paid volunteer time and a four-day-month schedule at some branches
  • Tuition help and paid training
  • Health coverage that starts on day one
  • A real chance to grow: our CEO started at a teller window
Ask about openings

Open roles right now (sample)

  • Member Service Representative, Port Alder
  • Mortgage Loan Officer, Harlow Landing
  • Part-time Teller, Greenhaven
  • Digital Accessibility Specialist, remote in Ohio

Own a piece of the porch.

Join for $5 and become one of our 41,800 owners.

Become a memberVisit a branch