Submitted by Olympia Federal Savings
In the summer of 2015, OlyFed celebrated its 109th birthday by opening its ninth branch in Yelm. The Yelm facility, which is LEED Certified, meaning it was built to the highest environmental standards, was a long-time coming, with many customers in the community asking for a local branch to call home. With Thurston County locations in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater, Yelm was the next logical stop with so much residential and commercial growth in the area.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, OlyFed will be hosting a customer and community appreciation event on Friday, August 1, 2025, from 9 a.m. to noon, where they will be providing complimentary espresso drinks from Ember Goods and donuts from Kawaii Donut House.
In addition, the bank has $10 off coupons to Tahoma Valley Golf Course, Pizzeria La Gitana, Shiplap Coffee and Tim’s Pharmacy. Even better, every time someone opens a checking account between now and September 30, 2025, OlyFed will donate $10 to Yelm Schools.
OlyFed is Dedicated to Community Partnerships
From the get-go, the Yelm community embraced OlyFed because of the shared hometown pride and people-first values. OlyFed immediately immersed itself in the community by joining the Yelm Chamber, several service clubs, professional associations and supporting many local nonprofits.
The bank immediately became sponsors of Yelm Farmers Market, Dollars for Scholars, Yelm Community Services, Yelm Community Schools, Yelm Jazz in the Park, Prairie Days Parade, the BBQ Festival, Yelm Rotary Student of the Month, and so much more. Today OlyFed still supports these great causes, and the bank was proud to be one of the major contributors to bringing Boys & Girls Clubs to the Yelm prairie back in 2019. OlyFed continues to generously support the Clubs and several other local youth causes.
Over the past 10 years, OlyFed has been recognized as the Best Bank/Credit Union as part of the Best of Nisqually Awards. It’s also won awards by the Chamber for its extraordinary commitment to serving the community and just recently Yelm Community Schools honored OlyFed for its Pride of the Prairie Campaign, which helped raise funds and awareness for critical student activities and programs.
Bank with Pride & Purpose
Later this fall, OlyFed will launch its new high school affinity card program, which will feature Yelm High School branded debit cards that when used, support student activities. “This is a chance for our community to bank with pride and purpose,” Nicole Montoya, OlyFed Yelm Branch Manager said. “With each debit card transaction, we will donate two cents to the high school’s ASB fund and one month out of the year we will take all of our customer debit card transactions and count them towards Yelm’s overall total.”
“A big part of our culture is not only making financial investments in our community, but also about showing up to volunteer in meaningful ways,” Montoya continued. “We love taking part in financial education in the classroom, helping students with career mentoring opportunities and serving on boards and committees to provide leadership when it comes to improving the quality of life here in Yelm.”
A Culture of Lifting Others Up
Montoya is a great example of OlyFed’s culture of helping grow and advance its employees. In 2016 Montoya started as a Customer Service Representative (CSR) at its downtown Olympia branch and she has since had multiple promotions, one of which brought her to Yelm in 2017. Now Branch Manager in Yelm, Nicole has loved living and working in such a warm and supportive community that has a real hometown feel.
“There’s so much I love about this place and there is nothing like driving down main street on clear day and seeing that beautiful Mt. Rainier view,” Montoya said. In fact, more people are moving to Yelm because of its high standard of living, which means new houses are in high demand. Montoya says that OlyFed’s construction lending program is one of the best in the industry and it’s been so fun to help so many families build their dream home or to assist first-time buyers find a place of their own.
“We are here for every step of life and it’s an honor to earn the trust of so many people as we help them save and manage their money and as we connect with entrepreneurs and give them the resources and support to grow their businesses or buy their own commercial space,” Montoya said. “We are a full-service financial institution, which means we can do just about anything to care for the financial well-being of our community.”
To join the OlyFed family visit them at their Yelm Branch located at 907 W Yelm Ave or on the OlyFed website.
Sponsored
