MAXX 2026: GoWest’s Troy Stang Urges CUs to Modernize in Opening Keynote

By Steve Jensen

In his 2026 MAXX Conference opening keynote, GoWest Credit Union Association President Troy Stang urges credit union leaders to modernize without losing the trust that sets credit unions apart.

GoWest Credit Union Association President Troy Stang opened the 2026 MAXX Conference, Oct. 7 at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center in Denver. With a glance back at the eventful, century-plus history of credit unions in the U.S., Stang appealed to today’s leaders of future generations to continue the movement’s long pattern of trust.

More than 145 million Americans are members of a credit union today, Stang told Finopotamus, and that number continues to grow every year. “We know why – people value the trust, service and personal connection they get from credit unions,” he said.

“That trust,” he said, “is earned one member, one conversation and one community at a time,” continuing the idea that the technology can be replicated, but the trust cannot. “The world that we live in today – the financial products, they can be replicated,” Stang said. “But trust has been earned. We’ve spent generations as credit unions earning it.”

With those words, Stang kicked off the four-day event, which included 100=plus speakers and nearly 200 vendors in the Solutions Marketplace. Attendees heard about how credit unions are responding to the needs of their members and communities – from housing and small-business challenges to advocacy, disaster recovery and the rapidly changing financial technology landscape. Event speakers included the Colorado Governor Jared Polis, and national credit union representatives from Washington. And the event included the annual Credit Unions for Kids (CU4Kids) benefit auction that last year raised $1.53 million for Children's Miracle Network hospitals located across the GoWest region.

“I believe our journey of success ultimately will be judged on how we, those of you in the community, will modernize our credit unions to serve the next generations without losing the trust and relationships and that community connection that makes this movement so different and so special,” Stang said. 

Stang encouraged the hundreds of attendees representing 14 states gathered in the Gaylord Rockies grand ballroom to jump in a proverbial car together and travel that same road.

A Look at Credit Union History

Looking back at the history of the six states that comprise the GoWest Credit Union Association, Stang first used the example of the event’s host state, Colorado, whose 1931 credit union law came even before the Federal Credit Union Act. Three years later, in 1934, a small group of new credit union leaders from across the country met at Estes Park to help organize the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). That same year, the Federal Credit Union Act passed.

Stang said those leaders couldn't have possibly imagined a world where their members managed a mobile app. “They understood something that has been a part of our DNA ever since,” he said. “And that is people are at the center of everything we do.”

What Credit Unions Across the Region Are Doing

In his keynote address, Stang spelled out what other states’ credit unions in the GoWest region have done recently, including:

• Colorado: The credit unions of the event’s host state fought interchange legislation. Stang met with Governor Polis), and credit unions also came through with jobs after layoffs from the PNC acquisition. Arizona: The state’s credit union charter was modernized by the Arizona Credit Union Act

• Washington: With a lot riding on this state of 8 million people, credit unions in Washington state fought taxes and the budget, resulting in the "Red Alert" advocacy playbook. Wyoming: The credit unions of the Equality State positioned themselves in the digital asset and stablecoin conversation. Idaho and Oregon: These two states were examples of how some of the biggest problems – including housing issues – can only be solved through collaboration, and by watching, learning, and acting on a moment's notice, Stang said.

Region-wide, Stang described how credit unions this past year provided disaster relief, worked through the government shutdown, and provided support for employees who missed paychecks.

It’s not just what credit unions are doing alone to help their members, Stang said, it’s how they’ve been working together. “Look no further than credit unions in Tucson and East Idaho piloting housing programs to get people into homes, or those supporting employees who missed paychecks during the government shutdown, or any number of credit unions across the region helping members start businesses, afford life, and more,” he said.

“That trust also extends within the movement, where credit unions trust each other and collaborate to solve problems, share ideas and find better ways to serve their members."

A Personal Example

On a personal note, Stang shared how his grandfather in rural Minnesota was in need of a tractor loan, but had been turned down by a bank. As a result, his grandfather and members of his church started a credit union. Bringing it full circle, Stang shared how his niece is now saving for a home and will need more than a mortgage transaction. 

The challenge: modernize without losing the core

We as credit unions have to modernize, Stang told the audience. "But we cannot innovate away the very thing that makes us different: the human connection. It's the human-centered approach that is our enduring advantage.”

Stang said that while technology, products, and services can be replicated across financial institutions, the trust credit unions have built with their members and communities must stay at the center of the movement's future. "Technology was never the destination. People were always the purpose,” he told the audience.

Stang challenged attendees to think beyond protecting the movement they inherited and focus on building what the future generations will need.

"Our opportunity is to be excellent at both," Stang said, referring to technology and human connection. "Our organizations will evolve. But our purpose must not.”