Keesler Federal Credit Union has significantly increased its number of offsite ATMs, working with Dolphin Debit, the full-service ATM management company, to offer greater convenience for members and provide service where it doesn’t yet have branches.

Dolphin Debit has placed ATMs for Biloxi, Mississippi-based Keesler FCU at Murphy USA fuel stations in eight locations around southern Mississippi, as well as at 10 CVS Pharmacy outlets
in southeastern Louisiana. Those are in addition to the 38 ATMs that Keesler FCU owns and operates on its own.

Keesler FCU opted for both Murphy USA and CVS Pharmacy ATM placements in order to provide the most convenient service possible for members. The $2.2 billion credit union, with 188,000 members, was originally founded in 1947 to serve military members of Keesler Air Force Base. It now serves military members plus more than 300 select employee groups and residents of five Mississippi counties.

Dolphin Debit initially approached Keesler FCU in 2013 to offer the opportunity to take advantage of Dolphin’s exclusive regional agreements with Murphy USA for placing ATMs at its fuel
station locations. Keesler FCU began putting ATMs at those locations, adding its eighth one in late 2014.

“Our members love the Murphy ATMs,” said Jeff Gerard, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Keesler FCU. “These machines consistently show heavy usage by our members, as well as from members of other credit unions, since they are part of the CU24 network.”

From the start, Keesler FCU liked the idea of putting ATMs at the convenient, high traffic Murphy USA locations, adjacent to Walmart stores.

“Any time you give someone a chance to use a convenient ATM, that is a good selling point,” Gerard said. “The usage at these machines rivals some of our ATMs at our branches. Our members are very happy with them.”

So happy, Gerard added, that Keesler FCU gets frequent praise on social media from members who appreciate the convenience.

In addition to the Murphy USA locations, Keesler FCU also worked with Dolphin Debit to brand ATMs at 10 CVS Pharmacy outlets north of New Orleans. Keesler has a branch in Slidell, Louisiana, and many of the employees at the John C. Stennis Space Center, site of another branch, live in Louisiana. The CVS locations are convenient for those members.

“The CVS locations help us expand our SEG groups in Louisiana because our members know they have surcharge-free ATMs nearby,” Gerard explained.

In addition, Dolphin Debit has also provided Keesler FCU with mobile ATMs that the credit union deploys for special events, such as the recent air show at Keesler Air Force Base.

“We use the Dolphin mobile ATMs for events, concerts, and fund-raisers. We have found that we get great brand recognition with these ATMs, and members really appreciate them,” Gerard said. “At the air show, these ATMs dispensed more than $100,000 in two days. It really is a good PR move for us.”

“Keesler Federal Credit Union does a fantastic job of serving its members, and the way it emphasizes member convenience with its innovative ATM placement is evidence of that,” said Ben Allen, President of Dolphin Debit. “They set a great example for other credit unions.”