3.30.18

Business Member Spotlight: Nothing Bundt Cakes

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No one is more surprised than Scott Vogel that a financial institution can be his ally.

When Nothing Bundt Cakes opened last March, owner Scott Vogel thought all financial institutions were the same.

“A bank was someplace to hold money and I just had to watch the fees,” he said. “I never would have thought of one as my partner.”

Now he says, “Consumers has redefined my thinking of what a financial partner can do.”

What caused this dramatic shift?

During the bakery’s grand opening last March, one of the first customers through the door was Consumers Chief Marketing Officer Lynne Jarman-Johnson. Scott was impressed by her engaging energy and willingness to establish a relationship.

“I walked into Nothing Bundt Cakes one day to buy a cake,” Lynne recalled, “and I found a business partnership that has turned into friendship!”

Shared values

Through this initial conversation and ones that followed, Scott discovered “we shared a mission and values.” That’s when he transferred his business banking accounts to Consumers.

Scott and his wife, Christine, set up a company that owns the bakery and called it Ohana Ventures.

“Ohana means family in Hawaiian,” Scott said. “Family is one of our core values. Our kids are part of our team. Our team is part of our family. And now, Consumers is part of our family.

“They’re helping my business grow. They connect me with people outside of Consumers. They’re helping me succeed in the long term and to support my family.”

Here by choice

The Vogels moved to Grand Rapids four years ago from Boston when Scott was recruited by BISSELL. Here, he and Christine found their permanent home.

“I’ve lived all over the country and in Sydney, Australia. We fell in love with this area. We want our kids to grow up in one place. We had that benefit growing up. Except for the baseball cards in the bike spokes, our kids (ages 3, 6, and 8) are growing up just like we did.”

Partners in serving the community

The Vogels are driven by their mission to “deliver happiness” and they look for opportunities to give back to the community. This often means providing cakes for local nonprofits. In its first year of business, Scott estimates the company gave away thousands of cakes valued over $15,000 to local nonprofits to further their missions/causes.

Here’s a great example. In September last year, Nothing Bundt Cakes teamed up with Consumers on The World’s Largest Cakewalk. The event raised thousands of dollars for Kids Food Basket, a Grand Rapids nonprofit agency that provides food to children.

With work like this, Scott said, “We can go to sleep every day saying ‘We did something.’”

A bank with heart

No one is more surprised than Scott that a financial institution can be a true business partner.

“Consumers has shown me that there are banks out there with heart. They truly believe in a long-term relationship. They genuinely want us to succeed.

“Over time we will have ups and downs, and I have a partner I can lean on. I’m old-school and I personally bring in deposits. I love that I know who I’m working with. I know their names and they know mine. It’s all about the relationship.”

Building relationships to help you succeed is what our commercial loan officers do best. Call 800-991-2221. We’re here to help you grow your business!

 

Federally insured by NCUA

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