Billy is a Member Service Representative (MSR2) and has been a Bronco employee for more than 35 years (36 in August). We invite you to get to know him better (if you don’t already!).
This is a new feature for “Hometown.” How do you feel about being the guinea pig?
Yeah, they take the old guy to see what they can do with him.
I was told you threaten to quit every day.
I actually quit five years ago, and they don’t know it. Always threaten to quit. That gives you options.
To what do you attribute your longevity with Bronco?
Hunger…[laughs]. Honestly, I enjoy working with people, and sometimes it’s rewarding because you’ve helped them. In this business of finance, you can’t always help people, but you can try.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The most enjoyable thing is when I’ve helped someone. That’s the feeling you get they can’t pay you for.
Is that your philosophy on serving members?
My philosophy is basically I’m a jokester. When people come into my office, I want them to instantly be comfortable. I don’t want them to feel stiff-shirted, like I’m the guy on the other side of the desk, and they have to be careful about what they say. I want them to be comfortable. If they are comfortable, they’ll open up to me. Then I’ll learn more and be able to make more of a professional decision on what to do with them. But basically, I try to treat people just like I would expect if I were on the other side of the desk.
Which makes personalized service that much more important.
Absolutely. And there are people that do not plan to be happy. They get up that morning and their theme is not happiness. Most of the time I can break that and get them laughing. And they’ll say, “Gosh, I needed that.” But what’s kept me here is I enjoy working with the people. Member service is first on my agenda, and if I can make them happy and still stay within Bronco guidelines and get a paycheck, I’m happy, too.
What makes Bronco special to members?
We go out of our way to spoil them. We go absolutely out of our way to give you member services, to make you happy. They can’t get it anywhere else. We care whether or not you leave the building happy.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I do estate sales. I have a little business with a partner, and we do estate sales. We liquidate households for families whose loved ones have passed or gone to a nursing home. That keeps me busy.
Anything else?
Don’t say, “he’s a nice guy” because it’ll ruin my reputation. Honestly, I’m not a person who welcomes being in the spotlight. I prefer to be anonymous and do for people. I don’t do it for the spotlight. So, just try to make me sound semi-good. If you can slip in something about “he’s barely making ends meet and needs more money,” that would also be great.