Guest Blog: Why Local Businesses Should Invest in Watershed Health
By Tom Dluzen, President/CEO, Chief Financial Credit Union
When people ask me why a credit union supports the Clinton River Watershed Council, I sometimes get a puzzled look. Banking and rivers don’t seem like obvious partners. But for those of us who live and work in this community, the connection is actually pretty straightforward.
Healthy waterways are the foundation of a healthy community. The rivers and lakes in our watershed touch everything, property values, recreation, local business activity, quality of life. When the water is clean and accessible, people want to live here, work here, and invest here. That’s not just an environmental issue. It’s an economic one.
Chief Financial Credit Union has been a partner of CRWC for more than a decade now, and it’s one of the relationships I’m most proud of.
I had the privilege of serving on the CRWC board for a number of years, and that experience gave me an even deeper appreciation for the work this organization does, often behind the scenes, often without the recognition it deserves. From water quality monitoring to community cleanups to hands-on education programs that get students outside and into the watershed, CRWC is doing the kind of steady, meaningful work that adds up over time.
And here’s what I’d say to other local business owners and leaders who might be thinking about getting involved: this is one of the most tangible ways you can invest in the place where you do business.
Our credit union is rooted in Pontiac and the surrounding communities. Our members live along these rivers and around these lakes. When CRWC improves a stretch of the Clinton River or helps a neighborhood manage stormwater more effectively, it directly benefits the people we serve every day. That’s not an abstraction, it’s our neighbors, our members, our community.
At Chief Financial, we talk a lot about values-based banking, the idea that a financial institution should do more than just process transactions. It should strengthen the community it belongs to. Supporting CRWC is one of the ways we put that belief into practice. When our members bank with us, their deposits stay local. And part of being local means taking care of the natural resources we all share.
If you’re a business owner or professional in the watershed and you’ve been looking for a way to make a meaningful difference close to home, I’d encourage you to reach out to CRWC. Whether it’s becoming a partner, volunteering for a cleanup, or simply learning more about the watershed’s programs, there’s a place for you. The work is real, the people are passionate, and the results speak for themselves.
The way I see it, taking care of our water and taking care of our community aren’t separate things. They’re the same thing.