Pilgrim Talks: Dave Gunderson and Kelly O'Connell / Dave Cunningham

Dave Gunderson, CEO

The Credit Union of Southern California is a paragon of customer service excellence.

Since 1954, CU SoCal has been building a solid foundation of serving Members and enhancing the benefits of credit union Membership. Their focus has remained consistent through the years-to provide their Member-owners with World-Class Service and Convenience.

Their CEO, Dave Gunderson said in his annual report to the members: "The last several years have been a time of uncertainty for almost every American. Extraordinary challenges have emerged in our nation's economy and in the financial services industry that we have not witnessed since the great depression. These difficult economic times revealed many businesses' true values. numerous financial institutions have imposed fees or limited their services to boost revenue. Not CU SoCal. Your Credit union's financial strength allowed us to remain steadfast in our commitment to provide you with the highest quality of service and convenient access to helpful financial products-core values deeply rooted in our foundation. Thanks to your ongoing support and participation, CU SoCal was honored in 2010 to continue its true purpose-helping Members build better lives.

"in 2010, CU SoCal continued to be one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. Your loyalty and trust, in addition to sound financial policies, conservative lending practices, attention to expense control, and managing resources effectively, contributed to another profitable year. Cu SoCal returned nearly $4.9 million in dividends to Members and ended the year with net earnings of $4.8 million. additionally, we attained a net worth ratio of 11.35 percent, more than four percent above the national Credit union administration's (nCua) normal seven percent requirement to be considered "well capitalized."This solid financial position allowed us to successfully navigate 2010's unprecedented challenging economy, regulatory reform, and compliance demands without increasing fees or limiting services.

"True to our foundation, CU SoCal remained committed to building better lives by exceeding service expectations through exceptional Member experiences. Based on your valuable feedback, one of our most significant achievements in 2010 was in the service arena. ninety-three percent of Members surveyed responded that they were "very satisfied" with CU SoCal's service. in addition, CU SoCal scored well in a service and Member loyalty assessment called the net promoter Score (npS). This is a recognized objective measurement projecting the likelihood that Members would refer their family or friends to our Credit union. CU SoCal achieved a high 81 percent npS. This score far exceeds bank and credit union averages, currently at 11 and 56 percent, respectively.

To learn more about The Credit Union of Southern California, go to   cusocal.org

Kelly O'Connell, OC Market Manager for Robert Half Technology

Dave Cunningham, CEO, Dempsey Bluevar

The tech world never sleeps and, apparently, CIOs don't get much rest either. According to The CIO Insomnia Project, a recently released research initiative from Robert Half Technology, nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of CIOs cited data security as the primary worry keeping them up at night, followed by hardware and/or operating systems upgrades, with 13 percent of the response.

The research project examines the most pressing technology concerns and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 U.S. CIOs. The CIO Insomnia Project also features expert advice and video interviews with IT leaders from around the country.

Other findings include:

• 65 percent of CIOs estimate the average company experiences three or more IT security breaches per year.
• As the economy improves, 37 percent of CIOs plan to implement hardware or software upgrades.
• 63 percent of CIOs said understaffing at least somewhat affects their companies' ability to implement innovative technologies.
• 34 percent of CIOs are at least somewhat concerned about losing top IT performers to other job opportunities in the next year.
• One in 10 CIOs said managing heavy workloads is the top concern keeping them up at night.

Kelly O'Connell and Dave Cunningham will be discussing the findings in this research. To see the project click here: The CIO Insomnia Project.

Dempsey Bluevar has been in business since 1982. Utilizing a client-driven approach, Dempsey Bluevar provides IT support, IT consulting and cloud services to help clients envision, design and align their corporate and IT strategies. Dempsey Bluevar creates a secure technology infrastructure that streamlines operations, increases market value and supports new and cost-effective sources of productivity and growth. See more about Dempsey Bluevar at bluevar.com.

Robert Half Technology has more than 100 locations worldwide, and is a leadiing provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com. Follow Robert Half Technology on twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalfTech.