Bellingham BayHistory & Mission

At WestEdge®, we're dedicated to serve...

Our Mission:

To provide peace of mind to our membership, employees, and the communities we serve.

Our Values:

  • Stability - At WestEdge®, we provide a safe environment for our membership to achieve their goals. To us, this means more than financial security; it means seeing the people you're comfortable with, time after time.
  • Community/Partnership - WestEdge® was founded to provide an alternative to traditional financial institutions that are concerned with profits over people. This cooperative spirit lives on today, as we continue to use both financial and human resources to partner with the communities we serve.
  • Courtesy - We're your trusted advisors, counselors, and friends. We know you and you know us. At WestEdge®, we treat our members with the respect and courtesy we would a member of our own family. That's what we are...the family on Washington's WestEdge®.

Our History

In 1952, a credit union was established to serve the employees of the Pacific Coast Paper Mill. Soon the mill became part of the Georgia Pacific West Corporation. Inspired to represent the company name, the organization used "Ga", which stands for Georgia, and "Pac", which stands for Pacific, to form the charter, GaPac Employees Federal Credit Union.

In the early days, the membership book resided at the home of Mr. James Moore and the credit union Board of Directors meetings took place in the garage. That membership book stayed at several home-locations until 1974 when a suitable building, located on Lottie Street in Bellingham, was acquired. Yet GaPac EFCU was growing, so between 1982 and 1990 the organization moved two more times until arriving at its current location on the northwest corner of James and Alabama.

With the closure of the Bellingham GP Mill in 2002, the charter was expanded to include all of Whatcom County and in 2005 the name was changed to reflect the true membership identity as GaPac Community Federal Credit Union. As the credit union continued to grow and become a part of the fabric of our amazing community, the time came for another name change and as of August, 2013, the credit union became known as WestEdge® Credit Union. The new name perfectly reflects our broader connection and the new directions we're heading.

Today, WestEdge® is thriving with an active and seasoned Board of Directors & Volunteers, 14 employees, and over 4,500 members. We hope you will plan to stop by for a visit and discover for yourself that we are "WestEdge® Credit Union, the friendly financial place!"

Our Community

Our community features the best of everything. We have mountains, lakes and Bellingham Bay at our doorstep. With Vancouver, B.C. to the north and Seattle to the south, you can enjoy the fun city life without leaving the beauty of the mountains and water.

Bellingham's waterfront hosts major shipping operations and is the southern terminal for the Alaska State ferry system. Recreational boaters enjoy easy access to the San Juan Islands and the Canadian Gulf Islands, restaurants, parks and trails that surround Bellingham Bay.

We have a first-rate university, a fine-arts museum, fantastic theatre and a variety of outdoor activity possible. The economy is a diverse mix of light industry, retail, agriculture and education.

Most residents think it is a pleasure to live and work in Whatcom County with its outdoor beauty and friendly people.