A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held May 19 for the new People First Federal Credit Union solutions center in downtown Allentown. (photo by Marco Calderon, courtesy People First)

People First Federal Credit Union (PFFCU), a leading provider of financial services for the greater Lehigh Valley area, has announced the opening of its new Solutions Center in downtown Allentown.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held May 19 for the new center at 26 N. 6th Street. People First provides a broad range of consumer and commercial banking products and services, and the center is staffed with specialists to help with all financial needs and well-being.

“We are striving to make our diverse suite of banking and lending products as accessible as possible for the community, and we are very proud to add this location to our growing list of access points,” said Howard Meller, CEO of People First. 

This marks the continued investment by People First in downtown Allentown. In the summer of 2021, PFFCU announced it was moving its corporate headquarters to Five City Center, a 13-floor Class-A office building built by City Center Allentown.

Howard Meller, CEO of People First Federal Credit Union, speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new center will be located on the ground floor of Strata East, a 67-unit luxury apartment building with 100,000 square feet of living space, one of several residential and commercial properties also built by City Center Allentown in the downtown neighborhood.

“City Center is pleased to welcome People First Federal Credit Union’s branch to the ground floor of our Strata East apartment community,” said Jill Wheeler, City Center Vice President of Sales and Leasing.

“People First has already proven its desire to be a community leader downtown by moving its headquarters to Five City Center and financing local graduates of The Real Estate Lab,” she said. “Their branch on the ArtsWalk further enhances their commitment to downtown Allentown.”

Five City Center is also the home of Fortune 500 company and payroll processing giant ADP, which occupies the top 10 floors of the building and houses 1,000 employees. Other tenants include Wells Fargo, Raymond James, and the offices of Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Browne.

The new Solutions Center, designed to provide a modern approach to financial services, will be staffed with four professionals under the leadership of Marc Knox, who has been serving the community’s financial needs for more than 15 years.

“As a relationship-based financial institution, we are committed to helping the Allentown community find the right banking solutions that support their unique goals,” said Meller. “In addition to providing bank products and state-of-the-art technology comparable to any big bank, our core strengths remain in the personal attention, competitive pricing, local decision making and exceptional service.”

The Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. An external, walk-up ATM is available 24/7. Located on the corner of the ArtsWalk and 6th Street, the Center is within walking distance for downtown residents and businesses.

“This is going to offer our community here in Allentown in-person assistance as well as online and digital alternatives,” said Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk. “What I find most appealing about this is People First is customizing its service delivery to the needs of Allentown residents and the modern banking needs of customers. It’s customer service at its finest.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony included the unveiling of the first winning artwork of PFFCU’s annual Mural Arts contest. The contest was open to all Lehigh Valley residents with the intention of recognizing and encouraging the artistic talent in the region. The winning mural will be displayed for one year, after which a new annual contest will be held.

Submissions were reviewed by a committee made up of People First Board of Directors and members of Allentown Mural Arts and the Allentown Arts Commission. The winner, Sarah Karess, is an Allentown-native graphic designer and artist who is actively involved in the arts community.

People First is a federally chartered and insured credit union with almost $900 million in assets and more than 72,000 members. It serves more members than any other credit union in the Lehigh Valley region, according to PFFCU.