Left to Right: Steve Royer (La Macchia), Cayla Hittmeier (LLCU), Diane Lane (LLCU Director), Tony “Chubby” Brown (LLCU Chairman), Robert Ares (LLCU President/CEO), Bev Davis (LLCU), Jeri Phillips (LLCU), Brandi Binkley (LLCU), and Ben Austin (LLCU).
Decatur, Illinois, September 19th, 2025 – LLCU held a ceremony on Thursday, September 18th celebrating the groundbreaking of a new operations center with attached branch on Mound Road in Decatur. The nearly $8 million state-of-the-art facility represents a major investment in the credit union’s growth strategy and to LLCU’s continued commitment to community reinvestment. Additionally, the new facility will greatly enhance the organization’s infrastructure and operational efficiency.
The new facility will be located at 3035 E. Mound Rd. in Decatur, IL and previously was the site of a Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic until moving to a new location in 2018. The building and site have been vacant since. The new facility also happens to sit directly across the street from LLCU’s existing Mound Road branch. Once the new Operations Facility is completed and the attached branch is open, the LLCU Mound branch currently located at 3130 E. Mound Road will be permanently closed.
Site preparation is already underway at what will ultimately be a nearly 13,000 square foot facility sitting on a total of nearly 11 acres. Once open, it will house LLCU Internal Operations personnel for Accounting, Operations, Information Technology, Collections, and Loan Processing. Additionally, the branch side of the facility will feature new and advanced technology to include 24-hour Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs) both inside and outside of the building.
“LLCU has served Central Illinois now for 78 years, growing a single location in Decatur to now having 15 branches throughout 10 different cities,” stated Robert Ares, LLCU President and CEO. “As we’ve grown, so has our staffing. Most of our operational departments are housed in different locations and this impedes ability to serve members efficiently. Placing these business units together under one roof will bring about better efficiency, greater synergy, all while beautifying unsightly vacant property in the city.”
The property sits on 11 acres of grassland and LLCU is in the process of making plans to utilize the area for several green, eco-friendly projects aimed at benefiting community members. More information will be released as those plans are finalized.
Serving as the Architect and General Contractor is La Macchia Group, a trusted design/build firm that exclusively serves banks and credit unions. Numerous local contractors are also participating in this project including but not limited to Christy Foltz, S.A. Lewis/Vieweg, Bendsen Signs, B&B Glass, Binder Plumbing, Dunn Company, Dynagraphics, Lourash & Mahannah Excavation, and TICA Inc Heating & Cooling.
The facility renovation is expected to last several months and LLCU has set a tentative timeline to have the new Operations Facility open by late spring or early summer of 2026. To stay up to date on this LLCU project, or to learn more information about the new branch and Operations Facility, visit www.llcu.org
