Great Lakes Credit Union just made a move that plenty of growing credit unions will recognize.
They’ve brought in Nook—a credit union-focused CUSO and Platinum HubSpot Solutions Partner—to help them level up their data integration and CRM architecture.
Here’s the situation. Great Lakes had already invested in HubSpot, which is great. But like many institutions that hit a certain growth threshold, they realized that simply having the platform wasn’t enough. The real challenge? Making sure data, systems, and teams actually work together seamlessly. Think of it like buying a great car but never getting around to tuning the engine—you’re not getting the performance you paid for.
Beyond Platform Adoption: Building Real Infrastructure
This partnership is all about creating what you might call “engagement infrastructure.” Nook is stepping in to provide secure, automated core integration using their Data Connector—a framework that lives directly inside the credit union’s secure environment. Translation: no sketchy third-party middleware sitting between your systems, and significantly less risk of data exposure.
The expected payoff? Better data reliability, way less manual reconciliation work (nobody’s favorite task), and a solid foundation for doing the things that actually matter—segmentation, automation, and meaningful member engagement reporting.
A Bigger Industry Shift
What’s happening at Great Lakes reflects something bigger across the credit union world. Institutions are moving past the “we adopted a CRM platform” phase and into the “now let’s actually operationalize this thing” phase. It’s about connecting member data properly, breaking down team silos, and building infrastructure that can support long-term growth—not just short-term wins.
“Nook is built for this stage of the journey,” said Austin Wentzlaff, CEO of Nook. “Credit unions are looking for more than standalone marketing tools. They need engagement infrastructure that connects data, supports operational visibility, and creates consistency across teams. That is where the right CRM architecture and integration strategy become critical.”
Why Nook?
Nook’s specialty is helping credit unions modernize their approach to data, marketing, sales, and CRM systems—with a focus on what actually matters in the credit union environment. We’re talking secure data integration, standardized engagement architecture, and support that helps teams adopt new systems for the long haul.
Patrick Basler, Chief Experience Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union, put it simply: “We wanted to continue building on the investment we had already made in HubSpot, but in a way that created stronger alignment across the organization. Nook stood out because of its understanding of the credit union environment and its ability to create a more connected, secure, and scalable framework for how our teams use data and engagement systems moving forward.”
In other words, they needed someone who speaks credit union—and who could help them build something that would actually stick.
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