The reopening of the credit union's Cayce office has been delayed following discussions with the board of directors.

The office was set to reopen to members on August 2 but will remain closed for now due to an increase in COVID-19 infections from the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus.

"The lobby may be closed, but we're still here and ready to help our members," said Chief Operating Officer Ashley Beach Reid.

The credit union ceased in-person transactions in March 2020 because of the pandemic, but the staff never missed a beat as they served members over the phone and through the credit union's website and app.

It didn't take long for Dustin Smithart to get that new boat he was eyeing.

Dustin started work at Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative in March. By April, he had joined the credit union, and two months later he had that new boat with financing from 1st Cooperative.

"They really made everything so easy for me," said Dustin. "I didn't have to do much at all. I spoke with [loan officer] John Middleton two times, and everything was taken care of. John even hand-delivered the check to the marine dealership himself. How does it get any better than that?"

Members who are fishing for a new boat or who may be steering in the direction of a new car can get plenty of help from John by calling 803-739-3078.

Pictured: Dustin Smithart and his girlfriend, Mallory, show off the new boat financed through 1st Cooperative.

"You can't keep a good thing a secret," said Karen Keisler, as she reviewed the list of new members of 1st Cooperative. The member service representative was noting the family members of co-op employees who had joined over the past month.

"Some are spouses and parents," Keisler said, "but there are new Kid's Club members and Teen Savers, too."

The two accounts for young people are designed to teach wise financial awareness early in life, and they come with the protection of being linked to parents' accounts. Get them started saving here.