Howard Benson, the retired chief executive of Malheur Federal Credit Union, was stunned to be selected as the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year.
“It was a total surprise to me and very unexpected,” said Benson, who also is the former business manager of the Malheur Enterprise.
His nomination, a “group effort” by members of the chamber board and Ontario city employees, was a distinction that was a long time coming, according to his son, Clint Benson.
“I think everyone involved with his nomination agrees that it could have happened many times during his service to the community,” said Clint.
The honoree spent nearly 30 years at the helm of Malheur Federal Credit Union, now known as Rogue Federal Credit Union. During his tenure, he took the one-location credit union from a $6 million business to $130 million operation. By the time he retired in 2012, the federal credit union had locations in New Plymouth, Payette and Ontario.
Benson said he was a “working CEO” – some days, he might be a backup teller, a loan officer and even a janitor.
“I found myself one day cleaning up the toilet overflowing in the restroom,” Benson said. “I realized that I wasn’t really all that special.”
Clint said that as a manager, his dad is known for his good humor and professionalism. Clint, who is the Ontario fire chief, said he has tried to emulate those qualities that made his father an excellent example of a “good manager and person.”
Benson had a lasting impact on Ron Haidle, who succeeded Benson as chief executive of the credit union. Haidle worked under Benson as a loan manager for 20 years.
When Benson retired, he lobbied the board to select Haidle, a post he said he wasn’t seeking.
“I was a little bit apprehensive,” Haidle said, “but he assured me that I could do it.”
Haidle said that, along with good managers at the other branches and Benson’s confidence, he took the helm until his own retirement in 2020. His hesitancy to step in as chief executive was due to his feeling that he had “big shoes to fill” when replacing Benson.
Benson, who oversaw the credit union’s expansion from one to five branches, was an adept leader, Haidle said.
He said a good chief executive knows how to staff a company with good employees. Benson was adept at putting the right people in the right positions, Haidle said.
“A CEO isn’t successful by themselves,” Haidle said. “They need to have the people under them to make it work.”
He said Benson knew how to align the credit union with the right managers to make the organization work well.
Benson, 75, was born in North Carolina but spent most of his upbringing in Georgia. He said he made a “feeble” attempt at college after graduating high school in 1967. Later, he said he enlisted in the Air Force in 1969 as the Vietnam War began to ramp up.
Initially stationed in Okinawa, he spent the last two years of his military service in Michigan, where he met his wife, Patty. Once he got out of the Air Force, Benson said he “followed” Patty to Klamath Falls. He said he had planned only to be in Klamath Falls for three months, as he told his mother in Georgia. Ultimately, Benson said he never moved back to Georgia.
Benson said he began working for the Weyerhauser Timber company in one of its warehouses. Recognizing that he did not want to work for the rest of his life amid the brewing turmoil in the timber industry, he enrolled at the Oregon Institute of Technology and earned a pair of associate degrees.
Benson came out of retirement when the Enterprise advertised that an opening for a business manager.
A subscriber, Benson, said he came across the ad while reading the paper.
He said the job piqued his interest. Benson thought to himself that it was part-time and would not require him to be responsible for several employees, so why not apply?
Benson said he told his wife he would apply for the job if he saw it advertised in the newspaper the following week. Sure enough, next week, the job was still available, he said.
So, Benson said he worked up his resume and emailed it in.
“I said, if you’re interested in talking to a retired credit union manager who’s really not looking for a whole lot of responsibility. I’d be glad to talk to you,” Benson said.
Benson returned to retirement in January and said he enjoyed the job.
“It was a good five years,” he said.
The Enterprise owners were thrilled to have him.
“It was a little surprising to have someone with so much experience apply for a job in our small office, but it turned out to be a wonderful match,” said Scotta Callister, one of the owners. “Howard is so professional about everything he does, and the staff loved working with him.
“When he decided to really retire, we almost didn’t let him.”
Benson said his father’s influence attracted him to business and accounting. When he was growing up, his father owned a variety store, and by the time he and his brother could reach the shelf, they worked at the family business, according to Benson. Benson said his brother went on to own a few stores himself.
“I grew up in the retail business,” he said.
Clint said he remembers growing up and hearing stories about his dad and uncle driving from Macon, Georgia, to Atlanta to buy Krispy Kreme donuts to sell at the family store.
“He grew up working in the store and learned about customer service and business,” Clint said.
He brought that ethos to the credit union in its early days and during its expansion.
“I wanted all of my staff to look people in the eye when they came in,” he said.
Looking back over his career, Benson said he was proud that during his time at the credit union, he worked closely with each of its members at one time or another.
Clint said his dad served on the board at Lifeways, was a member of the Lions Club and was a member of the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce during his career.
“He has served our community more than people realize,” Clint said. “He’s the type of person who does not seek attention or accolades for the things he does.”
Benson said that when he looks back over the more than 40 years that he has lived in Ontario, the connections he has made are what he values the most.
Those connections, Clint said, have made a lasting impact on people in the community. From those he has done business with to those he has managed.
“They always ask about him and speak very highly of him,” he said. “That says a lot about the type of manager he was.”
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