SAFE Federal Credit Union celebrated the start of construction on its new operations building on March 6 in Sumter. The 36,000-square-foot structure is being built across the street from SAFE’s headquarters on West Wesmark Boulevard. With the addition of this facility, SAFE will double the square footage of their operations space.

“We have outgrown our space for the second time in 12 years. That is a very good ‘problem’ to have,” said President and CEO Darrell Merkel. “As our membership and our footprint in the community continue to grow, this new facility will allow for unimpeded back office support growth to continue elevating the service we provide our members.”

Anticipated construction time is about 13 months on the new facility being built by M.B. Kahn Construction Company and designed by Design Collaborative. The building will house a large portion of SAFE FCU’s non-branch operations with ample space for growth and cutting edge technology. All staff members who conduct face-to-face member or vendor service will move to the new facility, while the remaining support staff will continue to work from the current operations building.