2015 in review: An open letter from EPL’s CEO

The start of a new year affords me two unique opportunities—a chance to reflect in earnest on the successes and failures over the course of the past year, and to affirm strategic goals and areas of focus moving forward.

As easy as it is to get caught up in day-to-day issues, it’s imperative that we, as a team, take a step back and look at the big picture—to piece together the puzzle and appreciate where we stand today in comparison to one year ago. With great confidence, I can say that, to me, 2015 represented 365 days of unprecedented forward movement, growth and visibility for EPL, its customers and its industry partners.

2015 was the year that Dedagroup ICT network entered the U.S. market and identified our company as its first partner by making a multimillion dollar investment in our team. The effects of this have been overwhelmingly positive, providing our team with technological and capital resources that have propelled us from being a relatively small core solutions provider to an industry disruptor that is part of a global brand generating over $3 billion in gross revenue. EPL’s people have always been the driving force behind the successes we’ve enjoyed, and now our team is equipped better than ever to dominate the competition and capture significant new market share. 

EPL’s reputation for exceptional service is rooted in our brand’s identity—customers know it, and so do our competitors. That fact that 2015 marked the return of a former long-time customer, North Alabama Educators Credit Union (NAECU), speaks volumes about the incredible value we create by delivering industry-leading service and solutions. Customers like NAECU who have experienced the EPL difference find that big-box providers simply aren’t equipped to provide the responsiveness and attention that we give our customers every single day.

The warmth of the summer brought a contagious momentum that perforated the room at our 2015 Customer Conference in Orlando, Fla., where we introduced our Dedagroup partners and unveiled EPL’s new direction. We gathered feedback, socialized and together looked toward the future. As we reconvened in the fall at our Product Advisory Team meeting to finalize our new product roadmap, it became clear to me that this palpable momentum had not waivered, but instead gathered steam.

And gather steam we did! Soon after the Product Advisory Team meeting, a strategic partnership with the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions was announced to develop CU Impact, a  core banking platform designed to scale the delivery of innovative products and services offered by credit unions operating in low-income and underserved communities. Throughout 2015, our skilled team was able to  develop new proprietary solutions and deliver 12 releases, including four major product releases for i-POWER®, with areas of focus in accounts payable and lending, as well compliance, security and technology enhancements.

Also, in the fall, our team was thrilled to announce that EPL’s board approved a measure to eliminate the TRiP charge from our customers’ invoices, saving the collective group approximately $1 million per year. TRiP highlighted six specific areas of technology development—security, client platform support, application architecture, database and database architecture, integration services, and hardware and operations—and many key milestones have already been reached. EPL’s continued focus on technology development will ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of i-POWER®.

Internally, we recalibrated our leadership hierarchy, assigning new roles and responsibilities designed to increase growth through an intensified concentration on product and business development. With open arms, the EPL team welcomed our Dedagroup NA colleagues and their wealth of expertise into our offices as additional resources to help us achieve the strategic goals set forth by our Product Advisory Team. The progress we’ve made thus far led us to a consensus that in 2016, in lieu of holding our annual Customer Conference, we will double down on our Product Advisory Team meetings and initiatives, incorporating regional meetings as requested.

Looking back over these tremendous accomplishments, it would not be a stretch to say that perhaps 2015 was our best year to-date. What I can say with certainty is that this past year was only a glimmer of what is to come for our team and our partners at Dedagoup NA.

2016 will see the integration of a real-time general ledger, a new in-house credit card module, improved batch credit card interfaces, new relationship pricing functionality and a few other exciting surprises for our loyal customers.

I’ll leave you with this—none of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our entire team.

Together we solve problems, develop innovative solutions, support one another’s creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, and constantly challenge the status quo. Ordinary efforts don’t produce extraordinary results, and it’s evident to me that nothing about EPL is ordinary. So today, I express my sincerest gratitude to each member of the EPL team for your tremendous efforts, and to each of our customers and partners for traveling the road to greatness with us. I assure you the best is yet to come.



EPL Staff

EPL, Inc. 

Health Plan Overview: Important Dates & Tips

Oh what fun…it’s Benefit Review time again. Yes, it’s that time of year when Employers who sponsor or administer a health plan are taking the necessary steps to evaluate their current plan so they’re fully prepared for the legal requirements that will become effective on or before January 1, 2015. To help you through the process and avoid paying the penalty, here are few dates to keep in mind as you evaluate your plan.

For Marketplace plans like Credit Union Exchange Blueprint (CUEB), the Open Enrollment period for 2015 coverage is November 15, 2014 to February 15, 2015. If you haven’t enrolled in coverage by then,  you won’t be able to buy Marketplace health coverage for 2015 until the next Open Enrollment window for coverage opens in the following year.

For those of you who enrolled in a 2014 Marketplace plan, your benefit year ends December 31, 2014. To continue health coverage in 2015, you can renew your current health plan or choose a new health plan through the Marketplace during the 2015 Open Enrollment period. Marketplace insurance outside Open Enrollment can only be purchased if there is a “Qualified Event” such as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, or loss of other health coverage.

Keep in mind that if you don’t have health coverage during 2015 you may have to pay a fee. The fee in 2015 is higher than it was in 2014 — 2% of income or $325 per adult/$162.50 per child, whichever is more..

There is some good news.  On February 10, 2014, the Department of the Treasury issued a final rule delaying the Employer Shared Responsibility provision for businesses with 50 to 99 employees. The February 10 rule also redefines the employer requirement for businesses with 100 or more employees, requiring those companies to offer coverage to 70 percent of their employees by 2015, and to 95 percent of employees by 2016, in order to fulfill the requirement and avoid paying the penalty. The rule also clarifies that volunteers will not be considered employees.

For now, we know the ACA is here to stay.  The individual mandate (the ACA requirement that people should be insured or pay a penalty) will likely increase the number of people you cover. Talk with a CUEB broker about changes in the marketplace and how they will affect you.   Make sure your benefits strategy is aligned with your goals for attracting and keeping valuable employees.  Have fun! 

Cathy Hulsey

EPL VP-HR