When you’re young, it’s often exciting to experience the world outside of your hometown. Whether you drift far or stay close by, living in new places, working with new people and building your career independently are all incredible ways to grow and evolve. And sometimes, the path you take can lead you right back to your roots. This is what happened for Merrimack Valley Credit Union’s (MVCU) new Vice President of Commercial Lending Tim Frechette. After spending decades in lending and sales throughout New England, Tim, a Methuen, Mass. native, has made his way back to the Merrimack Valley to help credit union members both in and around his hometown.
Tim was born and raised in Methuen, where he graduated from Methuen High School before moving on to earn his associate degree from Northern Essex Community College. His career in lending began at BayBank, where he balanced working full time during the day and taking college classes at night. Since then, Tim has worked at several financial institutions throughout New England, his career in lending now spanning over two decades.
When Tim heard about an open position at MVCU, his interest was piqued due to the credit union’s incredible growth over the past five years. Taking a position at MVCU meant that Tim, who had been working in Somerville, Mass., at the time, would be back in the Merrimack Valley and close to where he grew up.
“This was an awesome opportunity to be a part of exponential growth and to travel throughout the Merrimack Valley and beyond to lend,” says Tim. “Plus, it brings me back to my neighborhood.” He had also heard from his friend Julie Brady, MVCU’s sales performance manager, about the credit union’s infectious culture, which impresses him. “Julie couldn’t speak highly enough about the people here and I can certainly feel it,” Tim describes. “There’s a lot of energy and it’s a really good atmosphere.”
Frechette receives the Rotarian of the Year Award from MVCU Sales Performance Manager and Methuen Roatary member Julie Brady.
Although he now lives in Chelmsford, Mass., Tim remained connected to his Methuen roots through his membership in the Methuen Rotary Club. The club supports the community in many ways, including scholarship programs for local students, grants for the town’s fire department and honoring public workers with awards. Tim first joined rotary in 2008 and served as its president in 2013. He now serves on the club’s board of directors and was recently honored with the Rotarian of the Year award for his dedicated involvement and service to the community.
Tim has also been involved with the Merrimack Valley YMCA, serving on the board of managers for the Methuen branch from 2012 through 2020, and then serving on the board of directors in 2018 and 2019.
Outside of his work and community-focused endeavors, Tim enjoys spending time with his two adult sons, and is an avid hiker and skier. Tim is currently working towards completing all of the 4,000 -foot mountains in New Hampshire, having completed 21 out of the 48 so far. Some of Tim’s favorite things to do include watching football, enjoying fall in New England and watching the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life.
As he begins this new chapter of his career, as MVCU’s commercial lending representative in the northern region, Tim is looking forward to helping business members solve problems, connecting with his new teammates and coming back to his roots. “I’m excited to help existing and new members with their lending needs, to help grow our credit union and to meet more teammates throughout our branches,” Tim says. “And it’s nice being back in the community where I came from.”
You can reach Tim by emailing, tfrechette@mvcu.com.