The teachers banded together to form a financial institution of their own – a credit union – with just $99.25 and an office at St. Petersburg Junior College. Unlike a bank, credit unions are not-for-profit and owned by the members they serve, so the institution was appropriately named the Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union in 1950.

Eventually, membership grew far beyond teachers, so the name was changed to Achieva Credit Union to reflect how its members come from all walks of life. Achieva developed a full suite of services, too, including mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, financial planning and business banking and lending solutions.