Local Business Spotlight: North Shore Federal Credit Union

For over 70 years, North Shore Federal Credit Union has served the North Shore.

Since opening its first branch in Silver Bay in 1957, the credit union has expanded to serve more than 13,000 members across eight locations in northeastern Minnesota.

Branch locations include Grand Portage, Grand Marais, Lutsen, and Duluth. The newest branch to open in recent months is in Pike Lake, approximately 12 miles northwest of Duluth.  

Newest Pike Lake Branch | Contributed by North Shore Federal Credit Union

Tanner Paulseth, the business development manager for North Shore Federal Credit Union, said the Pike Lake area is an “up and coming community” near Duluth, and the new branch will help serve the small businesses and individuals in the region.

“We are built on the idea of helping people, and that hasn’t changed,” Paulseth said.

The credit union offers traditional banking services to individuals, while also providing a wide range of educational programs and resources for its members and local youth. The North Shore Navigators program offers interactive learning opportunities for teens and young adults to learn basic money management skills. Paulseth said the credit union also partners with local schools to educate students in the classroom about budgeting, loans, fiscal responsibility, and other financial topics.

Furthermore, Paulseth said, “We offer scholarships, internships within our branches, and financial education presentations.”

The educational services the credit union offers extend beyond youth and financial planning. A key focus of the credit union is educating its members about the risks of fraud and scams.

“These new fraud tactics are constantly changing and evolving,” Paulseth said. “They’re changing daily. So we host events in partnership with local law enforcement to keep our members in the communities educated and alert on the new tactics.”

Each year, North Shore Federal Credit Union also offers the Hunger Heroes program, which allocates money to local food shelves along the North Shore, including the Cook County Food Shelf, Ruby’s Pantry – Grand Marais, and many others.

“Since 2016, our Hunger Heroes program has donated more than $377,068 to local food shelves and programs,” Paulseth said.

Credit Union members can sign up to donate to the program on a monthly or one-time basis. The credit union also raises money for the program by hosting annual golf scrambles in Grand Marais, Lutsen, and Silver Bay. “We just can’t thank our members enough who have stepped up to help with the hunger problem in our communities,” Paulseth said.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Tanner Paulseth, the business development manager at North Shore Federal Credit Union, for the latest edition of the Local Business Spotlight. The audio is below.

The Local Business Spotlight highlights our local business community’s economic strength and innovation. This feature is brought to you in partnership with Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce.

Kalli Hawkins October 1, 2025