Ninth Consecutive Year Ascend Is Recognized with APEX Award

TULLAHOMA, Tenn., March 16, 2023 - Ascend Federal Credit Union, the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee, has received Training magazine’s 2023 APEX Award. This is the ninth consecutive year that Ascend has been recognized with an APEX, the only awards program that ranks U.S. companies leading the country in harnessing human capital.

Among all companies receiving an APEX Award this year, Ascend is the highest-ranking company headquartered in Tennessee and ranked 10th in the U.S., two positions higher than in 2022.

It is the eighth consecutive year that Ascend has placed in the APEX Awards Top 40. The Training APEX Awards (formally the Top 100 list of ranked companies) celebrates companies that are making a difference in their employees’ lives through best-in-class training and development programs.

In addition to the ranking, Ascend also earned an Outstanding Training Initiative from the magazine’s editors for the credit union’s financial counseling program. This award recognizes innovative learning and development programs and was earned for the organization’s employee certificate training process, which was created with the intention to develop financial well-being among Ascend’s members.

“We are honored to once again be included in these rankings among so many outstanding organizations,” said Ascend President and CEO Caren Gabriel. “Ascend truly believes that our employees are our company’s greatest resource, which is why we have long believed in investing in training. Helping our associates grow professionally helps us to better serve our members and the community of Middle Tennessee.”

Now in its 23rd year, Training magazine’s annual APEX Awards recognize the top learning organizations across the country with the most successful employee-sponsored training and development programs. The ranking is determined by assessing a range of qualitative and quantitative factors, including total training budget, percentage of payroll receiving training, scope of training programs provided, detailed formal and informal training programs, training linked to business/business unit goals, business outcomes resulting from training and Kirkpatrick Level 3 and 4 evaluation, a model for analyzing the results of training and educational programs.

For a complete list of APEX Awards winners, visit https://trainingmag.com/training-magazine-ranks-the-winners-of-the-2023-training-apex-awards/

About Ascend Federal Credit Union

With more than 237,000 members and more than $4.1 billion in assets, Ascend Federal Credit Union is the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee and one of the largest federally chartered credit unions in the United States. Based in Tullahoma, Tenn., the member-owned financial institution offers banking, loan, retirement and investment services from its 27 branches, more than 55,000 free ATMs worldwide, online banking portal, and mobile app. The credit union’s mission is to serve by offering financial literacy education and giving back to its community in a variety of ways. Ascend is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. For more information, visit ascend.org.

###