Q & A
SHANE HOYLE PRESIDENT AND CEO, SPACE COAST CREDIT UNION
Shane Hoyle, president and CEO of the Space Coast Credit Union, is a bit nervous when he picks up the call from FLORIDA TREND, saying it's only the second media interview he's ever done.
"I was never that interesting that people would want to talk to me," says Hoyle, 47, who joined the organization in 2012. "Also, I tend to overshare sometimes, which is a blessing and a curse. ... They (presumably his PR team) warned me not to go too far off in the weeds."
Lightly edited excerpts from our safely out-of-the-weeds conversation follow.
FLORIDA TREND: What brought you to SPCU, and why have you stayed so long?
Hoyle: I'm a Melbourne native. I've lived here my entire life, and my first checking account was with Space Coast Credit Union. I found that it aligned with my personal values. I've had tremendous opportunities here, and I'm very grateful for the career I've been able to have.
FT: You were SPCU's COO for 13 years, becoming president and CEO in August 2025. Now that you're leading the credit union, what have you learned through on-the-job training that wasn't in the role description?
Hoyle: The reality that the buck stops with me ... that can keep you up at night. But I've realized that my tone, the way I act, the way I interact with the team, that sets the culture for the entire organization, and that's important. I try to be as genuine and transparent as I can with the team. I want them to view me as someone they can approach, someone they can talk to. I view myself as working for them — they don't work for me. And it's the same with our members. I work for them.
FT: As president and CEO, what's been the biggest adjustment you've had to make?
Hoyle: In my previous role, COO, it was a lot of fixing things, and now I need to rely on my team to fix those things. I feel more than comfortable trusting them to come up with solutions. We've gone through wars together, especially at the senior leadership level, and we've become close professionally and personally. That foundation of trust is so important.
FT: SPCU recently launched an ambitious corporate social opportunity program, Partners in Purpose, to guide how it supports local nonprofit organizations in years to come. What does the initiative aim to accomplish?
Hoyle: The credit union movement is about supporting the community that you serve, and our 75th anniversary this year gave us an opportunity to be more intentional in how we're going to do that. We structured a long-term program that will amplify that impact, and it's focused on three pillars: protect, prosper and preserve.
FT: What groups and causes will Partners in Purpose support?
Hoyle: Protect will focus on the military and first responders; prosper will focus on financial education and financial literacy; and preserve ... Florida has such a beautiful natural environment, and we want to ensure that we support the conservation of that environment. We want to empower our team members to participate in supporting those (causes) through volunteering or partnerships, and financially from the credit union, we want to make sure we support those nonprofits we chose. — By Brian Hartz