Welcome to GTE Financial
Official Credit Union of the Tampa Bay Lightning
Named America’s Best Regional Banks & Credit Unions-Newsweek 2024
Apply for a $5,000 Business Ambassador Awards Grant!
Serving over 240,000 members in Tampa Bay since 1935, GTE Financial is a local credit union focused on providing financial solutions, personal service and exceptional value for families and small businesses. GTE is passionate about giving back and ensuring our 500+ employees enjoy a best-in-class work experience. Over the past 10 years, GTE has donated $5.5 Million back into the community; we have also been named TBBJ Best Places to Work and TBT Top Places to Work, based on employee surveys for over 9 years.
Meet the judges
Nicholas Stoeckle
Executive Director of Digital Strategy - PPK
Over the last decade, Nicholas has built a web development, social media, email marketing and programmatic trading team at PPK from scratch. Today, he continues to lead the agency’s overarching interactive and digital strategies for all clients with a focus on elevating brands through innovative activations that marry consumer consumption habits with available technology. During his tenure, he's had the opportunity to work across a variety of verticals, with a core focus in retail, entertainment, CPG and food. His strengths lie in balancing high-level brand building through awareness campaigns with localized efforts to drive foot traffic and bottom-line sales. When he’s not working to further his professional career, Nicholas pours his time and energy into his growing family.
Peyton Finley
Partnership Account Executive - Vinik Sports Group
Peyton leverages her experience in sports marketing and community impact to foster strategic partnerships and drive business growth.
A graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. in Marketing (2017), Peyton’s professional journey began with a role in Clemson Football’s recruiting and player development teams during her college years. This foundation set the stage for her post-graduate career, which began with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers community impact team and continued with RISE, a sports non-profit dedicated to capitalizing on the power of sports to promote equality and understanding.
At Vinik Sports Group, Peyton forges valuable partnerships for the Tampa Bay Lightning and South Florida Athletics and creates opportunities that align with the organization’s vision and values. She has been with the organization since 2022.
Outside of her professional life, Peyton enjoys reading, running, exploring the great cuisine Tampa Bay has to offer, and traveling across the world when she gets time in between sporting events. She is also the proud owner of a spirited Jack Russell Terrier named Sol.
Mario Gallegos
Executive Director - Campo Family YMCA
Mario Gallegos serves as the Executive Director of the Campo Family YMCA, where he leads with a passion for social impact and a deep commitment to healthy living, youth development, and social responsibility. With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Mario has dedicated his career to empowering communities and driving meaningful change.
Mario holds a BA in Health and Wellness from Louisiana College and has a proven track record of successful program development, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. Under his guidance, the Campo Family YMCA has expanded its reach, enhanced its programs, and strengthened its community partnerships.
Known for his visionary leadership, Mario inspires both staff and volunteers with their unwavering dedication, innovative approaches, and collaborative spirit. Their work continues to make a significant impact, fostering a culture of compassion, inclusion, and sustainable development.
When not championing the cause at the Campo Family YMCA, Mario enjoys pickleball, outdoor recreation, and the beautiful Florida beaches.
Are you doing incredible things in the community and for your team members?
We want to recognize you! Apply for a Grant today!
In 2024, GTE Financial will be awarding two $5,000 Business Ambassador Grants.
Deadline for entry is July 1, 2024.
The 2024 grant submission period is closed. If you applied by July 1, 2024,please be on the lookout for important updates to the email address submitted. If you have questions, please contact BusinessGrants@gtefinancial.org.
Give more benefits to your employees for free!
As an employer that cares, learn more about FREE Financial Services for your staff. GTE partners with local Businesses and Non-Profits to extend membership and additional benefits to employees, at no additional cost. Learn more about our Community Partner Program at CommunityEngagement@gtefinancial.org or contact us at 813.871.2690 or toll-free 1.888.871.2690 ext. 44601.
Business banking done with care – Local & Responsive
As a small business owner, we realize time is precious, time is limited, and expenses are getting more expensive. While personal service gets thrown around a lot, GTE Financial is truly about ‘old school’ attention to detail, follow-through, getting to know you and being there when you need us. We offer everything the big banks do, but with local care, access, and urgency, focused on you.
FAQs
Yes. In order to be considered to win a grant, the person completing the form must be a current employee or owner of the nominated company and meet eligibility criteria in the Grant Application Official Rules & Disclosure.
You do not need to be a GTE Financial member when you apply for a grant; however, if you are selected as a winner of the $5,000 grant, membership will be required for fulfillment, which includes credit approval and an initial $5 member owner share deposit.
An independent group of judges will select the two (2) grant recipients, to each receive a $5,000 award. The judges will primarily review applications based on the answers to these 2 questions:
1) How do you provide an exceptional experience for your employees?
2) How do you give back in the community?
The deadline is July 1, 2024 at 11:59pm.
Yes. Your company will need to be represented at the event to win. Each finalist will receive complimentary tickets to attend.
GTE Headquarters: 711 E. Henderson Ave., Tampa, FL 33602 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. More details will be provided to the Finalists.
There will be up to 15 finalists.
Finalists will be determined by a panel of independent judges on or about August 1, 2024. Companies will be notified shortly after using the contact information supplied in the grant application.
Yes. GTE Financial will look to market and spotlight finalists and winners to members and the local community.
Yes. Please read the Grant Application Official Rules & Disclosure before applying.
Official Rules & Disclosure
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
1. Eligibility: The Business Ambassador Award Grant is open to legal residents and operating companies of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia; individual submitting for the Grant (on behalf of a company) must be at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry; GTE Financial membership is required prior to the fulfillment of the Grant. Credit approval and an initial $5 member owner share deposit are required for membership. This Grant (referred to henceforth as Contest) is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited. “Winner” refers to the individual and company being awarded the Grant (referred to henceforth as Prize).
2. Sponsor: GTE Financial, 711 E Henderson Ave, Tampa, FL 33602.
3. Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in this Contest constitutes the entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and to the Sponsor's decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest. Winning a Grant is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
4. Timing: The Contest begins on 5/1/2024 at 12:00 a.m. and ends on July 1, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. (“Application Submission Period”). The Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for this Contest.
5. How to Enter: By submitting your information, you agree that it conforms to the Submission Guidelines and Content Restrictions as defined below (collectively, the “Guidelines and Restrictions”) and that Sponsor may disqualify you from the Contest if it believes, in its sole discretion, that your Submission fails to conform to the Guidelines and Restrictions or is otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules. Submitted applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges; finalists and winners will be determined based on the subjective merit of answers to key questions within the application, focused on philanthropic efforts and the employee experience.
Submission Guidelines:
Complete the online form and all required fields.
6. Winner Determination: Two (2) Contest Winners (Grant Recipients) will be determined by a panel of judges on or about, August 1, 2024. Sponsor’s decision regarding the winner(s) of the Contest will be final.
7. Winner Requirements: Winner is the individual and company recipient that must be a GTE Financial member prior to claiming the Contest prize (Grant). Sponsor will notify the potential winners via phone call or email (as applicable) and will provide further instructions to claim his/her prize. Each potential winner will be required to verify personal and company contact information, as well as company employment or ownership status for prize fulfillment purposes. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to provide any requested information, does not comply with these Official Rules, the potential winner forfeits the prize. If a potential winner is disqualified for any reason (e.g. Providing false or incomplete information or misrepresentation), the prize may be awarded to a runner-up, if any, at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Up to three (3) alternate winners may be determined, after which the applicable prize will remain un-awarded. Acceptance of any prize shall constitute and signify the winner’s agreement and consent that Sponsor and its designees may use the winner’s personal and company name, city, state, likeness, Submission, and/or prize information in connection with this Contest for promotional, advertising, or other purposes, worldwide, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, including the Internet, without limitation and without further payment, notification, permission or other consideration, except where prohibited by law. Winner will be required to have in-person representation at the Business Ambassador Award Grant Event on 9/5/2024 at GTE Financial Headquarter: 711 E. Henderson Ave. Tampa, FL 33602 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm; complimentary tickets will be provided to the winner. Without limiting the generality of these Official Rules, the winner will irrevocably grant, transfer, convey and assign to Sponsor the entirety of his/her rights in and to the Submission and all renewals and extensions of copyright, and the right to secure copyright registrations thereto in perpetuity including, without limitation, the rights to use the Submission for any and all purposes in any and all media whether now known or hereafter developed, on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity. The winner accepts and acknowledges that Sponsor shall not be obligated to use the Submission and that Sponsor, in its sole discretion, shall have the right to refrain from using the Submission. Sponsor shall not incur any liability to the extent Sponsor chooses to refrain from exercising its rights hereunder. The winner will indemnify GTE Financial, and each of their respective subsidiaries or affiliated entities against all claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorney fees and legal expenses) arising out of any breach of these terms.
8. Prize: Two (2) prize(s) will be awarded as individual $5,000 Grants for a total of $10,000.
This prize is non-transferable, and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. The winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.
9. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify this Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, human error, unforeseen circumstances that are outside of Sponsor’s control or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of this Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. If terminated, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, determine the winner from among all non-suspect, eligible Submissions received up to time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual/company it finds to be tampering with the Submission process or the operation of this Contest or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and to void all associated Submissions. Any attempt by any person/company to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
10. Limitations of Liability: Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrant, printing, typographical or other errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software, or lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Submission process or the Contest; (4) other errors or problems of any kind relating to or in connection with the Contest, whether printing, typographical, technical, computer, network, mechanical, human error or otherwise, which may occur in the administration of the Contest, the uploading or processing of entries, or the processing or judging of Submissions, the announcement of the prizes or in any promotion-related materials; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in this Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. Released Parties are not responsible for any unauthorized third-party use of any Submission.
By participating in the Contest, you agree to release and hold Released Parties harmless from all alleged, existing, or future actions, claims, and/or liabilities of whatever nature including, but not limited to, personal injury, bodily injury (including, without limitation, wrongful death and disability), property damage, and expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees) and loss or damage of any other kind, relating to or arising from, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, (a) your participation, or inability to participate, in the Contest, or any Contest-related or prize-related activity; (b) the use by Released Parties (including modification, adaptation, and reproduction) of entry materials during or after the Contest; (c) the delivery, acceptance, possession, redemption, use, misuse, loss, or misdirection of the prize; and (d) any other claim or cause of action you may have against any Released Party.
11. Disputes: Except where prohibited, the entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida located in Tampa Florida; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards, shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, and in no event will entrant be permitted to obtain attorneys’ fees or other legal costs; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Florida without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Florida or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Florida.
12. Entrant's Personal Information: Information collected from the entrant is subject to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy https://www.gtefinancial.org/education/privacy-security/privacy-policy