LINDSEY OMAN: A YNCU MEMBER STORY

Monday, October 25, 2021

At YNCU, we are more than just a financial institution. We are an organization that deeply cares for our Members, staff and the communities we serve - it drives everything we do. We believe in the power of community and work hard every day to help our Members achieve success. Through loans, mortgages, investments, and lending opportunities, we help them achieve their goals.

We're excited to share the stories of our Members across Ontario who are doing what they love with the help and dedication of our staff. With many unique Member stories that need to be recognized, we hope that telling these stories will continue to inspire our Community First and YNCU Neighbourhood communities.

Meet Lindsey

Lindsey Oman has been a Member of the Guelph YNCU community for many years and has gone through a lot of life-changing experiences. Her journey with YNCU began when she and her husband were looking to purchase their first family home. They wanted a place they could call "home," where it could be a safe haven from which the two could start living life together with their son.

When Lindsey secured her first-ever mortgage with YNCU, she had no idea how much of an impact it would have on her future endeavours.

Thanks to additional funding from YNCU, Lindsey was able to complete vital renovations and focus on building her dream home where she could enjoy life with her family. While Lindsey was completing renovations to build the house of her dreams, she didn't put much thought into how the value of her home would significantly increase with the new upgrades.

Seeing the excellent ROI (Return On Investment) on the renovation, Lindsey and her family made the decision to sell their first home. Taking advantage of the market, having a strong, personalized financial strategy and seizing the opportunity allowed Lindsey and her family to purchase their next dream home, opening a new chapter of their lives.

Lindsey’s Next Chapter

Inspired by her sister’s dedication to a waste-free lifestyle and the opening of her Refillery in Flesherton, Lindsey knew that she wanted the same for herself.

Taking a leap of faith and deciding it was time to leave her career after 10 years, Lindsey decided to open up a Refillery in her local neighbourhood to benefit both her customers and the environment. She saw an opportunity in downtown Guelph and partnered with her sister to open The Refill Bar — a place where her local community can begin their journey towards living a zero-waste lifestyle.

When Lindsey took on the challenge of opening up her own business in a pandemic, she found that it was not an easy task. Beyond Ontario's COVID-19 business restrictions, she faced the challenges of limited time to complete necessary renovations and hire staff in a timely manner in order to open on schedule. Lindsey's dedication to helping others embrace a waste-free lifestyle inspired her to push through the barriers she had been facing and bring The Refill Bar to the public.

She knew that the future of a waste-free planet starts with small changes, and she has been working hard to educate her customers on how they can easily live a waste-free lifestyle with the help of The Refill Bar.

The Refill Bar is an educational retail space in downtown Guelph that aims to be accessible and offers a variety of local products at different price points. For those unsure or intimidated by using a refill store, Lindsey works hands-on with all her customers to create a positive and simple experience.

Looking to the future, Lindsey is planning to expand her services by offering:

• Sip & Shop
• Local brewery on-tap
• Local ciders on-tap
• Promote local artists and musicians in the store
• Speaker nights on a specific topic (environment, community focus)
• A community space for everyone to connect

Conclusion

Lindsey's inspiring YNCU Member story is just one of the many examples of how one investment can lead to many opportunities.

Stemming from her first mortgage, she was able to pursue her dream of living a waste-free lifestyle and promote the benefits in her community through her new business.

Alongside the financial backing from YNCU and her Financial Advisor Quincy, Lindsey wants to thank her mom, dad, sister, husband and son for all of their support and encouragement, as it truly takes a village to help get a small business off the ground. Alongside her family, Lindsey would like to thank her employer, Hammond Mfg. for supporting her dreams.

If you're looking to achieve new goals and have your money work for you, feel free to talk with our experienced team of Financial Advisors and explore the best options for you.

We hope that Lindsey’s story inspires you as much as it has inspired us!