MCUL ACE26: Aloan in Grand Rapids

Aloan in Grand Rapids for the Michigan Credit Union League's annual convention.

Dates: June 2–4, 2026
Venue: DeVos Place; Grand Rapids, MI
Aloan presence: On-site for 1:1 working sessions
Organizer: Michigan Credit Union League; DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave NW

About the event

What was MCUL ACE26?

MCUL ACE26 is the Michigan Credit Union League and CU Solutions Group's annual convention and exposition. It's a three-day gathering at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids that pulls together 900+ credit union leaders, board members, and team members from across Michigan and the broader CU community.

The 2026 theme was "Game On!" The format combined breakout sessions, an exhibit hall, keynotes, and a packed run of networking events: golf, the Children's Miracle Network walk/run, Corks for a Cause, Sip & Support, and the foundation auction. The room was dense with the people credit unions actually send to make technology and lending decisions.

Aloan was on-site all three days for private 1:1 working sessions. If you run lending, credit, or operations at a credit union, the next event is the place to bring a real commercial deal packet (tax returns, financials, bank statements) and watch our AI commercial loan underwriting platform run on your own files.

Hotel: MCUL room blocks at the Courtyard by Marriott (skywalk-connected to DeVos Place), JW Marriott Grand Rapids, and Amway Grand Plaza. Book through the official ACE26 housing portal after registering.

Aloan at ACE26

How we showed up at the show

01

1:1 Working Sessions

We held private working sessions with our team throughout the conference. Attendees brought real commercial deal packets and we ran them through Aloan live so they could see the platform on their actual files, not a canned demo.
02

On-Site at DeVos Place

We spent the three days in the exhibit hall and around DeVos Place, meeting credit union lending, operations, and technology teams from across Michigan.
03

Around the Networking Events

We caught up with attendees at ACE's networking events across the three days, including the Children's Miracle Network walk/run, Sip & Support, and Corks for a Cause.

Agenda

Sessions, speakers, and locations

Drawn from the published ACE26 program. Tuesday June 2 was the conference arrival and welcome day; the published session schedule started Wednesday morning.

Wednesday, June 3

7:30–9:00 a.m.

Amway, Ambassador Ballroom

Opening Whistle Breakfast: Zoom Out! What Changes When Expanding the Leadership Lens in a Global Movement

Kassandra Schroeder

In partnership with the Global Women's Leadership Network.
9:30–11:00 a.m.

DeVos, Ballroom D

Keynote: The Hidden Crisis. Understanding Gambling Addiction's Impact on Members

Carolyn Hawley
12:30–2:00 p.m.

Amway, Ambassador Ballroom

Economic Issues Lunch

Paul Isely
3:30–4:15 p.m.
Education Sessions: Next Move!

Amway
- Building for What's Next: Learning from Today's Consumers
  
  Rick Weaver and Karl Schmidt · Emerald
- The Intelligence that Compounds: AI Decisions Powering Smarter Member Journeys
  
  Amanda Bardonner · Gerald R Ford Ballroom · Sponsored by Scienaptic
- Winning Wallet Share: Earning Relevance and Primacy Across Generations
  
  Paul Marston · Vandenberg A · Sponsored by CUSG
- Recruitment & Compensation: Using Labor Market Insights to Make Confident Pay Decisions
  
  Rebecca Jary · Vandenberg B · Sponsored by CUSG
- ALM for Boards
  
  Frank Santucci · Grand View · Sponsored by Stifel
- DARE: Dashboard Abuse Resistance Education
  
  Maggie Chopp · Thornapple · Sponsored by Gemineye
- Guest Program: The Power-Up Pour ($25 per person)
  
  Pantlind

Thursday, June 4

8:45–9:30 a.m.
Breakfast and Breakouts: Education Sessions

Amway
- CUSOs: Partnering for Growth, Speed and Scale
  
  Jeff Rendel · Berkey
- Cybersecurity in 2026: Compliance Is Not Protection
  
  Jen Anthony · Emerald · Sponsored by NetCov
- The Loyalty Advantage: Turning Data into Deep Member Relationships
  
  Eric Loehr · Gerald R Ford Ballroom · Sponsored by Reseda Group
- Why Most AI Automation Fails and a Proven Method to Get Results
  
  Marc Escapa · Thornapple · Sponsored by Fuse Finance
- AI is Here: Now What? A Credit Union Playbook for Responsible Adoption
  
  Amy Travers · Vandenberg A · Sponsored by Illuma Labs
- AI Is Only as Good as the Data: What to Know Before Buying Another AI Tool
  
  Will Mayfield · Pearl · Sponsored by Aunalytics
- The Empathy Advantage: Redefining Member Connection in the Age of AI
  
  Tamanna Kottwani · Governor's · Sponsored by WithClutch
- Behavioral Banking: Unusually Cost-Effective Ways to Drive Engagement and Growth
  
  Jorge Campos · Grand View · Sponsored by Exagens
- The Importance of Distinguishing Between Governance and Management
  
  Tom Sakash · Imperial Ballroom
- Grow Your Own: Turning Today's Team into Tomorrow's Leaders
  
  Jill Nowacki · Vandenberg B
9:45–11:45 a.m.

DeVos, Ballroom D

Keynote: The Octopus Organization

Jonathan Brill · Sponsored by CUSG
3:45–4:30 p.m.
Education Sessions: Win Big!

Amway
- Serving Small Business Owners to Boost Deposits, Lending and Community Impact
  
  Edgar Hernandez · Thornapple · Sponsored by TruStage
- SAS Success Playbook Roundtable: Building a Stronger Standalone Credit Union
  
  Jeff Rendel · Grand View · Sponsored by MSHDA
- CEO Panel: Using EOS to Drive Strategic and Operational Clarity and Accountability
  
  Martha Fuerstenau, Darlyne Keller, Kris Lewis and Michele Makley · Emerald · Sponsored by Marquis
- 2026 Elections and Advocacy Fundraising 101
  
  Kieran Marion · Berkey · Sponsored by NFP
- The AI-Powered Leader
  
  Paul Marston · Kendall · Sponsored by CUSG
- MemberXP Best of the Best: Turning Insight into Measurable Results
  
  Audrey Olzem and Keith Holder · Gerald R Ford Ballroom · Sponsored by CUSG
- Secure by Design: Website Hosting, Security & Website CMS Platform Enhancements
  
  Tim Bohlman and Moayad Naoom · Pearl · Sponsored by CUSG
- Reframing Growth: Moving Beyond "Underserved" to Strength-Based Strategy
  
  Victor Miguel Corro · Governor's · Sponsored by Michigan Credit Union Foundation
- NCUA's Deregulatory Project
  
  Michael Christians · Vandenberg B
- Multilingual Opportunities for Credit Unions: Reducing Digital Friction and Increasing Trust
  
  JR Pierman and Steve Sauve · Imperial Ballroom · Sponsored by ASAPP Financial
- Strategic Thinking for Effective Boards
  
  Tom Sakash · Vandenberg A · Sponsored by FHLBank Indianapolis

Source: official ACE26 sessions list (web.cvent.com/event/.../ACE26_HP).

What we showed in our 1:1 sessions

End-to-end AI commercial loan underwriting on your file mix

Attendees brought a real member business loan packet (tax returns, financials, bank statements) and our team ran it through Aloan in the 1:1 working session. The walk-through covered:

01

Document intake and classification

Tax returns, bank statements, financials, rent rolls, K-1s. Aloan tagged each by type, year, and entity.
02

Spreading with source citations

Every number clicked back to the exact page. That's the audit trail SR 11-7 and OCC 2025-26 examiners now expect.
03

Multi-entity consolidation, global cash flow

K-1 tracing, Schedule E reconciliation, entity graph and global cash flow rollup. No Excel handoff.
04

Risk flags and policy checks

Revenue trend inversions, NSFs, UCC liens, covenant breaches, concentration risks, policy exceptions.
05

Examiner-ready credit memo

Borrower overview, financial analysis, risk factors, mitigants, recommendation. Every figure cites back to source. LOS hand-off, not re-keying.

FAQ

MCUL ACE26, answered

Where was Aloan at MCUL ACE26?

Aloan attended MCUL ACE26 in Grand Rapids, MI on June 2–4, 2026. Our team was on-site at DeVos Place all three days for private 1:1 working sessions and around the exhibit hall and networking events.

When and where was MCUL ACE26 held?

MCUL ACE26 took place June 2–4, 2026 at DeVos Place (303 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503). It is the Michigan Credit Union League and CU Solutions Group's annual convention and exposition.

Can I book a meeting with Aloan at a future event?

Yes. Our events page lists the next conferences where the Aloan team will be on-site. Conference calendars fill up fast, so we recommend booking ahead. Bring a real commercial deal packet (tax returns, financial statements, bank statements) and we will run it through Aloan on-site so you see exactly how our AI commercial loan underwriting platform handles your file mix.

Who attended MCUL ACE26?

ACE26 brought together 900+ credit union professionals: Michigan credit union CEOs, executives, board members, lending and operations leaders, and CUSO and vendor partners. The audience is concentrated on credit unions specifically, which is why ACE is a useful venue for honest peer benchmarking conversations on AI in lending and operations.

What does Aloan show at credit union events?

We demo AI commercial loan underwriting end to end: document intake and classification, automated financial spreading with source-document citations on every number, risk flagging, multi-entity consolidation and global cash flow, and examiner-ready credit memo generation. All on a real deal packet you bring.

Go deeper on AI commercial underwriting

Catch us at the next event

ACE26 is in the books. See where the Aloan team is heading next, or grab a working session with a founder remotely.

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