Reseda Summit 2026: Cary Fortin & Cara Oppenheimer (Goodbuy)

Cary Fortin and Cara Oppenheimer of Goodbuy explain that the company is a community commerce platform connecting credit union members with local small businesses. They describe it as a white-labeled solution that gives credit unions a way to promote local businesses while giving those businesses access to local customers.

They say the member experience includes discounts and information about nearby businesses such as women-owned, veteran-owned, and other small businesses. The platform is designed to help credit unions act as a new marketing channel for businesses and, in turn, support relationship-building, account growth, and deposit growth.

The founders explain that businesses can be onboarded even if they are not already credit union members. If a business is already a member, it can go live in the marketplace within 24 hours. If not, the lead is passed to the credit union’s business services team for follow-up and possible account opening.

The two trace the company’s origin to their backgrounds in marketing and advertising, and to meeting in Boise, Idaho while both were pregnant. They say the idea grew during the pandemic, after seeing small businesses struggle and close. They wanted a way to make shopping small more practical and to direct more opportunity to local businesses.

They also discuss how credit unions use the platform with national or geographically spread-out fields of membership. They say the marketplace can be organized by Zip Code or region, and can expand once enough businesses have joined.

Goodbuy provides a partner portal with marketing templates, social content, push notification tools, and training materials for credit union staff. They say this makes the program turnkey for business development and branch teams.

They share early results from pilot programs, including strong engagement and new product openings among onboarded businesses. They say the platform can uncover existing small business relationships inside retail membership data and create opportunities for additional products, deposits, and deeper relationships.