Robert J. Handy, a Seattle journalism and math teacher, was the originator of the shared values that hold our alliance of companies together today. Handy founded School Employees Credit Union of Washington and PEMCO Insurance, and he was instrumental in EvergreenBank's charter. Robert J. Handy Founder, CEO 1936-1984 Excited by the prospect of creating a financial institution with a heart, Handy was one of the first to take advantage of the credit union concept in Washington. In 1936, just three years after the Washington Legislature authorized credit unions, he founded Seattle Teachers Credit Union (now School Employees Credit Union of Washington). To supplement his income, Handy worked for a general insurance agency owned by a friend. He'd sell auto insurance to educators who came to the credit union for new car loans. In 1949, Handy founded Public Employees Mutual Insurance Company (PEMIC, changed to PMIC in 1989) to offer residence fire and burglary insurance and automobile collision, comprehensive, fire, and theft insurance.