You probably met Paul Economy the same way I did.

You were zipping south on Interstate 581 toward downtown or headed north on U.S. 220 near Elm Avenue. Suddenly, you noticed a huge friendly face looming on a billboard. No shoulders. No arms. Just an affable, goateed guy.

It didn't hurt that the man was offering 50 million big ones to qualified takers.

"Come See Paul," the billboard announced. "He has $50 Million to Lend."

Economy -- yes, that's his real name -- is the new and apparently popular face of Member One Federal Credit Union's summer loan campaign. He's also a vice president of the credit union and manager of its main branch downtown.

"I've had people come in and say, 'I saw that billboard, and we're getting ready to go on vacation,' " he said. Others have sought loans for home repairs or to help cover students' college expenses this fall.

The campaign began in June. Its first month generated "multimillions" in loans, a dramatic increase from previous months, said Brad Boothe, the credit union's assistant vice president for marketing.

A credit union is a not-for-profit financial institution that operates similarly to banks. Its services include saving and checking accounts and loans. (In the interest of full disclosure, Member One is my credit union. But I first met Economy and Boothe during the interview for this column.)

Founded in 1940 to serve Norfolk & Western employees, Member One has 55,000 members and serves more than 400 companies and organizations. Its assets total nearly $350 million, compared with $613 million reported by Valley Bank, Roanoke's largest home-grown chain of banks.

Economy, who has worked at Member One for 21 years, is the first employee to be used so prominently in company advertising in at least a decade.

The 43-year-old Roanoke native admitted he has been caught off guard by his newfound celebrity.

"It's very humbling, but an honor," said Economy, a graduate of William Fleming High School and Virginia Western Community College.

Several folks told me they were drawn in by the billboard -- partially because of Economy's welcoming mug, partially because of the $50 million offer.

Honestly, in today's economy, with financial institutions closing and others tightening the reins on credit, Member One surprisingly is soliciting loan customers.

Boothe said that the credit union hasn't been in the situation of many other lenders who have had high numbers of defaulted loans. Member One knows its clientele, he said, and works to ensure "we're not putting our members in a bad situation."

He said the credit union embarked on the summer loan special because it wanted to generate loan volume. The more outstanding loans it has, the more interest it collects.

Because the organization is not-for-profit, that interest goes back into the credit union in the form of lower interest rates on loans, higher interest rates on savings accounts and more ATMs and other services that benefit members.

Member One, which has just over 20,000 outstanding loans, decided it had the resources to take on more borrowers. When I asked Boothe why $50 million, he said the number shows, "We've got money to lend."

He added with a devilish smile, "The well's not running dry."

That's where Economy came in. New Chief Executive Frank Carter was meeting with the downtown branch staff one morning in late May when he dropped the bombshell.

Economy would be the face of the lending campaign. It was news to everyone -- including the branch manager.

"Oh my gosh!" he recalled his silent reaction. As Carter kept talking, Economy thought, "he wasn't joking."

Boothe said Carter previously and briefly had mentioned to him that he thought Economy would be a good person for the campaign.

Carter was out of the office and unavailable for comment Friday, but Boothe said Economy was a natural.

"Paul is the mayor of downtown," he said, referring to the branch manager's interest and involvement in promoting downtown Roanoke.

For much of the '90s, Economy had a downtown loft and currently serves as the president of the Roanoke Ballet Theatre Board of Directors. He's a member of the Rotary Club of Roanoke and the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Economy, who attends St. Philip Lutheran Church, recently returned from a mission trip to the African nation of Malawi, where Madonna adopted her youngest son. Economy, who is single, also is active in his Old Southwest neighborhood.

Boothe said Economy represents the "honest, reliable service" that the credit union's employees provide.

"The employees are the face of Member One," Boothe said. "It's taking that same concept and using it externally. Our people are really our marketing."

Economy's picture on the billboard was not the result of some high-end photo shoot.

Boothe took the picture. Actually, he took about 50. The first group was shot on a business casual day and Economy was wearing an open neck shirt. The lighting was bad, so Boothe asked for a do-over. For the second shoot, Boothe had on a suit and tie.

The billboard shot came from that batch. Besides the billboards, the credit union has made campaign-style buttons that bear Economy's image and promote the summer loan deal.

Boothe said Economy is a very humble man, and the high visibility of the campaign has taken the branch manager out of his "comfort zone."

Economy said he recognizes the goal is greater than him.

"It lets people know what we do here. It's truly rewarding to see people achieve their financial goals."

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