This one is vary rare. Probably 15 people have heard how the Club Drive Corporate site was found and developed. Also I explain the decision to relocate to our newest 30,000 sqft Corporate Facility in Duluth is not what most people think. When they get me talking about something I am passionate about, I never hold back.

Our Partners and Clients want Great Service, Competent Advice, and Real Added Value. Our Happy, Empowered, and Collaborative TEAM delivers.

How does a 25-year Old “Employee / Shareholder Owned Common Stock Corporation”

prosper through Two Recessions with the Highest Average Employee Tenure? Culture, TEAM Spirit, Fairness, Unlimited Skill Based Opportunity.

Knowing you matter, knowing you can make a difference, knowing your family time is important, and knowing you are on a team that you can own is a powerful formula for longevity of the TEAM and Empowerment of the American Dream!

Katie is a smart motivated mortgage professional who remained loyal to her prior employer for many years. She only knew one mortgage origination sales group that moved from one out of state parent company to another. We were very fortunate that her friend put Katie in touch with us due to the family sacrifice she had to make at her prior employer. We only needed an hour to learn what a smart, caring, and creative person Katie was. We knew she was a great fit and our Work / Life balance culture was the right thing for her family. I had to share her email to Kathy and the Department Heads. It’s a candid view from inside Southeast Mortgage.

From: Katie Dickens
Date: August 21, 2018 at 9:01:28 PM EDT
To: Kathy Gyselinck, Chief Operating Officer, and SEM Department Heads
Subject: Thank You
Ladies,

I was driving home tonight with a million things in my head and one moment in today popped out at me and it was our time in Kathy’s office today.

I want each of you to know that today is the first time in my career that an incredible group of women were in a room together and sharing a positive purpose and movement towards shared goals.

So often in business and in life women work against each other instead of collaborating and being truly joyful with one another. I know I haven’t been around long but I am so grateful already to be surrounded by like-minded and kind women in business and I just felt led to say that out loud to each of you.

Thank you for welcoming me and making me feel like I’ve been around for a long time and for showing me what a team looks like.

KD

PS…that cake was ridiculously good!!

Since graduating from GA TECH, I always wanted to work with teams. My fondest and best memories were created from being with my football teammates thus I knew the same connections had to be the same in work. Call it my surrogate to Football and team sports that were no longer my focus.

I knew working out early in my teens and speed training prepared me for sports and opened the door to attend Citadel and GA Tech. At Ga Tech, I realized preparing for my future was not going to be weight and speed training but knowledge of finance, organizational management, how the world works, and abstract thinking.

My banking career and Southeast Mortgage helped me better understand how we are all connected and helping others develop their knowledge base and skill set increases opportunity for everyone. During this time, there were always the super stars that only did what was in their best interest and more times than not used sketchy tactics to raise themselves up at the expense of others.

These experiences crafted what I believe to be a common truth in life and to be successful in work and with your family.

My job and responsibility to my TEAM and Shareholders is to ensure Southeast Mortgage is on the right and best sustainable path. The strategy has to be innovative and ahead of the curve, provide my TEAM with a safe and fair workplace, and prudently grow shareholder value through monetization of opportunity that ultimately creates opportunity for the whole TEAM (Village-I wrote this in 2006 Click to Read). For most of my career, competitors never understood what my TEAM understood working close to me. I have a compass that is governed by some general rules that I will not compromise. I want to pay it forward by sharing this brief narrative of what I have learned so far in my career and the personal rules that govern my life.

My personal rules that “I Believe” create a successful future in life and work.

1. Always tell the truth (The truth may be embarrassing but you will sleep better)
2. Do what you say you will do (Be reliable)
3. Be kind to all living things (I save turtles, help hurt animals etc. Good Karma)
4. Take care of your team and they take care of others and the whole team rises
5. Pay it forward (Teach someone something you were taught that helped you)
6. Always do the right thing (Even if its not a policy do what is right for those who have your back)
7. Never worry what others think or say, be yourself (Be you its more interesting)
8. Take Care of Yourself (Eat Well, Have a great bed to get great sleep, exercise)
9. Be bold (Speak up against unjust attacks, bullying, lies)
10. Hug your family every day and tell them you LOVE THEM

Cal

If you had to choose a TEAM to compete with that would give you the best chance to win and share in the rewards of success, what is your logical choice.

Choices (Click for Definition)
A. 2 LLC Members
B. Family Owned Business
C. 33 Shareholders that Share a Common Vision

If it were a basketball game, who would probably win?
If it were a dodge ball game, who would probably win?
If it were a baseball game, who would probably win?
When you have to compete in the Mortgage Industry?

Employee ownership has its benefits. It is hard to compete with a large team that possesses a diverse skill set that has a passion to be the best.

Can you join the LLC? NO
Can you join the Family? NO
If there is no path to ownership or being a part of ownership, what does that say about the value placed on your contribution to the LLC or somebody’s family. Are you really part of the TEAM?

Choose you, Choose your Family, Choose

I am pleased to announce Matt DeCesaro has joined Southeast Mortgage as our Senior Vice President – Builder Services Division.

Matt DeCesaro, SVP, Builder Services Division
Matt brings a wealth of experience to Southeast Mortgage and will help us meet Home Builders high demand for our services in the markets we serve.

Our Builders and Partners see an increase in sales from the traffic our media services and other innovative techniques drive to their projects. Matt recognized the leadership Southeast Mortgage was taking in this important market segment. This was the logical next step in a successful career.

“Matt will do great at Southeast Mortgage. I had the pleasure of leading the discussions and outlining our growth strategy. Matt is a great guy and saw the unique advantage Southeast Mortgage had from a media, technology, and service perspective. Matt will be a great teammate and leader in the next chapter of Southeast Mortgage’s success.” Cal Haupt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Mortgage of Georgia, Inc.