What Makes Us Special: Employee Appreciation Day

Here at Homestead, we love taking every opportunity we can to thank and acknowledge our amazing employees. We are so grateful to have a strong, dedicated team of people, so for this Employee Appreciation Day, we’re giving a huge shout out to all our hardworking employees.

“This is a job that when you wake up in the morning you don’t feel sad you have to go to. Instead, you feel excited about what the day will bring you. Homestead is always looking for ways to make employees feel better and always trying to find ways to lift our spirits.” - Thanasis

Joining the Homestead Team

People join Homestead in all sorts of different ways. Sometimes it’s an online job listing, while other times it’s a referral from friends and family. Torrie, a Loan Boarding Analyst and Customer Service Representative, shared a story about a friend from middle school who brought her to Homestead. Torrie had lost touch with her friend, Ashley, for over 10 years until they ended up becoming neighbors. “We waved at each other for a few months and then finally got together, and everything else just fell back into place with a great friend,” Torrie recounted. “She told me that they were hiring, and I sent my resume to Ashley and she passed it along.”

Thanasis, one of our IT Technicians, shared his story of joining Homestead, saying, “I started working with Homestead a few years ago. I lived my whole life in another country, so once I was here and looking for a place to work, a family friend helped me get an interview with Homestead. I had no experience working in this country, but they didn’t care. They believed in me and took a chance on me, and they gave me a job and made me feel that I am part of something bigger. Homestead is not just a company, it is a family – a family that keeps growing.”

Leadership that Cares and Supportive Coworkers

Debra, one of our fantastic Mortgage Processors, raved about her managers and coworkers. “I have only wonderful things to share about Homestead! My team lead is the best.” Debra talked about how her team lead is responsive and proactive, saying, “Linda reaches out to us on a regular basis to see how we are and if we need her for anything. Any time I have reached out to her, she has responded immediately.” Debra appreciates her coworkers, telling us, “I not only consider them coworkers but friends as well.”

Strong Working Relationships that Weather all Challenges

Debra started working at Homestead just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She said, “You would think that given that short amount of time I would not have made relationships with the people I work with,” however she was able to build strong working relationships with her coworkers, despite working remotely. “I am so grateful and appreciative of not only the people I work with on a daily basis, but the company as a whole.”

When it comes to facing a crisis like a pandemic, Homestead is thankful to have the ability to support our employees. “I am grateful for working for a company like Homestead. Even in these difficult times when people were losing their jobs or they felt unsure what the feature would bring them, I was one of the lucky ones that my job was with Homestead,” Thanasis shared. “We got all the support and all the help we needed to keep working, and we were sure that as long as we were doing our jobs, we’d have a home here. Management and HR worked together to make everyone feel safe and give us the support we needed. Always on top of the issues, always reaching out to see how we were doing, and always providing us with more information about what was going on.”

“You always have someone who is there for you. It doesn’t matter how high up someone is in rank; their door is always open for you.” – Torrie

Willingness to Adapt and Grow

Sometimes it can be challenging to work in the mortgage industry. It is an ever-changing landscape which requires unique individuals that can adapt to constantly changing regulations, guidelines, and processes. We are lucky to have talented people in all our departments, working together cohesively to make our borrowers’ home financing experience enjoyable. Jenn, our Marketing Design and Content Manager, is no stranger to the mortgage industry. “Homestead has allowed me to grow as my job has evolved with the company in the last 23 years,” she said. “It is great to be able to work with and learn from some of the best professionals in the mortgage industry. We have many people in the company who have been here for a long time. I believe the great retention rate is due to the overall philosophy of how they put their employees first!”

Homestead is so grateful to have an amazing group of people working together to help families make their home financing goals a reality and also build a welcoming and supportive working environment, worthy of the 2021 Top Workplaces USA National Award. As our CEO, Michael Rutherford, always says, “People are our most important asset.” If it weren’t for each of the hardworking individuals we employ, we wouldn’t be where we are. On this Employee Appreciation Day, we hope all our fantastic employees know they are valued by all of us at Homestead. To learn more about Homestead, click here.