Home : About Us : A+ Employer 2007

A+ Employer 2007

Paramount Equity Mortgage Ranked As A+ Employer

In an industry that has lost over 40,000 mortgage positions from January through August of 2007, Paramount Equity Mortgage’s employees rated it as one the best companies to work for this year. “It’s gratifying to know that even in an industry when times have been tough, employees ranked us as one of the best companies to work for in the area,” stated Hayes Barnard, owner.

When asked how he’s been able to sustain growth in a down market, Hayes responded with a simple approach, “I’m a firm believer in serving employees first. If we take care of our employees and have a true concern for providing those families with a decent living, then those employees will take care of our customers.”

“We provide a great deal of support to our employees, but we also expect excellence in return.” That philosophy appears to be working. Paramount Equity’s employees view themselves as exemplary professionals, donning business suites every day, decorating their offices as if it were their home, and making it their quest to impress every customer with what they call a “WOW” experience.

“Hayes sticks his neck out every day on the radio promising to deliver nothing but the best to customers. So when they call, I do my absolute best to help them. Yes, it’s my job, but I also don’t want to let the founders down. They’ve taken good care of me and my fellow co-workers,” espoused Marcie Worrell, Processing Manager in the mortgage operations department.

Matt Dawson and Jason Walker, co-founders with Barnard, explained it this way. “Our culture breeds innovation and a ‘cannot fail’ attitude. Paramount Equity is definitely not your boring mortgage company.” This is clearly evidenced by the way they train and inspire their staff. The focus on leadership skills, product innovation, customer service and ethics is often delivered by senior management in their monthly Paramount Rap intranet show. Recognition abounds in the all-staff, monthly Huddle conference call and the head of mortgage operations has been known to carry Hayes several yards on his back to prove that difficulties can be overcome with a little hard work.

Are employees concerned about the market dip? “When one opens a newspaper, it’s natural to feel concerned, but those concerns are for those who see a half-empty glass. I challenge my employees to sees things as I see them. It’s still a phenomenal time to purchase or refinance a home. We offer the most flexible loans in the market at incredible rates. Literally, hundreds of families call our Financial Specialists for help every single day. In my opinion, that’s a cup runneth over,” exclaims Barnard.

Does all of this jargon really translate into satisfied mortgage customers? His reply, “According to the stacks of surveys we receive, plus a dozen customer thank you letters each week, and a referral business that is growing almost as fast as our regular business, I would say; ‘yes!’”