It can be difficult to learn a new field when embarking on a profession or changing career paths. Title insurance is an especially challenging industry to master given the regulatory environment, heavy underwriting requirements, varying market standards and technical demands from clients. It takes time, repetition and patience, but promises meaningful and valuable achievements for those who remain committed to progressing. We have great admiration for team members like Steve Turner, Kathy Boren, John Lamberts and Burke Schneider who have played the long game, developing over decades the skills required for successful transactions. These industry leaders continue the Near North legacy.
Near North’s leadership strongly believes in elevating the careers of our employees and promoting from within. We have a great number of team members who put in the hard work to develop their skill set, and this month we wanted to acknowledge a few examples of people newer to the industry who have progressed among our ranks. They have demonstrated patience and ambition, putting in the time and effort necessary to make headway in their careers. Although they still have more to learn, these employees have shown a willingness to grow and fit into opportunities at Near North when the time was right.
David Chapman. David joined Near North in February of 2017 as a Junior Closer after graduating from Ball State University. He learned the escrow side of the business in order to move into a business development role, which enabled him to bring a valuable skill set to his customers. After demonstrating resolve for customer service solutions, David took on the additional duties of an Account Executive & Escrow Officer. Now in his fourth year at Near North, he has been promoted to Account Executive & Escrow Manager of South Central Indiana. In this leadership position, David oversees the escrow department of our Greenwood, Shelbyville, Columbus and Madison locations. His path continues to take him through various roles with the company, and he remains flexible and ready to tackle new challenges.
Rachel Legge. When Rachel started at Near North she was interested in a position with the escrow department. The timing was not quite right, however, so she joined our post-closing unit as a Residential Post Closer to learn more about the business in hopes of transitioning when the opportunity arose. Within a year, an escrow position became open and Rachel was promoted to Residential Escrow Officer. Rachel’s patience and understanding of the “big picture” make her a candidate for growth at Near North.
Kerry Quirk. Kerry started with Near North as a seasonal administrative assistant in our Chicago office. As a newer entrant to the title insurance industry, she has focused on learning from our veteran employees to take on more responsibility at the company. In her fifth year as a full-time hire, Kerry is now experiencing her second promotion. Her move to Residential Title and Underwriter Coordinator enabled her to see the front end of the residential business in Illinois and prepare herself for a leadership role. Kerry’s recent promotion to Residential Post-Closer Team Lead for Illinois, Florida and Wisconsin will allow her to develop her critical thinking and supervisory skills.
Near North continues to invest in onboarding, training and developing talent so that we can reward team members with opportunities for growth and advancement. Our Annual Review period is coming up in August, and we encourage you to meet with your managers to discuss career objectives. Check out the Careers page on our website; if you do not yet have the skills necessary for a particular job or your position of interest is not currently available, talk to your manager about how you can reach your goals. Leverage the invaluable insight of our more experienced staff members who take pride in passing their knowledge along to contribute to the next generation of subject matter experts. Most importantly, stay patient and be persistent. We might not have the right opportunity open now, but we are committed to working together to develop the skills needed for our employees to take on new roles.
