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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 58 October 2023 F E A T U R E S T O R Y ly made the necessary changes to remain viable and thrive in this environment. Q: What is the company culture of Fairway Independent Mortgage like? Fairway has core values that exemplify the culture and are exhibited from the CEO down. Most employees would tell you that Fairway is like a caring and competitively fun family. Employees are respected, the work pace is fast, the demands and expectations are high, our loan officers are treasured, and our customers are highly valued and treated right. The heart of Fairway is about giving and doing the right thing. Q: Who are some mentors who have impacted your career? What lessons or perspectives did they instill? My first mentor was my first boss. He taught me about fidu- ciary responsibility, discipline, and putting the greater good of the company first. He also taught me how to plan and how anything was possible with good planning. My second mentor is Marion McDougall. Marion has always been outspoken and fearless, and she taught me how to be confident and quietly brave. She helped me develop my negotiation skills to build mutually beneficial relationships. My lifelong mentor is my beloved husband, my biggest fan, who has always supported me and who has both given and given up so much so that I could pursue my career dreams. Q: What is something you have not yet achieved in your career but would like to? I hope to one day build out a unique and superior loan ser- vicing platform for Fairway and for our customers, which would complement our awesome origination business and position Fairway for the future. Q: How would you like to be remembered when your career in the mortgage space is over? You learn at an early age that life is not fair. As a child, I told my parents I wanted to be a judge, probably thinking that in that power- ful role, I could set things right and make things fair. I did not pursue law, but rather I pursued accounting. Surprisingly, my career quickly escalated into people, accounting, and servicing management. One might say that I have held some powerful positions. My goal has always been to treat everyone fairly and equally, just like I want to be treated. When selecting a manager or a leader, I ask myself if I could report to that candidate; if not, then they are not the right person for my team. I hope that I will be remembered as a fair, hard-working, and committed leader with high expectations who challenged, inspired, and supported my teams. A Career Reflected Upon As part of the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony, Five Star always gathers testimonial quotes from our LTA recipient's colleagues and coworkers. Here are some highlights from those we spoke with about Kim Yowell. "She gives you enough leeway and confidence and that you could accomplish anything. She's always there, she's supportive. Her performance has always been high-performing, and she surrounds herself with an incredible team. She finds talent. She mentors, she teaches, and she's all about having fun, too." —Belinda DeArman, SVP, Nationstar Mortgage "What probably inspires me most about Kim is her continual drive for excellence. She's always seeking [opportunities] to make things better, to improve whatever environment she's associated with in all facets of the operation. Kim is continuously striving to raise the bar, and [has done so] through the course of her career." —Greg Giammario, Executive VP, National General Lender Services "Kim Yowell is an expert, and [best of class] as far as servicing. All the ins and outs, all the people to talk to, what's good, what makes sense, what doesn't: any mortgagee would trust and would be able to trust a person like Kim Yowell." —Steve Jacobson, Founder and CEO, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation "The way she's inspired me is that she's always so bright, smart, energetic, passionate. When someone's got that kind of energy and passion, you can't help but be inspired. It's so fitting that she's winning this because it's people like Kim who've dedicated their life to a mortgage industry career." —Len Krupinski, COO, Fairway Independent Mortgage "With Kim, her integrity never wavers. She is solid in her beliefs and a person who always does the right thing. Her intelligence, her stability, and her integrity [are] what I admire most. Kim knows how to build a plan, and most importantly, knows how to execute a plan. She's a strategic thinker and a problem-solver." —Marion McDougall, CEO, Celink