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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 51 would still come to me," Klein adds. "So I moved out of Safeguard to give Alan leg room to run the company as his own." JAFFA MOVES TO GROW SAFEGUARD Jaffa leading was as close to having Klein in charge as possible. In his late 30s at the time, Jaffa had plenty of energy and drive to maintain the company's entrepreneurial spirit and propel Safeguard to its next level as the industry leader. One of his first moves was to create an executive management team. Greg Robinson, CFO, had been with the company for five years, so Jaffa hired a Vice President of Operations, CIO, General Counsel, and Vice President of Business Development. "If we were going to go to the next level, we needed to do that," Jaffa says. "I knew it was about surrounding myself with the right people, and a lot of the people who are responsible for key functions are people I've worked with for 15, 18 years." Jaffa fostered Safeguard's distinctive corporate culture that features an open-door policy and high visibility and access to the executives. "You don't need an appointment six weeks in advance to come in and talk to Alan about something," Robinson says. When he first moved into his office from his cubicle, his office had a wall of windows looking out into the company. Employees, in good fun, would jokingly post notes on Alan's glass windows such as "Don't feed the animals." e shades on the windows were the worst investment he's ever made, he admits, because he never closes them. Like his father-in-law, he loves to be in the center of the action, and he treasures opportunities to be on the floor with the employees. Take the time Jaffa and Robinson appeared at the desk of receptionist Jeannie Stiles, a 23-year veteran who started in the one-room basement headquarters with Klein, on a Friday afternoon. Putting his arm around her as he handed her a box, Jaffa said, "Jeannie, I saw this, and I thought of you." She opened it to find her new nameplate: Director of First Impressions. en the phone rang, and it was Klein calling to congratulate her. "We're a company that sticks together as a team," says Stiles. "We care for each other, and everyone is always willing to do what we have to do to get the job done." In September 2012, Safeguard announced its first acquisition: the field services division of a major mortgage services company. In 2013, to enhance the resources necessary to inspect and maintain the substantial portfolio of defaulted and REO properties, Safeguard opened an operations center in Richardson, Texas. "Our first of any type of acquisition was a big bet that paid off," Jaffa acknowledges. "It was a very exciting opportunity for the company, for the industry, and what we've been able to do with more properties under our control has been phenomenal for our mortgage servicing and investor clients, as well as the properties, neighborhoods and communities across the country." 2004 » Vendor Conference and National Property Preservation Conference Started » 2,924,300 inspections 2005 » Hurricane Katrina changes the face of field services » Industry conference calls initiated by Robert Klein. Now an industry staple » INSPI created on the Windows platform eliminating the need for faxing orders » 11+ million photos 2008 » Recession hits U.S. devastating the housing industry » Vendor Web launched » 8,180,000 inspections COVER STORY INDUSTRY INSIGHT INDUSTRY INSIGHT

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