More than 2,500 companies were nominated or asked to participate in the 2017 Top Workplaces contest by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and its partner, Workplace Dynamics. Employees across the metro area responded to print and online solicitations that began appearing in September.
Using survey results, a list of 150 workplaces was compiled, consisting of 25 large companies, 50 midsize companies and 75 small companies. Supreme Lending-Southeast Region was the top small workplace.
Jetta Wilson has worked with Pat Flood, Supreme Lending’s regional operating partner, for 31 years, following him from his previous companies through new ventures and mergers.
Wilson chatted about her role as regional underwriting manager for the Southeast region of Supreme Lending, the family feel in its Alpharetta office and changes through the years.
Q: What do you like most about working here?
A: I look forward to coming to work. It gets me in a better mood when I can interact with all of the associates. I'm challenged every day, and I feel like I'm a part of a singular purpose to get all of these people into homes.
Q: One co-worker said that working here, they feel like they are part of a family. Would you agree?
A: We are like a family. We ask about the grandkids or the kids. We all talk nice to one another all the time. We're Facebook friends, of course, and we see what happens on the weekends. Also, we have a lot of family that work here. My son works here. Pat's son works here. We have mothers and daughters that work here. It's literally family.
Q: Has the company culture changed since you have worked for this company? If so, in what ways?
A: We have been a part of Supreme since 2011, though (some of us) have worked together for up to 30-plus years. The overall culture has remained constant — "to serve others before self" — it has only gotten better with time as new talent with same views has joined us.
Q: How does the company make you feel valued?
A: By keeping me informed of what we plans we have, making me aware of opportunities or problems and letting me be a part of the solution. Many of us have been together for 30-plus years. There have been many of us that have had difficult times. Knowing that each of us handles those differently, our management team takes each situation and supports the associate with what they need — additional time off, working from home, and sometimes monetarily. We all want the best for each other and our customers. We have like-kind work ethic and values, and push each other to do our best each day.
Q: What are some of your favorite benefits?
A: Working from home on a daily basis or as needed basis. Flexible work hours given an individual's specific situations. We have different hours for different people. We seem to have had a lot of challenges personally. The benefit of working here is that it's not "OK, well you have this problem so you have three days and then we expect to see you back." Every person who has had a challenge, whether it was the death of a spouse, or taking care of an elderly parent or their own sickness, everyone is treated differently. They say, "Tell me what you need. Tell me what's going to help you and make this better for you."
Q: What is the Personal and Professional Best Program?
A: Once a month we have a meeting, and it's an hour-long meeting that sort of helps people work on happiness and improving themselves. If I wasn't working here, I wouldn't make a list of things I need to improve on. It … got me moving last year, personally. There are goals in all aspects of life, not just professional. Part of it is fun, and one of mine last year was to buy a pontoon boat, so I bought a pontoon boat.
Q: How has working here challenged you?
A: The mortgage industry has been in an uproar for about 10 years now. The actual guidelines, regulations and theories of risk management are constantly changing.
Q: How do your bosses encourage and promote success?
A: (They) clearly define our vision and goals. Just about everything that we do is measured, and we know where we stand and where we want to get to. Emails from happy customers are forwarded to the group so that everyone is reminded that these aren't loans, these are our customers.
Q: How has the company showed you they care about your personal and professional welfare?
A: No matter how busy, they always have time to meet with individual associates. If I ask an honest question, I get honest feedback. They're always available, and I feel like they are very candid with me.
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