1. Centurions
In 2006, the word recession wasn’t yet on the tips of most people’s tongues, but the word subprime certainly was. By 2007, Safeguard Properties CEO Alan Jaffa and Chief Financial Officer Greg Robinson had started to see the effects of what people had been talking about, and it was then that they realized they were about to have a rush of business for their company, which handles all aspects of default property management.
“We are very proactive in looking forward to make sure we had the right human and capital resources in place to be prepared for the additional growth that we saw coming our way,” Robinson says. … “[Founder and Chairman Robert Klein] and Alan saw that coming three or five years ago and made the necessary investments and made sure we were six to nine months ahead of resources.”
They moved the company to a new facility a year and a half ago, knowing they would need more space to handle the business that was coming in. On top of that, they made investments in the company’s information technology system and have more than doubled the employee count — going from about 411 in 2007 to about 850 today.
Despite the amount of growth, they’ve maintained a culture that lacks bureaucracy.
“I can tell you that bureaucracy does not live at Safeguard,” Robinson says. “Everyone from Alan Jaffa, the CEO, down to a new staff person who walks in off the street, everyone has the same mission. They roll up their sleeves and do what they have to do to get the job done for clients.”
That’s a very challenging mission at times, as most of the company’s clients have been stressed beyond their capacity with the amount of distressed properties coming on the books. Despite the challenge, it’s critical for continued success.
“I always felt as we hired new executives, stripes are in the parking lot,” Jaffa says. “If you want to walk around with stripes, this is the wrong place for you.”
Jaffa and Robinson have made sure that the culture begins with themselves.
“In this business, and in a lot of businesses, it rolls down,” Jaffa says.
How to reach: Safeguard Properties, (800) 852-8306 or www.safeguardproperties.com
Want more Weatherhead coverage? Visit www.weatherhead2010.com
