Category: 2025 Q Awards

Welcome to Provo Airport (PVU) — offering the flight experience you always hoped would take off. Since welcoming American Airlines to the tarmac and announcing major expansion plans, PVU has had a headlining year (understatement alert!).

   Even more impactful, though, is how the airport enhances the flight experience for individuals every day.

   “There is a man from Holladay whose organization we’ve worked a lot with, and when he flew with us for the first time, he told me, ‘Brian, I got to Provo, got on the plane, landed, and got to the Disneyland gates four hours from when I left my house. That’s incredible,’” says Brian Torgersen, director of Provo Airport. “From then on, he was the biggest fan of the Provo Airport. It’s stories like that that I love to hear.”

   This example isn’t an isolated ovation. Alex McArthur, a Utah Valley resident, is a regular flier and fan.

   “I choose PVU for any quick regional flight,” Alex says. “Parking, getting through the airport — everything is infinitely easier than Salt Lake City International Airport.”

   It’s no wonder the airport is almost growing quicker than it can keep up with.

   In 2022, the first year of the Provo Airport Terminal service, enplanements (number of passengers boarding a commercial aircraft) were at 211,741.

   In 2024, that number had more than doubled to 448,972. 

   “We weren’t supposed to hit the 400,000 enplanement number until 2035,” Brian says.

   A major development for the airport was announced in April of last year, and then on Oct. 7, 2024, American Airlines joined the Provo airfare family, adding to the existing offerings of Breeze Airways and Allegiant Air. The announcement led to January 2025 being the airport’s second busiest month ever. This is noteworthy, as January is typically one of the slowest months at PVU.

   The estimated economic impact due to these exciting changes? Over $208 million annually. 

   “PVU now enters a new phase of development, as American Airlines launches service from Provo to its hub markets in Dallas and Phoenix,” says Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi. “These two American hub markets open the world to Provo travelers as they can access more than 230 destinations via connecting service.”

   When Brian was hired in 2017 to oversee Provo City’s public services, airport operations worked out of a one-room, one-gate facility. Now, its exponential growth is causing the airport to raise $138 million for expansions. Talk about taking off.

   “We anticipate in 2025, we’ll see over a million passengers at our airport,” Brian says. “Things are changing so fast, and it’s exciting to be a part of.”

MORE TARMAC, PLEASE

   As a civil engineer, Brian was already familiar with project management — but an airport onboarded new problems to solve.

   “One challenge we faced was in 2022 when Breeze and Allegiant announced they would begin basing aircraft here, meaning the aircraft would return here every night for maintenance,” Brian says. 

   They’re currently at nine aircraft that call Provo “home.” While there isn’t room for all of the planes on the apron quite yet (the area where aircraft are parked, loaded, etc.), this is the first step in the expansion plans. 

   While becoming too popular can be a good problem, the PVU team has banded together to problem-solve hiccups. For example, with only four passenger gates, the team got creative when gates were at capacity but partners wanted to fly additional routes.

   “We have a de-ice pad where the planes go in the morning to get de-iced before they can take off,” Brian says. “We got innovative and created a gate on that de-ice pad and installed a walkway of around 600 feet to get to the terminal.”

   To help solve this and other issues, expansion plans include growing to 10 gates from the current four, expanding the ticketing and baggage screening areas and parking lots — and planning for international customs space. 

   Funding for these expansions is provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, State of Utah, Provo City, Utah County and Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG). The team has acquired around $132 million of the proposed $138 million. Construction is set to begin this April and run through spring 2028 to complete all nine phases of the expansion.

JUST A STEP AWAY

   The ease of this airport is a breath of fresh air. From happier TSA agents to a short walk from the parking lot to the gates, the stress of air travel feels more like walking on clouds.

   PVU is also excited to have welcomed its first group of 20 missionaries onto a flight at the beginning of this year. And with only nine years until the 2034 Olympics, the positive aspect of having one more airport option for visitors from around the world is immeasurable.

   “We’re not trying to be Salt Lake, and that’s just fine,” Brian says. “We are making life easier for a million people a year. That number will continue to grow, and we’re excited about that.”

Greg and Julie Cook are founding members of doTERRA and consistent do-gooders. With karma on their side, they are blessed to be in a position to frequently donate to worthy causes for the betterment of our community. 

   From their donation to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi for the behavioral health wing, to being the founding beneficiaries of the Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater in Pleasant Grove (located on doTERRA campus), to the new Cook Family Park that is about to open, also in Pleasant Grove, the Cooks have sown seeds of generosity throughout the valley.

   But let’s begin with the doTERRA storyline of goodness.

   “The very first year doTERRA existed, Healing Hands was created in an effort to give back,” Julie says. 

   Healing Hands is an effort through doTERRA to “empower people worldwide to be healthy, safe and self-reliant.” These efforts in Q3 of 2024 included empowering Utah children through reading, flood recovery efforts in China, and support following flooding in Iowa. 

   Greg and Julie are grateful for doTERRA and the wellspring of resources it has provided and the lives it has bettered. Now, they’re taking the stage to create an even brighter Utah Valley plot twist.

MENTAL HEALTH HELPERS

   A wealth of wellness from the Cooks extends far beyond doTERRA.

   The Cooks’ $10 million gift to the Intermountain Foundation, announced in October 2020, has helped Intermountain Healthcare and the experts at Primary Children’s expand and enhance behavioral health services to improve mental wellness in children and teens — and to help prevent mental health crises. 

   Inspired by the Primary Children’s Hospital’s need for mental and behavioral health wing donations — and hearing from hospital leaders how this area is the most difficult to garner support for — the Cook Center for Human Connection was born. Their mission? Strengthening human connection and providing avenues to mental health support for those most in need. The Cook Center for Human Connection is working to decrease Utah’s suicide statistics. 

RAISE THE RUTH

   One of the Cooks’ most recent curtain calls is The Ruth — the new location for the beloved Hale Center Theater Orem. A new building has a new name honoring the legacy of Ruth and Nathan Hale, creators of the Hale Theater storyline.

   With the foresight of needing land for growth, Greg and Julie purchased land next to the doTERRA campus, and the company bought it back from them. It was a good thing all of the partners at doTERRA were avid fans of the theater, and all agreed that it would be the perfect place for the Ruth. 

   “This new theater is such an important space for Utah actors and performers,” Greg says. “The talent we have right here is incredible. Everyone inside the theater should be appreciated and compensated. What gets celebrated gets repeated, and I hope our community shows up to support the arts.”

   The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater had its grand opening on Jan. 3, with its inaugural show, “Ragtime.” 

   Greg and Julie personally guaranteed a Series B $27 million bond through Pleasant Grove City to ensure the success and longevity of The Ruth. The new theater would not have been a possibility without Greg and Julie, along with the State of Utah, Utah County, doTERRA, public funds, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gail Miller, Alan and Karen Ashton, Scott and Karen Smith, and the Lindsey family.

PLAYS AND PARKS

   From theater to universities to parks, the Cooks are active Utah Valley contributors.

   “We have been a part of the President’s Leadership Council at BYU for the past decade,” Julie says. “Greg is currently serving as the co-chair and we both serve on the executive committee. We have found great meaning through the efforts with Law and Religious Freedom, BYU Broadcasting and athletics.” 

   But Greg and Julie don’t stop collegiate support there. Both UVU and U of U are also supported by the Cooks. 

   And now, so is your local playground.

    “A few years ago, I approached Mayor (Guy) Fugal and asked him what we could help with,” Greg says. “He told me about the 40 acres they wanted to build a park on. They needed to keep the cost of developing the park very low and wouldn’t be able to invest in the amenities on their own. The park needed to have land for water retention and a cemetery, but with our help, they would be able to set aside five acres for amenities.”

   They brought in a park designer to really “go to town.” They decided on one of the main attractions being a splashpad with a ship to honor the Pleasant Grove High School Vikings. 

   “The goal is to have a draw and economic impact on Pleasant Grove City through the park as well as the new Ruth Theater,” Greg says. “We know that parks have an immeasurable impact on mental and physical health of families.”

   As the curtain rises on both of these significant projects, Greg and Julie deserve their own standing ovation.

Let’s set the scene: Four aspiring accountants sit at a table in a high school classroom. The classic “my dad’s firm is better than your dad’s firm” conversation begins, and the one girl in the group says, “I’ll decide which is the best.” 

   She picked Squire Accounting.

   Jonyce Bullock grew up playing with the tools of her father’s accounting trade — a yellow pad, a pencil, and an old calculator adding machine.

   “My favorite thing was to add numbers with that old calculator, and then make things with the adding tape — like nurses hats or streamers,” Jonyce says. “I always knew I was going to grow up and be an accountant like my dad.”

   So, when she sat in that high school class with the grandson of Squire’s founder, and sons of the founders of two other CPA firms, her focus was already set on balance sheets. During that class, one of the partners of Squire at the time, Ron King, came to teach for a week.

   “I remember thinking, ‘I really like Squire and I want to do accounting,’” she recalls.

   Even as a teenager, she saw accounting as a practical career that could offer flexibility and stability for when she would have a family someday.

   Jonyce remembers going through her career packet in junior high, and reading on the back, “Unless you can promise your daughter that she will marry, that her husband will make enough money, that he will never get sick or he will never die, you need to empower her to be able to provide for herself.”

   She took this seriously — and today balances the roles of CEO of Squire, wife, mother, and the newest role of grandmother. She’s got the best of all worlds.

WHERE I WANT TO STAY

   In an industry with an apprenticeship-focused model, Jonyce’s first role with Squire was as a college intern. It was 1999, right before the turn of the century, and Jonyce was quickly impressed with the culture of collaboration and trust, and the opportunity to work with clients directly.

   But when her own story took a turn and she suffered from a miscarriage, Jonyce wasn’t sure what Squire’s reaction would be.

   “I thought, ‘Oh no … it’s tax season. They’re going to be mad at me,’” she recalls.

   Quite the opposite. 

   As soon as she showed up at the office, one of the partners incredulously asked, “Why are you here today?”

   “Well, tax deadlines are in a couple weeks,” Jonyce replied.

   “Jonyce,” he responded, “Squire is about family. We can file an extension. And if clients don’t understand, then they’re not the right clients for us.”

   This solidified Jonyce’s decision to choose Squire. 

   “This is where I wanted to be and where I wanted to stay,” she says.

A SEAT AT THE TABLE

   Squire is an accounting staple founded in Orem with offices in both Utah County and Salt Lake County, offering essential tax, audit and advisory services — and has been adding numbers for 50+ years. Key to its longevity is the company’s focus on three main values: personal connection, proactive ownership and thoughtful innovation.

   These are also the values she practiced (and still practices) that led to her selection as CEO in 2018.

   “The team went through the process of asking, ‘What does the firm need in the future — and who do we have that can do that?’” Jonyce says. “They came to me and said, ‘We realize you still have kids at home and you are one of our youngest partners, but we really think you can do this.’”

   Up to that point, Jonyce had been leading Squire’s advisory area for six years, so she had been building her leadership muscles. But the role of “CEO” brought on new challenges — and she immediately knew the personal pain points she’d have to face.

   “My nature is to keep a harmonious, nice culture. I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings,” Jonyce says. “I knew immediately that the hardest thing for me was going to be learning how to have hard, crucial conversations.”

   She took the Crucial Conversations course in preparation, and now has more confidence in tough, but necessary, situations. Jonyce’s self-description as “painfully shy as a child” doesn’t add up anymore.

   But it has taken a toll on her vocal cords.

   “For a while, I was losing my voice every day, so I went to a place that specializes in vocal cord treatment,” she says.

   After the exam, the doctor asked Jonyce what she did for work. The title of “female executive” told the doctor all she needed to know.

   Jonyce’s vocal cords wouldn’t close. Rather than speaking from her diaphragm, she was speaking from her neck and chest. 

   Her doctor told her, “I notice this tends to be a problem in female executives, because they have to physically fight to be heard in the room.”

   Jonyce started to cry.

   “Even now, my partners totally respect me, but running my board meetings, I’m still the only female in the room,” Jonyce says. 

   With this awareness, she has learned to change the way she speaks in board meetings — and has learned that she belongs at the table.

FOCUS ON THE STORY

   As CEO, one of Jonyce’s favorite implementations has been yearly themes. With 230 employees, Squire needed a way to unite the whole since the team was too large for joint staff meetings.

   This year’s theme is “storytelling.”

   “Accountants aren’t natural storytellers; we’re better with data and numbers,” Jonyce says. “But on social media in the past, people were talking very negatively about accounting. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) identified that the profession needs to change the way we talk about ourselves — why aren’t we talking about the business we saved, or the person we helped retire?”

   Jonyce served on the AICPA board from 2021-2024 (which includes only 32 people globally). In this role, she was inspired by the words of a colleague, Asif Sadiq, chief diversity officer for Warner Bros. Discovery.

   “The problem is that we’re making it about programs and not about people,” Asif says. “When we understand each other’s stories, the rest doesn’t matter.”

   With that in mind, Squire is focusing more on the stories of the people they serve — like the stories of the businesses they’re helping save or the people they’re helping retire.

   From the little girl making crafts with the calculator paper, to becoming the CEO of Squire, Jonyce’s journey has been a story full of unexpected calculations — but there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.

   “If I could have a conversation with my 1999 self,” Jonyce says, “I’d tell myself that I belonged at the table and that I should start acting like it.”

    The Jonyce from 1999 would be proud of the 2025 CEO of Squire. 

Squeeze is a marketer’s best friend.

   The company’s services sit between marketing and sales, taking care of the high-volume, shorter-interaction leads so sales teams can focus on closing deals.

   Founder and CEO Carson Poppenger studied marketing and business management at UVU, and that knowledge — combined with his work experience handling leads for sales teams — taught him there could be a better way for marketing and sales to support each other.

   “Years ago, I was working at a company in Provo, and they were acquiring a large amount of leads every week,” Carson says. “We would get those to the sales team, but the sales team wasn’t calling them frequently enough to penetrate the customers we were acquiring. So, I built a system with them to follow up on and nurture leads.”

   He realized this issue extended to various industries, and Squeeze began — with a goal to “squeeze” more opportunities for companies to optimize their speed to lead, contact rates and conversion.

   The company was founded in 2009, and now, Squeeze is proud to employ over 400 people with offices in Orem, Logan and Rexburg, Idaho. Fast fact! The company was named one of Utah Valley’s Fastest-Growing Companies four years in a row — from 2021 to 2024.

   “Everything we’re doing is to improve the sales process,” Carson says. “That’s why we call ourselves the leaders in sales experience.”

WHAT’S THE SQUEEZE?

   Here are the juicy details on how Carson and his team are becoming masters of the industry.

   “We’re a servicer for marketers. We can help them because we understand their pain points,” Carson says. “We want to help them achieve the return on ad spend that they want, and it won’t really happen without people picking up the phone and calling leads.”

   Squeeze has been hired by top-flight companies — including Purple, Vivint, Mr. Cooper, SoFi and Globe Life — to handle lead follow-up. 

   “When we work with a client, we represent their brand,” Carson says. “Our account managers sync up with the marketing teams of clients to become better versed in their product, language and voice.”

   For example, if a team member is assigned to work with Mr. Cooper, that will be their sole focus project. Squeeze makes outbound calls to leads to help the customer understand the product better, such as a mortgage from Mr. Cooper.

   “We really went all-in on the phone,” Carson says. “We’ve tried text messaging, email marketing and direct mail — but calls have the highest yield. The companies we represent have services that need to be talked over on the phone.”

   And the best part? Clients only pay when Squeeze performs.

   “Every project we do is performance-based,” Carson says. “We don’t charge an hourly rate, or setup or management fees. We only charge for the transfers we deliver and the appointments we set.”

   This approach means Squeeze is the party under pressure to deliver — and the company’s 3,000 daily appointments and transfers deliver the juice. Carson attributes the company’s success to earning the business of their clients every day.

   But in the end, servicing marketers only works if they succeed at marketing themselves.

MARKETING TO MARKETERS

   When Squeeze first started, they focused on Google ads to attract clients. However, they found that too many of the businesses reaching out to them weren’t the best fits.

   “We want products we can be proud of,” Carson says. “We want to work with businesses that have great reputations and great brand awareness.”

   Carson switched gears and focused Squeeze’s attention to producing more content about what they do — so they started a podcast: The Juice Consumer Direct podcast. This specifically targets CMOs and VPs of marketing with topics like “the future of lead generation,” “building a winning sales culture” and “boosting ROI in mortgage marketing.”

   “We talk about the problems we know they’re having,” Carson says. “Calling it ‘consumer direct’ is a signal to anybody in the industry. Our topics are meaningful to them.”

   On top of the podcast, Squeeze participates in lead-generation trade shows, is launching an ambassador program, and is building its own AI tech called “Peel” — which will analyze and give feedback about client sales calls.

ORANGE YOU GLAD WE SUCCEED?

   What makes a company like Squeeze a fastest-growing company for four consecutive years? A focus on having fun, aligning actions with goals, doing the right thing, staying technology-focused, continuously improving, and having incredible managers and teams.

   “Honoring our commitments is something we’re really big on,” Carson says. “Our clients know that if we say we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it.”

   That’s the Squeeze sales experience.

She’s the face of a household healthy brand with dozens of nutrient-dense products, 75 employees, and 1.2 million Instagram followers.

   So it may surprise you that Karalynne Call was voted the “most shy girl” in junior high. No longer. Now, Karalynne’s favorite part of leading Just Ingredients is speaking, and her only lament is that she can’t say yes to all of the speaking opportunities that come her way. 

   And that speaks to the passion she feels for the subject matter of nutrition, ingredients and wellness. Karalynne’s entrepreneurial journey began more than 15 years ago when she was battling suicidal depression. She found a way forward by paying close attention to what she was putting in her body. She used Instagram as a way to share her story, and now 1.2 million followers are on a journey with her to increase health and happiness — just by paying attention to ingredients. The brand’s dedication to authentic, transparent ingredients also led to Just Ingredients landing in Whole Foods stores nationwide, and sponsorships with the Utah Jazz and the Utah Hockey Club.

   As entrepreneur of the year, Karalynne is proving that wellness is the best way. 

NOT JUST FAMILY

   Karalynne believes her greatest education and prep for running a business has been motherhood. 

   “As a mom of six kids, I have to be organized and I find myself solving problems every day — like a book report that is due today that hasn’t been started,” Karalynne says. “People always ask how I’ve grown this business with no debt and no outside investors, and I tell them that I learned to budget as a mom.” 

   She also credits her relationship with God as guiding her daily decisions.

   “I always wonder why my life was saved,” Karalynne says. “I think being a mom was part of it, but I also see God’s hand in guiding this business so that I can educate others and help them live happier lives.” 

   Raising kids (ages 25 to 11) and a business at the same time has had its challenges, but Karalynne has her routines and priorities. And she isn’t building the Just Ingredients brand alone. Karalynne and her husband, Jeff, balance their family and business life together. 

   “I tell everybody that he’s been fired three times, but I hire him back every time,” she laughs. “As soon as we figured out what our responsibilities were, it was great. He focuses on retail and operations, and I focus on marketing, product development, content creation.”

   Karalynne isn’t worried about Instagram’s algorithm or social media trends — she simply shares what she’s learning and uses her platform to educate others.

   “Younger people are going to TikTok for entertainment and news, so if we want to reach our future buyers we have to be where they are on social media,” Karalynne says. 

JUST PROBLEM-SOLVING

   “Entrepreneurship is about solving problems with a positive mindset and accepting them as fun challenges,” she says. 

   One of the current problems Karalynn is solving is creating a microgreens drink without the lead that is prominent in other options on the market. Finding reliable suppliers for the quantity needed is no small task. Creating products with “just ingredients” is a complex math equation. 

   “Using good quality ingredients may not provide the biggest profit margin initially, but it does generate revenue,” Karalynne says. “People are willing to pay more for real food ingredients. As demand increases and we educate people, we sell more product and bring down our pricing with manufacturers and suppliers so that it becomes more profitable. So many companies want to be profitable right out of the gate, but you’ve got to teach people why they need this product — and then the profitability will follow.” 

NOT JUST WOMEN

   Ninety-five percent of Just Ingredients consumers have traditionally been women, and Karalynne knew that to compete with other big brands she was going to need to crack the code of the male buyer. 

   “Men weren’t going to start watching me on Instagram, so we chose the sports route to get their attention,” she says. 

   The Utah Jazz interviewed multiple protein powder companies to be their official protein power — and Just Ingredients was selected. 

   “Athletes are very aware of what they are putting in and on their bodies because they want a long, healthy career,” she says. “Being part of the Jazz organization has been a great brand awareness tool for us.” 

   Just Ingredients also just announced a partnership with Major League Baseball phenom Bryce Harper. 

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

   Karalynne tells would-be entrepreneurs that the path is going to be challenging, but having a passion for the product or problem to solve will carry them through hard days. 

   “I also tell people to trust themselves,” Karalynne says. “There is so much noise and everybody is going to tell you to do things differently. Believe in yourself and move forward.”

Corey Shelley was already thinking about mortgages at just 5 years old.

    “My parents, Scott and Jamie Shelley, along with John Aldrich, started First Colony Mortgage when I was young,” he says. “I’ve never not been here. Even dinner table talk was about mortgages.”
   Without knowing it, the Shelley kids were learning entrepreneurship from day one. Although Jamie Shelley initially knew nothing about mortgages, she worked hard and leaned on mentors so she could help build a company she would be proud of.

   “They had to figure out how to make a living and raise us kids, and they also wanted to be really good at the business,” Corey recalls.
  Over the years, in full-circle fashion, First Colony Mortgage’s foundation became so strong that some of Jamie’s mentors and teachers joined the Colony crew.

   “When the company started in Orem, it was small,” Corey says. “We’ve grown to be a big company, but the principles that John, Scott and Jamie gave us are still what we build on.”

   Based in Pleasant Grove, First Colony Mortgage is Utah’s No. 1 mortgage company with a mighty team — from dinner-table-mortgage-talk to now as Corey is First Colony’s chairman. Thanks to CEO Carine Strom Clark and Emily Rowley (president of First Colony Mortgage’s retail division) along with a stalwart team of 333 employees, the company is celebrating big wins thanks to a Colony-minded culture.

THE AMERICAN DREAM

   First Colony Mortgage celebrated a banner year in 2024. It was the company’s 40th year in business, and it funded over 7,400 loans at a value of nearly $3 billion. 

   But the team isn’t as concerned about the numbers as they are about the families and individuals they’re getting into homes.

   “When I joined First Colony Mortgage in 2024, I read an article that said 52 percent of Americans believe they’ll never get into a home — and that was crushing for me,” Carine says. “We believe if you want to get into a home, we can help make that happen. It may not be a $7 million estate, but it will be a great home. We’re enabling the American Dream.”

   In an industry that can be incredibly complex and stressful, the First Colony family prioritizes culture — internally and externally — so homebuyers, loan officers and all employees have a collective breath-of-fresh-air experience.

   “This is what Emily’s team does, and they’re the best at it,” Carine says. “They make it easy for people to navigate this complicated, complex process, and they do so by taking the friction out of it.”

   From her knee doctor to her dentist, Carine hears only positive feedback about how First Colony Mortgage empowers families to make homes out of houses.

CULTURE OVER STRATEGY

   First Colony Mortgage was founded in 1984. Over 40 years in business says something about the company’s health, but the secret sauce is simpler than you may think.

   “Someone asked me once about our business model, and I told them, ‘Well, we do mortgages,’” says Corey. “They responded ‘No, no … culture or strategy?’ I looked at him funny and I said, ‘It’s always culture.’”

   What does that look like in practice?

   “I always joke with the team that we are like an aquarium with all these different fish — me, Corey, Emily, the loan officers, etc. The culture is the water in the aquarium,” Carine says. “If the pH level is corrosive or toxic, all the fish die. If the culture is healthy and thriving — I fondly call this our ‘colony’ — the fish can grow, thrive and achieve what they want.”

   During the 2008 real estate crash, Corey witnessed a meaningful culture moment through a game of rock paper scissors.

   “There was no business at all. We were so young and naive. We were just having fun, and we were still hustling,” Corey says.

   Everyone was trying to figure out how to get paychecks. To be fair to the team, FCM would assign out lots evenly: If there were four lots, four team members would each get one.

   “Somehow we missed a builder’s lot, and in that type of scarcity, you’d think that people would want to claim it as theirs, but I watched a group of loan officers say, ‘No, you take it.’ No one wanted to be the taker,” Corey says. “I finally stepped in and said, ‘Rock paper scissors for it.’”

   “We were so generous with each other,” Emily says. “This one ‘rock, paper, scissors’ was potentially thousands of dollars for any of these people. Moments like this still happen today.”

   On top of the generosity, First Colony Mortgage also ensures that all departments — and specifically sales and operations — support and respect each other. In the system Jamie built from the beginning, “sales cannot come down on operations,” Corey says. “I don’t know how she did it, but she created a balance.”

   “You don’t attack the people who are helping you get your deals across the finish line,” Emily says. “When people do come here with that mentality, they either change and adapt and treat people with respect, or they don’t last long. You have to work as a team.”

   Strategy, step aside. It’s culture’s time to shine.

UNDER THE SAME ROOF

   For the company’s celebration of 40 years in business, the founders were asked, “What is your favorite memory of the last 40 years?”

   “They brought up the hardest time in business — the recession of 2008,” Emily says. “It’s because they had to pivot and grow, and had to find ways to take care of their people and maintain their culture. I feel like the last few years have been very similar to that time. So we will probably look back one day and say, ‘That was insane … but it was fun.’”

   Corey shares that 2025 is the 37th-year low in the industry of mortgages, so they’ve had to hold tighter to culture and values as they pivot with their services. For example, they recently began a wholesale offering on top of the retail business. 

    “To grow, you have to add more routes to market so you can weather the storms when there are economic challenges,” Carine says.

   Emily agrees.

   “I think the best time to change your company and grow is during a time like this,” she says. “We’re going to learn from our past just like our founders did. Everybody united, worked and survived together during tough times.”

   Not only does First Colony Mortgage transform houses into homes while fueling the American Dream — but it first makes sure to take care of the family under its own roof. And that’s the colony.