Spark The Conversation Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rich Soares
Spark The Conversation enables our employees to share their stories and what makes them unique. We embrace our differences and celebrate that our collection of individual experiences make us stronger through our diversity.
You may know Casey Garrett-Taylor as a Human Resources Generalist with Pulte Mortgage, but did you know this about Casey?
- Casey was born in Vancouver, Canada and moved to Seattle at the age of three. She moved to Colorado a few years later and considers Colorado home.
- In High School Casey competed in Soccer, Cross-Country and Track and Field. She misses running and recently completed a local 5K fun run.
- One of Casey's passions is animal rescue. Casey is a part of a dog foster program called "A Friend of Jack". It's a female-owned and operated has rescued more than 2000 dogs and placed them with temporary foster homes until a permanent adoption happened. Casey not only fosters dogs, but has also adopted an adorable mutt named Rosco.
- Casey is big on the outdoors. During the winter she likes to snowboard. During the summer she likes to hike and wakeboard.
- Casey is a new aunt of a 5-month-old nephew. Here mom, dad and brother all live in Colorado. Her younger sister lives in Florida.
- After graduation from college, Casey and friends traveled to southeast Asia and fell in love with Krabi, Thailand. She went to an elephant sanctuary and learned, fed and played with Asian elephants.
- Her future travel plans include a trip to Barcelona and Italy this September, and an eventual return to Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers.
This month we're talking with Nickie Litzinger. You may know Nickie as an Post Closing Corrections Specialist in our Post Closing Department, but did you know?
- Nickie started with Pulte Mortgage in October of 2022
- Prior to working at Pulte Mortgage, Nickie worked in retail. She wanted to work a normal Monday to Friday job when she discovered Pulte Mortgage
- Nickie raised her two sons and took them camping and fishing in Colorado
- Today Nickie's younger son Austin is a bachelor and still loves fly fishing
- Her oldest son Jeret now has a son Jackson and is expecting a daughter (Riley) soon.
- Nickie and her husband are moving to a DiVosta Home in Florida to be close to her grand children
- During the winter she and her husband like to cook and Nickie enjoys crocheting blankets for grand babies
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. This month we're talking with Dani Surek. You may know Dani as an Escrow Coordinator at our PGP Title office in Scottsdale Arizona, but did you know?
- Dani, has a dog named “Nesta” after Bob Marley's middle name.
- She was born in Riverside CA, moved to Phoenix area at the age of 5.
- Dani has family in the real estate industry. Her dad is the West Area Manager for PulteGroup and her mom is a Post Closer in the industry.
- Dani's older sister 6 years senior is her greatest influencer. Her sister attends Harvard and is studying Education Politics.
- Dani would like to live abroad and enjoys road trips. One of her goals is to travel to all 50 States.
- Dani's favorite things: she's a dog person, a night owl, favorite restaurant is Spiga Cucina, favorite book is The Great Gatsby, favorite movie is Spider Man, favorite vacation spot is San Diego and favorite hobby is going to concerts!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. This month we're talking with Dani Surek. You may know Dani as an Escrow Coordinator at our PGP Title office in Scottsdale Arizona, but did you know?
- Dani, has a dog named “Nesta” after Bob Marley's middle name.
- She was born in Riverside CA, moved to Phoenix area at the age of 5.
- Dani has family in the real estate industry. Her dad is the West Area Manager for PulteGroup and her mom is a Post Closer in the industry.
- Dani's older sister 6 years senior is her greatest influencer. Her sister attends Harvard and is studying Education Politics.
- Dani would like to live abroad and enjoys road trips. One of her goals is to travel to all 50 States.
- Dani's favorite things: she's a dog person, a night owl, favorite restaurant is Spiga Cucina, favorite book is The Great Gatsby, favorite movie is Spider Man, favorite vacation spot is San Diego and favorite hobby is going to concerts!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. You many know Frances Quinn as an Escrow Officer for PGP Title in our Dallas/Ft Wort Division, but did you know?
- Frances brings 30 years of Title experience to our customers and team!
- Frances was born, grew up, and still lives in Dallas with her husband. Frances' family, including her mother and sisters, all live in Texas.
- Her husband is in commercial construction and works on projects like the Texas State Capital building.
- Frances has a 35-year-old son, a grandson and step-granddaughter. Frances enjoys taking her grandchildren to parks, water parks and a nearby mall with a carousel and train.
- She also has two furry children, a male Yorkie named Joe Montana and female Yorkie named Daisy, who is a "dominant angel".
- Frances enjoys decorating her home and likes changing things up. She particularly enjoys decorating for the holidays. She does not enjoy the cleanup.
- When Frances isn't decorating, she enjoys volunteering at her church and going on family vacations the beach in Port Aransas, Texas.
- Frances' New Year's Resolution is to save for her grandchildren's education and future.
Big announcements this week from IRONMAN and Tour de France. We've been talking for weeks about the 2 Day IMWC dilemma. IM's answer- 2 different locations, 1 month apart and on opposite sides of the globe for women and men. We knew the women were racing in Kona in October '23. It looks like the men will be racing in Nice France in September. We'll talk about this in the news and more.
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In Today's Show
- Endurance News
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- Dual Hosts for 2023+ IRONMAN World Championship
- Tour de France will skip Paris finale in 2024
- Chloe Dygert undergoes surgery to treat tachycardia
- What's new in the 303
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- Meet the East HS MTB Team
- TriDot Pre Season Project
- Video of the Week
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- Danny MacAskill’s Postcard from San Francisco
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Endurance News:
IRONMAN Announces Plan for Dual Hosts for VinFast IRONMAN World Championship
TAMPA, Fla. (Nov. 30, 2022) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Following the first-ever two-day IRONMAN World Championship and a continued commitment to providing women and men their own dedicated day of racing, IRONMAN announced today that the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon will move forward with two different host venues. To ensure that both professional and amateur women and men have a focused IRONMAN World Championship race experience, the women will race in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 14, 2023, with the men’s race date and location outside of Hawaii currently being evaluated and expected to be announced in January 2023. For 2024, the men and women would exchange locations.
The 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship was held this past October in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i over two days for the first time in the history of the event, showcasing the very best women and men in the sport while giving both their deserved spotlight. With the future dual host locations and separation of race weeks, the women’s and men’s races will each garner further attention with all eyes focused on the race week activities and lead up to their respective IRONMAN World Championship race days.
While the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship two-day format was a success in many areas and the two-day format in Kailua-Kona for 2023 had already been announced, IRONMAN and the County of Hawai’i concluded together that the impact of two days of racing in Kona is not currently in the best interest of the local community.
“We are reinforcing our commitment for a dedicated world championship race experience for women and men to each receive an exclusive spotlight on their race. Hawai`i is in our DNA and we look forward to the first-ever exclusively women’s world championship race week in Kona. At the same time, we are looking forward to announcing a co-host location for the men’s race that will be worthy of an IRONMAN World Championship and will capture the imagination of our athletes and fans,” said Andrew Messick, President & Chief Executive Officer for The IRONMAN Group.
Hawai`i is the proud birthplace of IRONMAN and despite not being able to undertake a two-day world championship event at this time, it will continue to be an important part in the shared history of IRONMAN, with Kona continuing as a co-host of the IRONMAN World Championship.
“Hawaii County has long enjoyed partnering with IRONMAN and this year’s epic races were another example of world-class athletic competition held on the traditional Kona-Kohala world championship course,” said Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth. We learned, however, that more than one race day during IRONMAN week is too many for the community to manage. We are pleased that IRONMAN plans to return to Kailua-Kona as a co-host of the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship and look forward to more exciting events in the future.”
With this major move to ensure dedicated IRONMAN World Championship racing for both women’s and men’s fields, the qualifying cycle and slot allocations will be slightly adjusted. Allocations may be viewed here, www.ironman.com/im-world-championship-2023-slot with further adjustments to occur in line with the Men’s Championship race location announcement, expected to occur in January. Additionally, all athletes who have previously qualified and registered for the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will be contacted directly with additional information.
Tour de France will skip Paris finale in 2024
For the first time in race history, the Tour de France will not conclude in Paris in 2024. That’s according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, which reports that Nice will be the host of the final stage in two years.
Why? With the Olympic Games set for Paris from late July into mid-August, officials do not want the logistical and security issues overlapping between the Games and the Tour.
The final stage of the Tour has always been in Paris (or in nearby suburbs), and since 1975 the final stage has ended on the Champs-Élysées.
The 2024 edition of the Tour is expected to start in Italy for the first time, with stages in Tuscany and the Piemonte regions before dipping into France.
The race would then embark on its traditional “grande boucle” around France, but instead of heading to Paris, it will loop back toward Nice for the finale.
Nice recently hosted the “grand départ” of the 2020 edition of the Tour that was rescheduled for September in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Details of the 2023 edition are already revealed, with the race starting in Spain’s Basque Country, and the final stage, as always, in Paris.
Chloe Dygert undergoes surgery to treat tachycardia
Chloé Dygert has undergone surgery to treat supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a condition which causes episodes where the heart beats much faster than usual.
The North American rider revealed the information in a post on Instagram accompanied by video clips of herself lying in a hospital bed.
"My SVT was annoying but not life-threatening, (as long as I stopped immediately if I was training)," Dygert, who is set to embark on her third season with Canyon-Sram next year, wrote.
"My most recent episode happened while I was out on an easy basic endurance ride, my heart rate peaked at 219, then sat at 205 for five minutes and 195 for another ten minutes.
"It would jump between 180 to 205 in the remainder of the episode lasting 35 minutes. I stopped and sat on the side of the road to wait for my heart rate to slow back down below 150."
Dygert explained that she had been suffering from the condition for nearly a decade, though the frequency of the SVT episodes had increased in recent months.
"It started for the first time back in 2015, only happening once or twice a year until this year," she wrote of the condition, which is rarely life-threatening but may cause a cardiac arrest or unconsciousness.
"But just the past two months it has triggered five times. My fear is having one during a race and needing to stop so we made the decision to go in and get it fixed with the frequency increase."
Dygert has endured a hard two years after suffering a brutal crash during the Road World Championships time trial in 2020. She was away from racing for nine months following the devastating knee injury suffered after colliding with a guard rail during the Imola time trial.
Last year she took part in the Olympic Games road race and time trial, though her 2022 season was once again ruined thanks to a bout of the Epstein-Barr virus.
Her SVT surgery seems to only be a minor blip in her recovery, however, as Dygert revealed that she is already back on the bike and training.
"I was awake and lightly sedated during the procedure," she wrote. "Definitely one of the most unique kinds of pains I’ve ever felt. In the recovery, I wasn’t allowed to move for 4 hours, giving the artery time to heal from the catheter ablation. I was back on my bike within 5 days after the procedure with only one minor hiccup happening on day 5."
What's New in the 303:
Meet the East High School Mountain Bike Team
East is one of several teams in the league made up of kids that attend different high schools. East and South are the only Denver Public School teams in the league. 96 teams make up the league with schools as far north as Spearfish, South Dakota, and south into Northern New Mexico.
How many different schools are represented on the East Team?
Denver Online HS, Denver School of Arts HS, DSST: Byers HS, DSST: Cole HS, DSST: Conservatory Green HS, DSST: Montview HS, East High School, George Washington High School, Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences, Morey Middle School, North High School, Northfield High School.
Describe the growth of the team over the years.
The team was founded in 2010 by Steve Bussey, an employee in the District’s Office of Technology. Over the next ten years, the team grew and sometimes shrank before reaching a high point of over 50 riders. However, the team shrank significantly during the pandemic and subsequent cancellation of the racing season. Coming out of the pandemic, we expected the team to be approximately 30 riders, but were pleasantly surprised to field 42 riders and racers by the end of the season. Many are girls and/or high school seniors who joined the team for the first time.
In general, how experienced are kids on the team at racing, does the team attract never-before riders as much as experienced riders?
Most of our riders have some experience riding trails and some already have experience racing mountain, road, or cyclocross. However, the majority of our riders have never raced before joining the team. More interestingly, being a city-based team, some of our new team members have never owned or ridden a mountain bike before, We love attracting those new to the sport. So, while the learning curve can be steep, it is incredibly rewarding. Some of our favorite stories involve our new riders and the improvement they see over the course of a season.
Invitation to TriDot Pre Season Project
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Video of the week:
Danny MacAskill’s Postcard from San Francisco
Closing:
Thanks again for listening in this week. Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We'd really appreciate it!
Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. You may know Bre Meyers as a Specialized Loan Processor for Pulte Mortgage, but did you know this about Bre?
- Bre grew up in Elizabeth, Colorado. Her grandparents had a farm in Parker, and she had free reign to explore and play around the farm with her brothers. Her grandma was an incredible and caring person and one of her greatest influences.
- Bre graduated from Elizabeth High School and then went on to study Music Performance for Percussion earning her undergraduate and most of her doctorate at the University of Northern Colorado and her Masters at Central Michigan University. Bre also studied abroad in Scotland and lived there for a semester.
- Bre started with Pulte Mortgage in 2020 as a Loan Processor and was recently promoted to Specialized Loan Processor. She finds that her experience teaching has really helped her with documentation when processing loans for customers.
- Bre enjoys spending time with her two dogs, a Catahoula Leopard Dog and a Blue Heeler who was a Covid adoption. She celebrates Pride Month every year in either Denver or San Francisco and looks forward to celebrating in Chicago in the future.
- Some of Bre's favorite things include riding her motorcycle, eating at Hacienda Colorado, the movie "Mean Girls" and a novel by Neil Gaiman titled "Neverwhere". No surprise, her favorite hobby is music and she enjoys playing in her spare time.
Welcome to the "Spark the Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. You may know Dave Meyers as the West Area Manager for Pulte Financial Services, but did you know this about Dave?
- Dave grew up in the Seattle-Bellevue area in Washington state and later moved to Northern California during his High School years. He completed his Undergraduate degree from California State University in Fullerton, CA and his master’s degree in Education at Azusa Pacific University.
- He started his career in financial services working for a private equipment financing company. He did his first career change and transitions into job as a high school algebra teacher and then as an assistant principal. He did his second career change back to financial services when he started working for Pulte Mortgage in 2006.
- Dave offices out of the Pulte Southern California division in Mission Viejo and has been in his current role for 4 years. He finds his early career experiences of working in equipment financing and education gave him skills that he uses on a daily basis educating the Sales team on how to use Pulte Mortgage financing to sell homes.
- Dave and his wife have 4 children. Their oldest is 17 years old and is a competitive rock climber who plans to join the Coast Guard to become a rescue swimmer. They have twin 16 year old girls who play volleyball and soccer, and their youngest who is in 7th grade also plays soccer. All of his kids to well with math.
- Outdoor family and enjoy camping in the Sierra mountains with they are not on a volleyball court or soccer field.
- Dave feels he is in his element when he is climbing mountains on his own. He has climbed Denali in Alaska, Mt Shasta and Mt Rannier. He has more climbs on his bucket list in the Himalayas and South America.
- In his downtime he likes to read every day. He recently re-read Malcom Gladwell's "Outliers". Dave also likes to cook and take on wood working projects.
- Dave enjoys getting to know others and find out what he has in common with people.
Welcome to the "Spark the Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. You may know Dave Meyers as the West Area Manager for Pulte Financial Services, but did you know this about Dave?
- Dave grew up in the Seattle-Bellevue area in Washington state and later moved to Northern California during his High School years. He completed his Undergraduate degree from California State University in Fullerton, CA and his master’s degree in Education at Azusa Pacific University.
- He started his career in financial services working for a private equipment financing company. He did his first career change and transitions into job as a high school algebra teacher and then as an assistant principal. He did his second career change back to financial services when he started working for Pulte Mortgage in 2006.
- Dave offices out of the Pulte Southern California division in Mission Viejo and has been in his current role for 4 years. He finds his early career experiences of working in equipment financing and education gave him skills that he uses on a daily basis educating the Sales team on how to use Pulte Mortgage financing to sell homes.
- Dave and his wife have 4 children. Their oldest is 17 years old and is a competitive rock climber who plans to join the Coast Guard to become a rescue swimmer. They have twin 16 year old girls who play volleyball and soccer, and their youngest who is in 7th grade also plays soccer. All of his kids to well with math.
- Outdoor family and enjoy camping in the Sierra mountains with they are not on a volleyball court or soccer field.
- Dave feels he is in his element when he is climbing mountains on his own. He has climbed Denali in Alaska, Mt Shasta and Mt Rannier. He has more climbs on his bucket list in the Himalayas and South America.
- In his downtime he likes to read every day. He recently re-read Malcom Gladwell's "Outliers". Dave also likes to cook and take on wood working projects.
- Dave enjoys getting to know others and find out what he has in common with people.
This month we're talking with Kaitlin Grunder, who you may know as the Marketing and Social Media Manager for Pulte Financial Services, but did you know this about Kaitlin?
- Originally from Chicago until the 5th grade, her family moved to Dallas for 2 years, and then Atlanta where she attended 7th to the 11th grade.
- Her family was impacted by the recession following the mortgage crisis of the late 2000s. Instead of fulfilling her senior plans to be Captain of the volleyball and basketball teams and editor of the yearbook, she moved to Castle Rock her senior graduating from Castle View High School.
- She attended Auburn University where she studied Journalism. Kailin even negotiated her own Major of Visual Journalism with a Minor in Business Marketing.
- Feels moving around taught her to be flexible and she enjoys change and feels antsy if there's not change
- Parents and two younger brothers all live in Caste Rock, CO
- Created a book cover which got her discovered by an ad agency.
- Has never really taken a real vacation and she is finally taking her first trip to Mexico with her boyfriend
- Finds being outdoors working in the yard or hiking in nature restorative which she describes as "it refills my cup".
- Music is a passion and all-time favorite artist is The Weekend.
- She is celebrating her 4th employment anniversary with Pulte Financial Services in October
This month we're talking with Dan Huddleston. You may know that Dan is a Loan Consultant San Antonio and Minnesota team in Loan Origination, but did you know these things about Dan?
- Dan born in Avon England and moved to Florida shortly thereafter.
- Dan grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and then attend the UNC Chapel Hill where he earned a degree in
- Dan earned a Biology and Environmental Science degrees.
- He considered pursuing applying to medical school, but decided to move to Colorado and start a career recreation and restaurant management.
- Dan is an avid year round outdoor activity enthusiast with instruction certifications in snowboarding and freestyle riding. He also picked up whitewater, kayaking and paddle board instruction certifications along the way. He lived in Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge where also spent time in the restaurant management world.
- He also taught hand gliding in the Outer Banks in the summer of 2016.
- Dan took inspiration from three generations of members who worked in the mortgage industry and he joined Pulte Mortgage in September of 2020.
- Dan still enjoys outdoor activities, but makes friendships and connections with others a priority.
- Dan also enjoys learning about psychology, sociology and finds meditation and yoga help his clear and organize his thoughts.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. This month we're talking with John Cutaia, who is a Product Owner on the Digital Customer Experience team in ISD. Did you know this about John?
- John grew up in the small town of Nederland in SE Texas.
- John’s dad was very influential in teaching John both a good work ethic as well as how to enjoy life. His favorite memories of his dad are of helping his dad at work and spending time fishing together.
- John has a 33-year-old daughter, has family still in SE Texas, and spends a lot of time with his friends in Colorado hiking and camping.
- In the 1990 John fronted a spoken poetry performance on KUT Radio. He also made the 10 o'clock news doing a "shave you head" challenge reading poetry from memory while his head was being shaved.
- John's other creative outlets include photography, writing, and playing guitar.
- John is a perpetually curious person and finds that creativity is an integral part of who he is. He has recently completed a short novel inspired by stories like Old Yeller.
Welcome to the Spark The Conversation Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. This month we're talking with Katie Amundson, who is the Regional Sales Manager for Central, North and Southeast Florida. Did you know that Katie….
- Katie has been with PulteMortgage for 18 years and loves mentoring and developing team members
- Was born and raised in Quebec City, Canada and her first language is French
- First learned English when her family moved to Calgary
- Furthered her English speaking at Nova scotia University where she earned a business degree
- Self-described as passionate, dedicated, and friendly – has a contagious smile and laugh
- Has two daughters ages 11 and 22. Her oldest daughter just graduated from Seattle University and her youngest is a competitive dancer training at the Parker School for Performing Arts
- Loves to travel and spends the weekends skiing and doing outdoor activities. Her family’s favorite ski resort is Monarch
- Finds personal and family wellbeing (her happy place) with playing board games and reading teen books in French to her 11-year-old
Show Notes:
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers.
This month we're talking with Ryan Brown, VP of Enterprise Architecture and Cloud Solutions.
- Ryan followed in his Dad's footsteps who was an Engineer
- Started programming software at the age of five with a TRS Tandy home computer - his first software program was Pong
- Stared his undergraduate education studying Psychology and then changed routes to work as a software developer
- Ryan found that he could solve problems and delight people using technology
- Enjoys spending time with his family and considers them his heart and soul
- Enjoys kayaking, paddle boarding, biking and hiking
- Recently took a father/son trip to an Japanese animation (Anime)
- Planning a trip to Maui to visit family this Summer
- Enjoys bringing fun to work and likes sparking conversations with interesting Teams background images
- Being outside is a magical potion for his wellbeing
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. This month we're talking with Katie Vigil, who is the VP of Product Development and System Support. Did you know that Katie…
- Attended nursing school and has experience a cadaver lab.
- Worked as a teller, personal banker and an investment banker where she still felt like she was helping people .
- Became a mortgage specialist at her bank and fell in love with mortgage banking.
- Worked in a number of mortgage banking roles including running a lock desk, originating loans, product development and has helped with LOS and pricing engine implementations.
- Has three daughters and one boy. She runs around on the weekend with Karate, Football, Soccer and loves trips to the mountains with her family.
- She takes care of herself by exercising and trying to eat well. Always taking care of others and now taking care of her own appointments.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our team and customers. This month we're talking with Lichelle Augustson, who is the Pulte Mortgage New Hire Supervisor over the MB1 Program. Did you know this about Lichelle?
Graduated from the University of Colorado.
One of her first jobs after college was working retail at Mervyn's in the Boulder mall.
She started at PulteMortgage in 2003 in the MB1 program for Loan Consultants.
One of her first manager roles was in the Nevada market where learned new parts of the business.
During the mortgage market downturn, Lichelle pursued an interest and went to Cosmetology School around 2009.
Lichelle returned to Pulte Mortgage a few years later as an OPS and then moved into her current role in 2017 as MB1 Manager
One of her favorite parts of the job is getting to know new people and then having connections with them wherever they go in the organization.
Lichelle and her wife Glenda spend their weekends with their Terrier Jack, who was a rescue.
They also enjoy traveling and cruises in particular. They have traveled all over Europe and they plan to take a cruise in the New Zealand and Australia January 2022.
This month we're talking with Ryan Frick, who is a Loan Consultant on the Florida team. You may know Ryan for his excellent customer service, but did you know Ryan….
- has worked at PulteMortage for the last two years
- used to be shy before he developed a lot of his customer service skills from working as a Starbucks Barista prior to Pulte
- While a Denver native, he has never been skiing. He likes having the mountains in his backyard to go for hikes or what he calls “mini vacations”
- Enjoys traveling, exploring new places and road trips especially
- He visited 28 States in 5 years and 15 national parks including, Death Valley, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Wants to visit Austin, Dallas/Ft Worth and Justin Texas
- He also wants to visit the Orlando and Tampa Florida markets where he helps customers today
- Driving his Suburu WRX makes him happy
- Enjoys spending time with his nephew Conner
- New Years resolution to buy a new home
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization. This month we're talking with Rachel Weatherly. You may know Rachel as a Tax Research Specialist, but did you know this about Rachel?
- Rachel has an identical twin sister and comes from a long line of Colorado natives
- She saw her first Star Wars movie at the age of 7 with her sister and dad and is fan to this day
- There were 18 students in her graduating high school class
- Rachel majored in Communication with minors in History and Political Science at the University of Northern Colorado
- Just took a trip to Florida in May with her 11 year old son named Alexander
- Rachel has a lot of hobbies and keeps bees and chickens
- She belongs to a medieval recreation society called the Society of Creative Anachronism where she's learning to blow glass and archery
- In addition to blowing glass and archery, Rachel creates tumblers, does wood working, photography, crochets and enjoys reading
- She is currently reading Memoir of a Holocaust survivor and The Adventures of Tom Stranger
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're talking with Greg Pattee, who is the Vice President of Finance and Controller for PGP Title out of Coppell, TX.
About Greg:
- Greg grew up in Chicago
- Miami University of Ohio for undergrad. Finance Major, International Business Minor
- School had a campus in Luxemburg; lived with a host family for 5 months
- Married to wife Kim for 15 years, who he met in High School
- Three girls 13 and twin 9 year-olds
- Enjoy skiing in Colorado
- Spends time with family doing basketball, gymnastics and running
- Enjoys reading books on parenting, but currently enjoying "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins
This month on "Spark The Conversation we're talking with Naji Pitts, who is the Branch Manager for the Pacific Northwest Division in Bellevue, Washington. Did you know this about Naji?
- Born in Freemont, California, but his dad’s job moved the family to Colorado when he was 3
- His family lived in Colorado until he was 9 and then moved to St Louis
- Naji considers Colorado home and moved back to Colorado to major in Business Management Marketing with a Minor in Finance at CU
- First job out of college was at a tech start up in Downtown Denver
- Naji’s brother was an OPS with Pulte Mortgage and recruited Naji to be a Loan Consultant and go through the MB1 program
- Started at Pulte as a LC in 2013, moved to Las Vegas in 2017 as an MFA, and most recently moved to Washington to be the Branch Manager
- Naji and his wife Zanari like to travel, hike and eat good seafood
This month on "Spark The Conversation" we're talking with Gene Kyung, who is an Regional Sales Manager for Pacific NW, Nevada and Dallas. Did you know this about Gene?
- He’s a Colorado native, born in Aurora and grew up in Castle Rock, but he’s also lived in Highlands Ranch, Parker, and currently lives in Monument
- Went to CSU, Business Finance and he once thought about moving to NYC to be a stock broker
- He got into the mortgage industry in 2001 and worked for former Denver Bronco Olandis Gary and Home American Mortgage before coming to Pulte in June of 2002
- Worked in Treasury with John DAgostino
- His son has special needs, but they love going for walks and playing board/card games
- Gene is planning to do his first 14er and targeting Mt. Bierstadt
- Gene enjoys motocross/trail riding, mountain biking and snowboarding
- Snowboards and has a goal to learn to ski
- Enjoys reading non-fiction and especially author Ryan Holiday and the book The Daily Stoic
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization. We’re talking with Allison Whitney, who is a Project Manager in the Office Of Strategy Management. Her current focus is on Compliance and Vendor Management and she's a Six Sigma Yellow Belt so she's an expert in process improvement as well. Did you know this about Allison?
- She has climbed Mt Elbert
- She has been in the White House press room
- Saw an 8ft reef shark while scuba diving
- Is married (Ben), has two children (Theodore and Fiona), a twin sister and an older sister
- Adopted a rescue puppy named Watson
- Graduated from Greeley West High School
- BA Business and MBA degrees from University of Colorado
This month we get to know Jen Denmon. You may know Jen as the Branch Manager for our PGP Dallas Division. Did you know Jen gets her “radio voice” from doing live AM Radio broadcasts? Other things about Jen…
- Grew up in Walnut Creek, California in the Bay Area
- Calls Colorado her 2nd home and graduated from the University of Denver
- She loves skiing, mountain biking, mountain climbing and hiking
- Her first 14 was "Quandary" just outside of Breckenridge
- Her two sons were born in Denver, but they now live in Dallas
- She and her family like going on road trips
- She loves to cook - she makes a mean paella!
- Jen enjoys taking portrait photography and catching un-staged moments!
- An Alaska cruise is on her bucket list
- Quote "they build them, we close them!"
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization. We are also recognizing Memorial Day in this month's episode, honoring our military veteran's by interviewing someone on our team that has served in the military herself.
We're talking with Tina Buonocore, who is the Product Owner for the ISD eClose/eDocs team. You may know Tina is a US Marine and Army veteran who served from 1999-2010. But did you know she…?
- was a mechanic in the military working on soldier transport vehicles like Humvees
- deployed to Kuwait and drove Highway 1 to Bagdad
- went back to Bagdad three more times as an Army soldier
- getting to know the civilians from Iraq was one of her favorite memories
- Tina plans a reunion with some of her closest military friends next year
- 22 veterans commit suicide every day
- Tina worked in the ER at Parker Hospital
- her favorite book is "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Tina's story as much as I have. Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation".
Please reach out to me or Nicole Sandoval if you'd be willing to tell your story. Until next time, please be sure to spark your own conversations!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Randi Alvis is the National Title Production Manager for PGP Title, but did you know this about Randi?
- Randi started her career doing surveying work for DART Dallas Area Rapid Transit
- Transitioned into the Title business and worked for Fannie Mae for seven years handling REO Title
- She found her way to her current career through a mentoring program and now uses mentoring in her current job as a manager to develop her team
- Randi was adopted at the age of 10. Her mom is her best friend and she is very close to her two brothers Jeff and Josh
- Randi has been married to her husband married 8 years, have three kids. On the weekends they like to getting their energy out roller skating, swimming, exploring, and going on road trips
- Even though COVID cancelled their cruise in 2020, they love the Caribbean and plan to go to Disney World as a family
- She's an avid reader. On her night nightstand right now is about the Trojan War called "A Thousand Ships" and one of her favorite authors is Deane Koontz, title "Night Chills"
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Randi's story as much as I have. Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation".
Please reach out to me or Nicole Sandoval if you'd be willing to tell your story. Until next time, please be sure to spark your own conversations!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast. We're talking with Alyssa Kraft who is the Escrow Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Florida PGP Title Branch.
Did you know that Alyssa's mom works for PulteGroup as an Accountant? Did you know she is a published poet? Alyssa gives us a poem reading during the interview!
Other things you'll learn about Alyssa:
• She grew up and still lives near Naples, Florida
• She just vacationed in New Orleans
• She is a publish poet and already working on book #2 already
• Her pen name is "Assyla (her real name backwards) Asylum"
• Her mom is her best friend and biggest influencer
• She is recently engaged to Jake, who is from Russia
• She and her fiancé plan to visit Russia to visit history frozen in time with former Soviet Union abandoned buildings
Links to Alyssa’s work:
SUGAR RUSH: the afterglow of a meltdown
https://www.poetrybyassyla.com/aboutassyla
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Today we're talking with Scott Tweedy, he is the VP over the Closing Department at Pulte Mortgage.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know Maximo Saladino, a Loan Consultant at Pulte Mortgage. Maximo is a Leader for Young Professionals at Pulte and considers himself a life-long-learner. His personal hobbies include developing a saltwater aquarium and cooking.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Today we're talking with Rich Jackman. Rich is an Infrastructure Systems Engineer in the ISD department. His personal passions include meditation, reading and travel. Enjoy!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Today we're talking with Kim Akery. Kim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Pulte Insurance Agency and she is based in the Dallas area.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Today we're talking with Fenell Davis. Fenell is a Mortgage Service Liaison here at Pulte Mortgage using his experience to provide an exceptional experience for our customers.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Today we're talking with Tiffany Anderson. Tiffany is an Assistant Controller in the Accounting department at PGP Title in Dallas, Texas.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization. Today we're talking with the new President of Pulte Mortgage, Eric Hart.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization. Today we're talking with Marsha Brilhart. Marsha is on the Reception Team in Denver. She loves spending time with her family and enjoys golfing a bit too. Give it a listen and learn more about Marsha.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Today we're talking with Tia Olson. Tia is a Loan Consultant on the Southeast team and has been with Pulte for 35 years. Hear more about Pulte history, family, travel dreams and much more!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
I'm your host Rich Soares and today I'm visiting with George Camisa. George is a Mortgage Finance Advisor out of Charlotte NC. George, thanks for spending some time to share your story!
Until next time, please be sure to spark your own conversations!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
Our team member and guest is Compliance Specialist Charles Ladbrooke.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
I'm your host Rich Soares and I'm excited to bring you another exciting interview to help us all get to know our team members.
Our guest today is Rachel Cosson. Rachel is a Regional Processing Manager with the Midwest team. Rachel, thanks for spending some time to share your story!
Get to know one of our new hires, Moises AraujoSanchez.
Moises brings experience in personal finance to his new role as a mortgage Loan Consultant. Listen to Moises tell his story and the collection of experiences that he brings to Pulte and our customers.
Welcome to the PFS family, Moises!
Our interview this month is with DanaClaire Discher from the Office of Strategy Management. She is a semi-native, growing up in Colorado and then wen to Malone College on a music scholarship playing trombone and french horn. She graduated with a double-major (accidentally). She has also traveled the globe and speaks 4 languages including Spanish, Polish and Chinese.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members.
Our guest today is John Flynn, President of Pulte Insurance Agency.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members.
Our guest today is Solongo Bars from the Underwriting Department.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members.
Our guest today is Bill Wingrove from the Information Services Department.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members.
Our guest today is Joel Pimienta, Texas Field Area Manager.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members, their background, role and contributions.
Our guest today is Kathleen Spence. Kathleen is a Product Development Specialist in Capital Markets.
Power comes from the diversity of our backgrounds. Get to know what makes your neighbor excited be here at Pulte Financial Services.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
I'm your hosts Alex Wood I'm excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members, their background, role and contributions.
In our interview today, we'll get into Ed Sacco's background, where he grew up, where he went to school, where he worked prior to Pulte, his career path at Pulte, some of his personal interests, and the things that make him excited to come to work every day.
Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation". Be sure to tune in next month for the next guest.
We hope that you will take a cue from the podcast and be inspired to know other Pulte team members and the experiences that they bring to our organization.
It's up to you - TO SPARK THE CONVERSATION!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members, their background, role and contributions.
In our interview today, we'll get into Sara's background, where she grew up, where she went to school, where she worked prior to Pulte, her career path at Pulte, some of her biggest challenges, and the things that make her excited to come to work every day.
Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation". Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your podcast player. Tune in next month for the next guest.
If you have feedback on the show, please reach out to Alex and Rich.
We hope that you will take a cue from the podcast and be inspired to "spark the conversation" with someone in your department who maybe you don't know very well. Everybody has a story. Power comes from the diversity of our backgrounds. Get to know what makes your neighbor excited be here and be your neighbor.
It's up to you - TO SPARK THE CONVERSATION!
In our interview today, we'll get into Raj's background, where he grew up, where he went to school, where he worked prior to Pulte, his career path at Pulte, some of his personal interests, and the things that make him excited to come to work every day.
Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation". Be sure to tune in next month for the next guest.
We hope that you will take a cue from the podcast and be inspired to "spark the conversation" with someone in your department who maybe you don't know very well. Everybody has a story. Power comes from the diversity of our backgrounds. Get to know what makes your neighbor excited be here and be your neighbor.
It's up to you - TO SPARK THE CONVERSATION!
Our guest today is Kate Abramova. In our interview today, we'll get into Kate's background, where she grew up, where she went to school, where she worked prior to Pulte, her career path at Pulte, some of her biggest challenges, and the things that make her excited to come to work every day.
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members, their background, role and contributions.
With that, let's get into the interview with this month's guest. Welcome Kate and thanks for joining us today and sharing a bit about yourself with the Pulte Financial Services team.
Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation". Be sure to tune in next month for the next guest.
We hope that you will take a cue from the podcast and be inspired to "spark the conversation" with someone in your department who maybe you don't know very well. Everybody has a story. Power comes from the diversity of our backgrounds. Get to know what makes your neighbor excited be here and be your neighbor
It's up to you - TO SPARK THE CONVERSATION!
Welcome to the "Spark The Conversation" Podcast where we get to know individuals around Pulte Financial Services, what makes them unique and the collection of experiences they bring to our organization.
We're your hosts Alex Wood and Rich Soares and we're excited to bring you these interviews so you can get to know the our team members, their background, role and contributions.
Our guest today is CEO Deb Still. With this being the first episode of the podcast, we thought who better to help us set the tone for the show. While everyone at Pulte Financial Services knows who Deb is, they may not know that much about her on a deeper and more personal level.
In our interview today, we'll get into Deb's background, where she grew up, where she went to school, where she worked prior to Pulte, her career path at Pulte, some of her biggest challenges, and the things that make her excited to come to work every day.
Before we get into today's interview with Deb, we have a few things we'd like to tell you about the Spark The Conversation Podcast.
The objective of the podcast is to allow all of us to get to know our team members more personally. To understand the experiences that make them unique, what they do at PFS and what makes them excited to be here.
We will select employees around the PFS organization to be our guests. If you know someone who would be particularly interesting to hear more about, we welcome requests.
This is a monthly audio podcast that is only available to Pulte Financial Services Employees. Each episode will be about 15 minutes in length - just about the amount of time it takes for a work break.
This first episode will be an exception to the 15 minute length as we have added some explanation about the podcast, plus we know we'll have a few more questions for our very first guest.
With that, let's get into the interview with this month's guest, PFS CEO Deb Still. Welcome Deb and thanks for joining us today and sharing a bit about yourself with the PFS team.
Thanks for joining us again for this month's episode of "Spark The Conversation". Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your podcast player. Tune in next month for the next guest.
If you have feedback on the show, please reach out to Alex and Rich.
We hope that you will take a cue from the podcast and be inspired to "spark the conversation" with someone in your department who maybe you don't know very well. Everybody has a story. Power comes from the diversity of our backgrounds. Get to know what makes your neighbor excited be here and be your neighbor.
It's up to you - TO SPARK THE CONVERSATION!