Randy Beck has been a mortgage banking officer with Compass Bank for just over a year.
WHAT DOES HE SPECIALIZE IN?
Residential mortgages. “I go out to the builders and real estate agents and try to convince them to do business with Compass Bank, so I am really selling the product.”
WHERE DOES HE WORK?
He works the Northside, Southside and Westside and has an office in most Compass branch locations. “I need a place to go sit and talk with the customer in private so these offices are available to myself and to others.”
WHAT DID HE DO BEFORE HE BECAME A MORTGAGE BANKING OFFICER?
He was a master chief in the U.S. Navy, specializing in communications including computers, security, phones and information systems.
WHEN DID HE BECOME A MORTGAGE BANKING OFFICER?
In 1998 after retiring from the Navy. “My wife is a banker and she used to work for Community First Bank. I used to hear her talk about banking and it sounded interesting. I knew I had to do something coming out of the U.S. Navy and banking seemed like a natural thing for me. I was either going to sell insurance or become a banker. My wife was a big influence on me.”
WHERE WAS HE BEFORE COMPASS?
Gibson Mortgage. “It was a good experience because it helped me do different things. Mortgage brokering was good to get me where I am, but I like what I am doing now much better. You can do a lot more things with a big company.”
WHAT MADE HIM BECOME A MORTGAGE BANKING OFFICER?
“The real reason I wanted to become a mortgage banking officer was that when I was in the military, I saw how young people were getting taken advantage of because the were not aware of how the mortgage program worked. I wanted to be there to help them. I was doing a lot of VA loans when I first started because I wanted to help other veterans.”
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
“I love it. I love what I do. I love the freedom. I love the challenge. I love making things happen and helping people. When you see your clients so happy when they get the keys to their new home, that’s a good feeling.æ
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A MORTGAGE BANKING OFFICER?
“My favorite thing is all the people I meet. When you meet people, everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes you take their stories and make them your stories. If you get a good story you can use it to help you sell. Each story makes you sell a little differently.”
WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A MORTGAGE BANKING OFFICER?
“Having a loan fail. I don’t like that. When a loan fails on the day of closing that hurts because I take each loan as a personal failure or success. I can’t detach my self and say, ‘Oh well,’ and go on to the next one because there is a person who is hurting or disappointed.”
BIRTHPLACE
Mississippi.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
In 1979 after boot camp. He traveled a lot with the Navy, but always seemed to come back to Jacksonville. “When I first moved to Jacksonville, I fell in love. I like the beaches and the sun. I’d go away on tour and come back, so when I retired, I decided to retire here.”
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE MILITARY HELPED YOU IN THIS BUSINESS?
“It helped me to deal with people. The military is so diverse that you meet people from all over, so in the mortgage business you meet people from all over. Just from the Northside to the Southside is like a different world. You have to be able to communicate on the Northside just as well as on the Southside. The military taught me how to deal with different people in different situations; how to face adversity without losing.”
COLLEGE
He earned an associate’s degree from East Mississippi Junior College in science. “I was going to school to become a mortician and as a joke a friend and I sent a card into the Navy recruiter. The Navy recruiter started trying to track me down and he got me. Twenty years later, he let me go.”
RESIDES
Baymeadows.
FAMILY
He has been married to Cynthia for eight years. He has one child, Randy Jr., 16.
HOBBIES
Playing and watching golf, football and basketball.
FAVORITES
“Forrest Gump” tops his must see movie list and “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane and “The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy are his favorite reads.”The Hunt for Red October” was a good book because it was so detailed about what we did in the military.” When dining out, he enjoys Olive Garden and Carrabba’s. He’s also a big fan of Mexican food. His favorite place to visit is a toss-up between the Caribbean and Rio de Janeiro.
CHURCH
Bethel Baptist.
PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Masonic Lodge.
ADVICE TO OTHERS INTERESTED IN GETTING INTO MORTGAGE BANKING?
“Learn patience, try to understand people and keep an open mind.”
—by Michele Newbern Gillis