Lorie Zemlo, Jon Zemlo and Brandon Howlett work as a team of residential loan officers at SunTrust Mortgage in St. Augustine. They’ve been a team for three years. Lorie and Jon are married and Howlett is Lorie’s son. They have been a team for two years.
WHAT MADE YOU THREE DECIDE TO BECOME A TEAM?
Jon said Howlett had a choice when he got out of the Navy: he could have a normal life doing something or he could join up with what he had lived with and seen his mother and stepfather do for years. Howlett chose to be a loan officer which completed the team. “We teamed up because of the ability to better serve the customers because there is always someone available,” said Jon. “We also wanted to enjoy a better quality of life where not all of us need to be on call 24 hours a day and seven days a week. We could break it up and take turns.”
LORIE’S HISTORY?
Lorie has been a loan officer for 17 years and is currently a vice president of SunTrust. She worked for American Airlines as a manager of commercial sales/staff agent at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport for 10 years. She then became an elementary school teacher for five years. After that she became a loan officer for Merchants & Southern Bank for five years and then joined SunTrust Mortgage 12 years ago. She and Jon moved to
St. Augustine from Gainesville five years ago.
JON’S HISTORY?
Jon earned a bachelor’s in history; health, physical education and recreation with a minor in business from Western Michigan University. He also has a master’s degree in health, physical education and recreation and a doctorate in leadership from Western Michigan University. After college, Jon taught and coached at several small Michigan high schools. He managed federal projects, then taught and trained at University of Florida Center for Education for two years. He then spent the next 24 years working at the Santa Fe Community College and the Alachua County School Board. He decided to get into lending and went to work for Barnett Bank (later NationsBank and now Bank of America) for five years as a loan officer. Then he worked at the First Coast Technical Institute as vice president for workforce development for two years. He then joined SunTrust Mortgage for two years, then went to Watson Mortgage as a loan officer for six months and then returned to SunTrust Mortgage three years ago.
HOWLETT’S HISTORY
Howlett was an electronic warfare operator on a military aircraft in the Navy for five years. When he got out of the service two years ago, he moved to St. Augustine to go to Flagler College. But, he decided to join his mother and stepfather at SunTrust instead. “I saw how overwhelmed they were with how busy the market was at the time. I really just started answering phones for them and one thing led to another and here I am. I think it was fate.”
STRENGTHS EACH OF YOU BRING?
Howlett says he has the ability to relate with anyone from any walk of life because of his experience in so many different countries relating to so many different people. “We moved 14 times in 14 years,” he said. “That was from when I was seven years old through high school. Being in the military, I’ve never stopped. I’ve been here two years and I am almost getting ready to go somewhere.” His past helps him to make friends fast and use his people skills in his new profession.
Jon says his strengths are teaching, leadership and analytical skills. He does a lot of the marketing for the team and about 80 percent of the paperwork when Lorie brings in a deal.
Lorie is also a people person and sales-oriented member of the team. “I get the deal and make them feel comfortable.” She also uses her teaching skills to explain the loan process to the customers.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT SELLING AS A TEAM INSTEAD OF ALONE?
“I would never go back to selling by myself,” said Lorie. She said when she did it alone, during the refinance boom, she never had a day off. Working as a team with her husband and son works well now, so everyone gets some time off.
BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
“The best advice I’ve received is to be ethical and to treat people right,” said Howlett. “We do right by everyone and that was a life lesson that was ingrained in me from day one to work hard, have ethics and to take care of customers because it does come back to you.”
Jon said it’s not how much you know, it’s how much you care. He also said he was also told to be a regular person and not flaunt his degrees.
“Don’t overpromise and underdeliver,” said Lorie.
LESSONS LEARNED?
“It’s easier to fight wars than it is to do loans,” said Howlett. “It’s not as easy as it looks and there is a lot of emotion involved. You don’t have control over everything, but you just do the best that you can.”
Lorie said she has learned too that what you put into something is what you will get in return. “Work hard and play hard,” she said.
“Be more giving and give back what you give,” said Jon. “The more you give, the more you get back.”
WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT LENDING
“I like the ownership,” said Howlett. “It is your job, reputation and career. You really do have a lot more control here than anywhere. You get out of it what you put into it. Coming from the military, that just wasn’t the case. You knew what you needed to do to get to the next rank but here, if you don’t like how much money you make, you just work harder.”
Lorie said she enjoys helping people who wouldn’t have been helped otherwise. She takes customers who have had problems getting loans and helps them improve their credit to make deals happen.
“After being in education, you get prescribed raises or not,” said Jon. “Here, if you want to double your salary, you just double your time and effort.”
PERSONAL?
Jon and Lorie have been married for 11 years. Together they have four children. Howlett has been married to Heather, owner of Accurate Insurance, for three years.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
The team is involved with several organizations including St. Augustine Women’s Council of Realtors, St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors, St. Johns Builders Council, St. Johns County Economical Development Council and St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis