22 - BUSINESS FOCUS Jackson Hole News&Guide, Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Mountain West Mortgage
51 Beesley Lane Victor, Idaho 307-201-6325 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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since 1970
FINE JEWELRY
O n t h e To w n S q u a r e 8 0 Center Stre et Jack son Hole, W yoming 3 07. 7 33 . 559 9
w w w. h i n e s g o l d . c o m 256077
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o you need a mortgage loan? Do you want help from someone who is not only knowledgeable but available? Do you want someone who has been on your side of the lending process over and over again? Rob Broadbent says he’s your man. With experience as a builder, a real estate agent and business owner, Broadbent knows firsthand the hurdles people face when trying to get a loan. Plus, having been a mortgage broker in Jackson since 2002, Broadbent has experience that makes him a uniquely qualified lender for the Jackson-VictorDriggs area. When the real estate boom ended in the fall of 2008, lending did too, so Broadbent closed Jackson Hole Mortgage and went into early retirement. Now that real estate is picking up again, Broadbent is ready to begin serving customers throughout Idaho and Wyoming with the same level of customer service and expertise he provided for years with Jackson Hole Mortgage. “Getting back into the game, the regulations have all changed and are far more stringent,” he said, “so it made more sense for me to get on board with a company that was already dealing with the licenses and regulations.” Broadbent has partnered with Mountain West Mortgage, a firm out of Idaho Falls, to provide a platform to serve clients. Despite the change, the focus remains on honesty and communication. “I pride myself on being straight-up and telling people exactly what’s going on with their loan all the time,” Broadbent said. “Sometimes I over-explain. Sometimes I tell people things they don’t necessarily want to hear. But I have found what works best for me and my clients is to give more information rather than not enough. “As a businessman and a builder, I’ve needed many loans for many projects over the years,” he said, “and that makes me uniquely qualified to understand what people are going through when they apply for a loan and the issues they have getting loans.” The company is small — Broadbent and his partner in Idaho Falls are the sole employees — which has advantages. “It’s a great thing,” he said. “We get to talk
Ashley Wilkerson / news&guide
Rob Broadbent of Mountain West Mortgage
to the lenders who are buying these loans directly. We get to choose which lender is right for each scenario. We know exactly what’s going on with the loans in our pipeline at all times.” That’s different from larger firms handling loans from brokers from all over the country. “Operating as a small lender with low overhead guarantees that we can provide lower rates and costs than any other lender,” Broadbent said. If you are looking for a quick initial approval, Broadbent says he can often get it done the same day. “Generally I can tell if a client will get approved in the initial conversation,” he said. “I can tell what the problems with the scenario may be and whether the borrower will qualify pretty quickly without having to send the loan to a loan committee.” Broadbent said he is never offline, meaning he is always accessibly for his customers. “And that makes for better service.” Broadbent said.
Benchmark Builders LLC
— Ben Graham
265 E. Kelly Ave. 307-733-4013 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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wo Jackson contractors have combined their powers to form a new construction company, one that allows clients to work with an owner throughout the entire building process. The merger, which resulted in the newly christened Benchmark Builders LLC in early 2013, permits co-owners Paul Nash and Mike Hodes to broaden their focus and provide an increased level of customer service. “You’re dealing directly with the owner,” Nash said. He and Hodes will be project managers and supervisors, all in one. “There isn’t the typical hierarchy,” he said. “We each see what needs to get done. It speeds up the process without moving through the chain of command.” Nash and Hodes bring to the table a combined 25 years of expertise in the valley, and each has a slightly different area of expertise. Nash, also a town planning commissioner, previously ran Symmetry Contracting. He has a commercial contractor license and in the past did a lot of work with alterations, remodels and additions. Hodes has a degree from Colorado State University in construction management and has operated Three-Sixty Building Contractors since 2004, with a focus on residential remodels and new construction. He moved to Jackson Hole in 1991 and worked his way up from being a laborer. In addition to new construction, the two hope to focus on remodels, which they say can be more arduous. They can involve dust control and working around the personal pos-
Kali Collado / news&guide
Paul Nash and Mike Hodes have joined forces to create Benchmark Builders.
sessions and lives of owners. “They are more complex,” Hodes said, “and you’re often dealing more with an owner.” But Benchmark invites those challenges. That’s part of the beauty of having two owners: Clients will be able to troubleshoot directly with Nash and Hodes. They also like to be involved early in the design phases of a project, which can help them identify potential issues with costs and scheduling. That ultimately helps save clients time and money. Hodes and Nash will help uncertain homeowners answer some basic questions that aren’t always obvious: Is an architect needed? What about an engineer? A permit? Under the new name Benchmark, Nash and Hodes hope to be able to better react to the market, which they believe is turning around quickly. Benchmark still is a small, local business, but with more capacity. “We wanted to get prepared for the new climate that is coming,” Nash said. — Ben Graham