AN EVOLVING ELEMENT

KEYS NATIVE & NEW ROTARIAN SHARES

THE JOURNEY WITHIN

Alifelong Keys kid, an opportunity to grow in a close-knit community shaped Claire Montang into the hardworking woman she is today. Raised by a single mother who owned a business, Montang learned the value of accountability and professionalism. She has worked in the service industry for 15 years — you’ve likely seen her dishing out drinks at Ziggie & Mad Dog’s — and recently started a new journey as a mortgage lender. Keys Weekly met up with Montang, a Rotarian with the Upper Keys Rotary Club, to learn more about her inspirations and aspirations.

My mom instilled my work ethic as she had her own business down here. It was a painting business, and when I was very young, my dad left, and my mom took over the business and ran it as a single mom. So I learned a lot about professionalism and what it's like to be self-employed.

It's amazing the relationships and connections my mom built through her business. She gained a lot of appreciation for the community. Young people down here don't appreciate how amazing this community is, and I didn't realize it again until recently when I got into the field as a self-employed mortgage professional.

In 2014 I graduated from Coral Shores and started working at Robbie's, The Hungry Tarpon, in high school. In 2018, I started my journey in the mortgage industry as I worked at Pierre's, where I met many great people. A friend of a friend was opening a mortgage company. They paid for me to do the schooling, and I understood it. I then took some time off, not taking the state exam right away. But then, when COVID-19 hit, it resurfaced for me to redo the course and take the state exam. Then, John Gallant, broker with Engel & Volkers, suggested I apply for a scholarship through the (Upper Keys) Rotary.

In addition to Element Home Loans, I work four nights a week at Ziggie & Mad Dogs. I am also busy networking with associations such as Business & Professional Women (BPW), Upper Keys Rotary, Your Professional Network (YPN), Key Largo Chamber, Islamorada Chamber, and I’m an affiliate for the Florida Keys Board of Realtors — working hard to build connections and gain people's trust.

I believe 100% that people can change — we are evolving. Honestly, all of this happened when I took a step back — looking at how I live my life now and what I could change that I wasn’t proud of. You are what you do. I didn’t like going out every night and spending my money on things I shouldn’t be spending it on. I realized I wanted to be a better person, so I started putting effort into doing little things every day. Living a life of organized time is extremely important to me.

I always knew I wanted to be a businesswoman and have a career or a job I could dress up for and feel good about. So, I would say take a step back and look at how you're spending your time now. Are you proud of that? And if you're not, you can and should change it.

By Kellie Butler Farrell