When the pandemic hit, Fairway Independent Mortgage quickly let its employees work from home.
“Fairway did not skip a beat. We (Fairway) implemented a work-from-home policy immediately after COVID hit in March of 2020,” says Kathy Bultman, vice president for corporate communications. As of late March 2022, more than 80% of Fairway’s employees continue to work from home.
“We have continued to assure our teammates that the decision to return to the office is theirs and theirs alone,” she says.
The company prioritizes its employees’ health and safety. In addition to offering virtual fitness classes, Fairway spent $19.6 million to give employees pro-grade exercise machines to work out at home.
The company also provided extensive mental health resources and parenting webinars. And it gave employees extra paid time off to deal with COVID-related challenges that didn’t reduce their standard paid time off.
Helping the community
In addition to supporting its employees, Fairway also continued to serve its communities.
Fairway Cares, the company’s nonprofit charitable arm, delivered more than 200 nutrition bundles to frontline workers. Over the past two years, the non-profit distributed 728 financial grants and 3,773 care packages to those in need.
In 2021, from April to September, Fairway Cares encouraged employees to give back to their communities through the company’s volunteer paid time off program. The program typically pays employees for up to eight hours per year, but in 2021, it added a second day.
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. also is dedicated to serving veterans through the company’s nonprofit American Warrior Initiative. In 2021, despite the pandemic, the program provided 101 service dogs to 101 veterans, more than double the previous year. The initiative donated 16 service dogs via a coordinated nationwide, virtual event on one day. Employee contributions also let the program donate more than 230 gift cards to veterans in 2021.
Looking ahead
The company’s mission remains unchanged. “We continue to focus on helping our clients become homeowners, that was our focus and continues to be, serving our customers,” Bultman says.
Fairway does more of its work virtually, allowing clients to fill out applications and complete closings online.
Working in Colorado
Fairway appreciates opportunities to help Colorado residents become homeowners, Bultman says.
“To be able to work in a growing state such as Colorado, to be able to help with that growth and increasingly help more clients, and hire more team members, is a powerful win for Fairway,” she says. “We will continue to focus on expanding and helping even more customers over time.”
Nicole Rueth, manager for The Rueth Team, a branch of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation based in Englewood, says Fairway “is by far the best mortgage company I’ve worked with.”
“We get a real joy out of helping clients achieve homeownership,” Rueth says. “Fairway offers access, ease, and street-friendly systems. It adds speed to service.”
No. 3
Years named: 1
Founded: 1996
Headquarters: Madison, Wis.
Employees: 501
Facts: Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., a mortgage lender, has more than 500 branches and over 10,500 employees nationwide.
