George Mehok Awarded “CIO of the Year” by Crain’s
On April 18, Crain’s Cleveland Business names George Mehok, CIO of the Year in the large, private company category. Mehok is Safeguard’s chief information officer.
CIO of the Year George Mehok
A company that nearly doubles in size in less than a year and is the largest mortgage field services firm in the United States relies heavily on its information technology.
Just ask George Mehok, CIO of Safeguard Properties — the Valley View firm that grew from 1,000 employees in August 2012 to 1,700 by February 2013.
The company manages properties that are held by a mortgage holder, usually because of foreclosure. It must inspect and maintain the properties of its clients until they are resold.
Since August 2011, keeping Safeguard’s IT systems running has been the responsibility of Mr. Mehok. In that time, he has helped to devise and deploy a strategy that both accommodates the growth and allows Safeguard to seamlessly scale the business as it expands and diversifies.
“With the growth that Safeguard has experienced, it is also imperative to help foster an environment of trust and respect in the IT organization,” the nomination said. “By working diligently to help make an ever-expanding team gel into a cohesive unit, he has, in turn, helped build trust in the IT organization with the other leaders and users of key business groups in the organization.”
Much of Safeguard’s growth came with its purchase of the mortgage field services business of Bank of America, a deal that closed before the end of 2012. One of Mr. Mehok’s notable accomplishments was migrating the Bank of America operations into Safeguard’s, limiting the cost of using Bank of America’s legacy system.
Over the next year, Mr. Mehok will be developing a smart phone application to improve productivity in the field, since the company uses vendors and contractors across the country to maintain the properties.
In the wake of Superstorm Sandy last year, Mr. Mehok was quoted by National Mortgage News on the role Safeguard’s technology played in areas affected by natural disasters. He described how Safeguard uses technology to locate properties and assess the damage.
“We are the boots on the ground for our clients,” he told the newspaper. “We can actually tell them where the affected areas are, and we give them a list of all their properties that are in that area.”
In addition, Mr. Mehok is involved with Junior Achievement, teaches management information systems at the University of Akron and serves on the board of the Center of E-Business Technology there, advising the center on curriculum and student recruitment.
“Over his 20 years of experience in IT leadership, George has played a senior role in assisting multiple high-growth companies aspire and achieve greater productivity and efficiency through better IT processes,” the nomination said. “From helping to lead the integration efforts of the companies and technologies that power today’s smart phones, to helping to build a VC-backed wireless startup from nothing to a regional power, George has made a habit out of taking businesses from humble beginnings to pillars of operational excellence.”
To view the online article, please click here.
To view Safeguard’s official press release, please click here.
On April 18, DSNews published:
Safeguard Properties Exec Earns ‘CIO of the Year’ Award
About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and based in Valley View, Ohio, the company inspects and maintains defaulted and foreclosed properties for mortgage servicers, lenders, and other financial institutions. Safeguard employs approximately 1,700 people, in addition to a network of thousands of contractors nationally. Website: www.safeguardproperties.com.
