How Jaffa Doubled the Growth at Safeguard

Smart Business recently published an article about CEO Alan Jaffa doubling the growth at Safeguard.

Staying true to the core – How Alan Jaffa has doubled the growth at Safeguard Properties

The recent real estate crisis has left cities, towns and neighborhoods with real potential as well as real problems. Alan Jaffa and Safeguard Properties see both the potential and problems as growing business opportunities.

Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein, Safeguard Properties has grown from a regional preservation company with a few employees and a handful of contractors performing services in the Midwest to the largest mortgage field services company in the country today.

“I’m not going to dismiss the fact that the housing crisis had an increase in our volume,” says Jaffa, who became Safeguard’s CEO in May 2010. “Some have said, ‘Wow, Safeguard. You got into this business at the right time.’ We’ve been in this business 24 years and we’ve seen growth every year. We’ve seen growth over the last handful of years due to new clients, an acquisition and an increase in volume because default rates have gone up.”

Providing services in all 50 states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, Safeguard employs 1,700 people and is supported by a nationwide vendor network trained and qualified to perform a full range of inspections, property preservation services, maintenance work, and repair and rehab services.

The more than $1 billion company sits atop its industry, and Jaffa is continuing to find ways to keep the company in the No. 1 spot.

“The timing of the shift of me becoming CEO was an interesting time in our industry,” Jaffa says. “Safeguard has always had phenomenal growth, but during the mortgage crisis our growth certainly spiked. A year ago we did an acquisition that gave us substantial growth as a company that continues what this business was really built on, staying true to the core of what it is that we do.”

Now Jaffa is building off that momentum and looking toward the future.

Find new opportunities

While Safeguard was anything but lacking growth, Jaffa knew there were chances to grow the company in new ways. In 2012, Bank of America offered Safeguard that chance.

“Bank of America, through its Countrywide Financial Corp. acquisition in 2008, acquired a field service company that conducted similar processes to what we do, but strictly for Bank of America,” Jaffa says. “BOA has been divesting itself of many of those acquired affiliates, and we purchased their field service company, Bank of America Field Services, in September 2012.”

Bank of America needed to ensure that it was partnering with the right buyer, since the deal would be a long-term relationship.

“BOA viewed us, as others do, as the industry leader,” he says. “When it came to protecting and preserving their assets, they wanted a partner, and hence sold their field service company to the industry leader.”

From a volume perspective, gaining Bank of America as a client has almost doubled the size of Safeguard.

“The acquisition created a buzz and energy in this company that was different than what our typical growth has created before,” Jaffa says. “Now that we’ve done this acquisition, and it has doubled our business, we can’t lose focus of Safeguard Properties and what it is that we do here.”

The Bank of America acquisition was the first that Safeguard has done. The company has built its growth through customer service, relationships and organic growth.

“Our growth has been through the reputation that we have built for ourselves and gaining additional clients,” he says. “That is how we have continued to see growth. Of course, we have expanded our services. Twenty-four years ago, the services may have been a lot smaller in scope of what we do today for our clients, but we are still very focused on the property and preserving and taking care of that property.”

Like anything else, the needs of Safeguard’s clients and of this country when it comes to housing have grown. The company continues to support those needs while determining what it needs to do next.

“It comes down to surrounding yourself with the right people, and people who are smarter than you are,” Jaffa says. “This company would not have had the growth that it has had without having the right people in place.”

Jaffa says another key is staying true to your core values. Despite how much Safeguard has grown, Jaffa isn’t straying from those values.

“We’ve become a large company,” he says. “Walking in here every morning and leaving at night, I never let it get to my head that we’ve become so large. I know I am the same person walking in here every morning, and I’m the same type of person walking out as I was 19 years ago. Sometimes you see too many executives who let that get to their head, and you can’t let that happen.”

Growing pains

Despite Safeguard’s ability to grow each year and work its way to the top of its industry, the company has still faced challenges. With so many of its employees out in the field, technology has been one of its biggest.

“Technology for us has been phenomenal,” Jaffa says. “However, every six months technology becomes outdated, and keeping up is a challenge. As a company we have been extremely aggressive in our budgeting and spending to be in front of technology, because it is a huge driver for us in order to continue on the path we are on.”

Technology can be your biggest friend or your biggest challenge. It’s all on how you attack it.

“We can’t get our job done unless the people in the field get the work done,” he says. “The days of paper are long gone. We are in an environment today where we expect responses from people at properties in the field. The mobile technology is tremendous in our space. Real-time data from the properties is what we’re working on, and some of that is in place today.”

Safeguard’s mobile technology enables the company to get quicker responses from the field, quicker responses to its clients and quicker reactions from investors, which ultimately protects and preserves a property.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Jaffa says. “The old days of you telling me a condition and it bouncing around to different people could have been a 14-day process. We’re in an environment where neighbors, cities and our clients want real-time resolution, and the only way you’re able to do that is if we’re able to communicate from the field.”

Staying on top

While Safeguard has done the things to make it No. 1, its position in the industry means others are biting at its heels trying to dethrone the company.

“Every industry has competition,” Jaffa says. “You stay No. 1 by staying true to what you set yourself out for. We didn’t become No. 1 because of our looks. We became No. 1 because of our creative thought process, being in front of issues before they became issues and giving our clients the level of service that they required.

“Competition is healthy. It keeps everyone on their toes. We’re in an environment where everybody wants options and we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and our competitors are going to keep doing what they’re doing. As long as we stay true to what we started this company out as we’ll be fine.”

One of the differentiators is how Safeguard has partnered with and built relationships with local communities where the company works.

“Our competition continues to try to follow that model, but it’s more reactive from their standpoint rather than proactive from our standpoint,” he says. “Some of the largest cities in this country know us and know they can pick up the phone when there is an issue at a property and that we’ll take care of it immediately.

“People think it’s just foreclosures, but we’re really protecting neighborhoods against vacant blight, against unsecured, unsafe properties around this country. If we weren’t around, the country would be in a lot worse shape than it is with the horrible housing crisis that we’ve had.”

According to Safeguard, tens of thousands of dollars in home value, up to 30 percent of the value of the home, can be negatively impacted by a vacant property on the street. When those properties have problems, it can negatively impact the tax valuations and become a bigger burden on the municipalities.

“When these homes are protected, it upholds the value because it doesn’t negatively impact the surrounding properties and cities aren’t sending someone to cut the grass or deal with the code enforcement violation,” Jaffa says. “It lessens the financial burden on municipalities’ budgets.”

As the housing crisis continues to fix itself, Jaffa and his team at Safeguard are once again looking for the next growth opportunity.

“One of the things that we are very aggressively contemplating is doing additional acquisitions,” he says. “Between our people, systems and our network there are a significant amount of opportunities for us to take advantage of and diversify.”

Takeaways

  • Take advantage of opportunities outside of organic growth.
  • Tackle challenges head on and always be looking at what’s next.
  • Build your business by staying true to the values it was founded on.
     

The Jaffa File
Name:
Alan Jaffa
Title: CEO
Company: Safeguard Properties

Born: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Education: He took college courses but did not earn a degree.

What was your first job and what did you learn from it? I ran a freight elevator at a Wall Street building that my uncle managed. As a 16-year-old kid, I had the fortune to interact with a lot of business people. What struck me was that some of the most powerful people were also the most humble. They took the time to talk and show respect to everyone, regardless of their role or status. That’s always stuck with me.

What is the best business advice you have received? Surround yourself with the best people and trust them to do their jobs. Nobody knows everything, and the more you can rely on smart and talented people, the more successful you’ll be.

What do you see as the most important thing Safeguard does for a property? What happens to one property happens to the neighborhood and community in which it exists.  When we protect the value and condition of one home, we protect the value and quality of the neighborhood. 

If you weren’t a CEO, what is something you have always wanted to do? What I enjoy is talking to budding entrepreneurs who are looking for guidance to start or grow their companies. We have a lot of talented people in this community with good business ideas. It’s gratifying to offer some perspective, and I find I learn a lot too.

Learn more about Safeguard Properties:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Safeguard-Properties/142091379162518
Twitter – https://twitter.com/safeguardprop
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/SafeguardProperties1/videos?view=0&flow=grid
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/company/56505?trk=tyah

How to reach: Safeguard Properties, (800) 852-8306 or www.safeguardproperties.com

Please click here to view the online article.

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.

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CEO

Alan Jaffa

Alan Jaffa is the Chief Executive Officer for Safeguard Properties, steering the company as the mortgage field services industry leader. He also serves on the board of advisors for SCG Partners, a middle-market private equity fund focused on diversifying and expanding Safeguard Properties’ business model into complimentary markets.

Alan joined Safeguard in 1995, learning the business from the ground up. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2002, and was named CEO in May 2010. His hands-on experience has given him unique insights as a leader to innovate, improve and strengthen Safeguard’s processes to assure that the company adheres to the highest standards of quality and customer service.

Under Alan’s leadership, Safeguard has grown significantly with strategies that have included new and expanded services, technology investments that deliver higher quality and greater efficiency to clients, and strategic acquisitions. He takes a team approach to process improvement, involving staff at all levels of the organization to address issues, brainstorm solutions, and identify new and better ways to serve clients.

In 2008, Alan was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business in its annual “40-Under-40” profile of young leaders. He also was named a NEO Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award finalist in 2013.

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Esq., General Counsel and EVP

Linda Erkkila

Linda Erkkila is the General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Safeguard Properties, with oversight of legal, human resources, training, and compliance. Linda’s broad scope of oversight covers regulatory issues that impact Safeguard’s operations, risk mitigation, strategic planning, human resources and training initiatives, compliance, insurance, litigation and claims management, and counsel related to mergers, acquisition and joint ventures.

Linda assures that Safeguard’s strategic initiatives align with its resources, leverage opportunities across the company, and contemplate compliance mandates. She has practiced law for 25 years and her experience, both as outside and in-house counsel, covers a wide range of corporate matters, including regulatory disclosure, corporate governance compliance, risk assessment, compensation and benefits, litigation management, and mergers and acquisitions.

Linda earned her JD at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She holds a degree in economics from Miami University and an MBA. Linda was previously named as both a “Woman of Influence” by HousingWire and as a “Leading Lady” by MReport.

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COO

Michael Greenbaum

Michael Greenbaum is the Chief Operating Officer of Safeguard Properties, where he has played a pivotal role since joining the company in July 2010. Initially brought on as Vice President of REO, Mike’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision quickly propelled him to Vice President of Operations in 2013, and ultimately to COO in 2015. Over his 14-year tenure at Safeguard, Mike has been instrumental in driving change and fostering innovation within the Property Preservation sector, consistently delivering excellence and becoming a trusted partner to clients and investors.

A distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mike earned a degree in Quantitative Economics. Following his graduation, he served in the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Branch, where he specialized in supply chain management. Before his tenure at Safeguard, Mike honed his expertise by managing global supply chains for 13 years, leveraging his military and civilian experience to lead with precision and efficacy.

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CFO

Joe Iafigliola

Joe Iafigliola is the Chief Financial Officer for Safeguard Properties. Joe is responsible for the Control, Quality Assurance, Business Development, Marketing, Accounting, and Information Security departments. At the core of his responsibilities is the drive to ensure that Safeguard’s focus remains rooted in Customer Service = Resolution. Through his executive leadership role, he actively supports SGPNOW.com, an on-demand service geared towards real estate and property management professionals as well as individual home owners in need of inspection and property preservation services. Joe is also an integral force behind Compliance Connections, a branch of Safeguard Properties that allows code enforcement professionals to report violations at properties that can then be addressed by the Safeguard vendor network. Compliance Connections also researches and shares vacant property ordinance information with Safeguard clients.

Joe has an MBA from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University’s Honors Accounting program.

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Business Development

Carrie Tackett

Business Development Safeguard Properties