“It made me feel great to be recognized,” she said.
Uswa’s story is one of perseverance, as she started in the industry by answering phones and worked her way up to her current position.
Alignable is a site for small business networking on the web. Business people on Alignable voted for her as the Business Person of the Year.
“I’m excited. I never had the opportunity to be a Business Person of the Year, especially a little fish in a big sea,” she said.
Uswa said she was not sure how the award came about, but was happy when an email came through with the announcement that she had received the honor.
“This award was especially important in the current situation of our area’s real estate market. We seem to be working long days. It made me feel great to be recognized,” she said.
As an escrow officer, Uswa is the maker and holder of documents and responsible for the transfer of money for home purchases, refinances and many types of land acquisitions. “Multi-tasking is a great asset for this job,” she said.
Although Arizona does not require escrow officers to be certified, Uswa earned her certification in March 1999. “It was a personal goal and accomplishment. I was on the Northern Arizona Escrow Association Board in 2003 as vice president and the Arizona State Escrow Board from 2002-2006.”
Uswa has lived in Chino Valley since 1981 and started her career with Pauley and McDonald Realty answering phones. “I moved around to a couple different title companies and jumped at the opportunity to come back to work in Chino Valley in 1999.”
She has been in the escrow business for 30 years. Prior to that, she worked as a real estate secretary.
“This is a very rewarding career. I love to see clients buying their dream home or moving closer to family or even feeling their relief of financing to pay off debt. I always thought I would become a nurse, but this allows me to attach to clients through their happiness.”
Yavapai Title Agency has been in Yavapai County since 1963. Most of the employees there have been in their positions for more than 30 years. QCBN
By Stan Bindell, QCBN