LLL had the pleasure of visiting with our Philadelphia neighbor, David Hale “Big Dave” Sylvester recently. Big Dave’s story started after he lost a friend in the violence of September 11, 2001. From there, he has been high fiving and hugging people all over the world in his own campaign to make the world a better place.

LLL had the pleasure of visiting with Briana Ings, Head of Product and Design and Snapdocs. Briana told us that she’s seen a lot of progress in the mortgage and title industry in the past five years in terms of updating, implementing and embracing new and better technology.

LLL had the pleasure of visiting with Melissa Johnson Eldridge recently. Melissa is the President of NEMA Online Signing Solutions & Consultants as well as the creator of NEMA’s Online Notary Training. At a time when topics like Remote Online Notary (RON) closings are taking center stage, Melissa is certainly in the center of the action!

We recently visited with cryptocurrency and blockchain expert, Wes Williams, attorney at RELAW, APC. Wes also has roots in the title and real estate industry, so we talked a bit about where, if and how blockchain could eventually fit in our space.

We recently had a return visit with the dynamic Josh Pitts, CEO or S.H.R.E.D. (Show up. Hustle. Repeat. Every Day!) The next 30 minutes were, as always, a great combination of high energy and compelling conversation—as is always the case when it comes to Josh!

We recently visited with Dan Smith, VP of Sales for one of LodeStar’s partners, Lending Pad. Like many, Dan joined the mortgage industry almost by accident. However, he has thrived—especially in mortgage technology, in the 20+ years since.

We recently had a fascinating conversation with George Baker, the founder and CEO of Talkuments. Talkuments is the producer of a multi-lingual, digital home loan guide for mortgage lenders to provide to borrowers—especially multi-lingual or non-English speaking borrowers.

As you may already know, we at LodeStar are passionate about promoting mental health awareness. September was National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, so there was no question we would be getting out, spreading the word and doing our part toward raising awareness.

Marcia Zaruba-O’Connor visited with us at LLL recently. She’s a fellow Philadelphia 100 honoree and the CEO and founder of the O’Connor Group, a talent acquisition and human resources provider.