CrossCountry Mortgage has team spirit: Top Workplaces 2024

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In 2003, Ronald Leonhardt founded CrossCountry Mortgage to take the hassle out of buying a home. His vision was to provide superb customer service and transparency when explaining loan products and programs.

Two decades later, with a workforce of over 7,000 and operations spanning more than 600 branches across all 50 states, CrossCountry partners with industry giants like Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Ginnie Mae, a testament to our commitment to excellence and transparency.

Shireen Shackelford, a six-year veteran and producing branch manager at CrossCountry Mortgage in Cleveland. She has the No. 1 branch in Northeast Ohio, from a retail perspective.

“What I love about CrossCountry is they believe in their employees,” she said. “All departments are sales-minded and deliver on commitments, whether to a buyer, to people on my team, or to me. If they say they can or will do something, they do, whether internal or external. Most of the time, I put my head on the pillow, I feel like I did what I needed to do today.”

CrossCountry takes second place in the large category of this year’s Top Workplaces rankings.

For the 2024 Top Workplaces list, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer compiled more than 200 stand-out Northeast Ohio employers based on employee surveys. Find the full list and stories on the top three winners in each of four categories at cleveland.com/top-workplaces.

You can feel Corey Evert’s enthusiasm when he speaks about his job as a mortgage banker at CrossCountry. The mortgage industry is competitive, and it takes everyone in corporate and our folks to ensure our team gives clients the best.

“I go back to one of the big corporate things we have here at CCM is make today a win,” he said. “The organization’s culture is really like a sports team. Everyone has known roles. Everyone’s expected to bring their best efforts. Everything is set up to help serve borrowers and the loan officers who work with them to purchase homes nationwide.”

The company has many perks to liven up the crew and a partnership with Cleveland State University, where they can recruit business majors.

Leading by example is essential to keep a staff motivated.

“I want to be able to lead by example,” Shackelford said. I want to provide the same thing and support to my team. So, if I get it, I lead with it, and I win with it, my acknowledgment of employees’ success is to give them everything that they need and be there when they may get lost or give up; I’m not necessarily the person that’s, like, let’s, let’s spend more money. I give them the space to grow and become a future me or somebody they view as successful.”