Winner
Professional Services and Asset Management
Robert Klein got bitten by the entrepreneurial bug at an early age, and when he was 16, he borrowed $5,000 from his father to start his first business.
With the money, he bought a taxi and became a taxi driver in New York City, and within five years, he owned five cabs and had drivers working for him.
Klein eventually sold his taxi business and moved to Cleveland to begin a business as a produce wholesaler. He operated with integrity and sold only the highest-quality produce, so customers came back, and through word-of-mouth referrals, he attracted an increasing number of customers.
Despite his success, he realized he wasn’t spending enough time with his family. So once again, he sold his business and set off on a new adventure. In 1990, he heard about a business whose owners were preparing to sell it but felt the price was too high, so he waited. Eventually, the company closed, and so began Safeguard Properties Inc. Klein hired one of its former employees and learned the industry from the ground up at the privately held mortgage field services company.
At his new company, Klein put a strong focus on the customer and created a brand promise to safeguard its clients’ interests, creating the motto, “Customer Service = Resolution.”
Safeguard has experienced consistent growth over the years, even before the current mortgage crisis resulted in unprecedented growth for the company over the last two years. While some ask Klein, the company’s CEO, about the irony of his countercyclical success, he explains that the company was successful long before this because of his team’s dedication to providing excellent customer service.
Today, Safeguard has more than 600 employees and is the largest privately held mortgage field services company in the United States.
How to reach: Safeguard Properties Inc., (216) 739-2900 or www.safeguardproperties.com
