Category: Meet Platinum

Role: Operations Manager

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a faceless corporate machine! Enjoy this quick Q&A with a key leader on our team…

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Tell us a bit about your personal background and family. 

I actually spent 15 years in the Army before deciding to separate for medical reasons. Since then I have been back in Arizona where I live with my wife and two children. 

What are your hobbies? 

My hobbies are pretty much anything outdoors. My family has a cabin, and I enjoy being there as much as I can. 

What keeps you motivated and inspired each day? 

My kids/family are what drive me. 

What have you learned that you would love to share? 

That things can honestly always be worse than they are and that we take many things for granted here in the U.S. that others do not have. 

What does “home” mean to you? 

Wherever my family is, that is home. Doesn’t honestly matter where I live as long as I have them.

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Contact Nathan via our main office – 602.733.5000.

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a faceless corporate machine! Enjoy this quick Q&A with a key member of our team…

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Tell us about your personal background and family.

I was born and raised in New York and have happily called Scottsdale my home since 1984. Though I treasured seeing the NYC skyline everyday (had a view of the Empire State Building from my bedroom window when growing up), I have come to fall in love with the mountain views that now surround me.

What has your career been like?

My work history has been long and diversified. The majority of my career was spent working as a Psychotherapist in the Managed Healthcare industry. I have held traditional jobs (taught a couple of college level classes) and not so traditional jobs (sold hot dogs and beer at Shea Stadium). I even tried my hand as a Realtor.

I have been with Platinum since February of 2015 and can honestly say this is one of my best and “most fun” positions yet. I love getting to meet and work with so many agents on a daily basis. HomeSmart agents are so dedicated, and I really enjoy being part of the process.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy spending time with my friends and family and reading. Though I am embarrassed to admit it, I am a mall rat and love to shop. I also love to travel! I was lucky to have had a trip of a lifetime to Paris and Italy a couple of years back and look forward to many more adventures.

What have you learned and would love to share?

I have come to learn that life is about the stretch. “Life begins outside of your comfort zone.” Some of the best times and experiences that I have ever had have been when I have challenged myself.

Contact Marissa

[email protected] 

602-818-8198

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a faceless corporate machine! Enjoy this quick Q&A with the newest addition to our team…

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Tell us a bit about your personal background and family. 

I grew up in Wisconsin/Minnesota and moved to Arizona when I was 17. I am the wife of a firefighter and mom to two girls – Brooklynn 13 and Dallas 10.     

What has your career been like? / How did you get started at Platinum?  

I have been in the real estate industry for 5+ years. Originally, I began my career as a loan originator, but through experience, I learned that what I love and my strength in this industry is being out and about making connections.

What are your hobbies?  

I like to be outside – hiking, rollerblading, or walking the dogs. I like bright colors and have discovered a passion for customizing sneakers and other things to be unique and colorful. 

What are five things you can’t live without? 

God, family, outside, strawberry acai refreshers from Starbucks, and the ability to explore new places/things

What keeps you motivated and inspired each day? 

My kids are my biggest motivator, hands down. I like being able to enjoy new experiences with them and see new places, and that pushes me to meet and exceed goals.

What have you learned that you would love to share? 

Hmmm… that if you have kids, they don’t care what kind of car you drive, how fancy your house or clothes are, or how you look in a bathing suit. They just care about you and the time you give them.

What does “home” mean to you?

Home is less of a place to me and more of a feeling. To me, home means being with the people I love and that love me.

 

Contact Brooke

480-766-3851

From being locally owned and operated, to providing trusted technicians and personal follow-up – Platinum has proudly built a solid reputation throughout the Valley. Our team is dedicated to servicing valued customers like you – and always taking care of your home like it’s our own! We’d like to introduce the members of our knowledgeable, hard-working staff that is always available with just a click or a call!

Let’s put names to the faces!

Leadership Team

Left to right:

Nathan Dolin, Operations Manager

Alex Helt, Vice President

Scott Jolley, Field Operations Manager

Business Development Team

Left to right:

Danelle Sucato, Account Manager

Marissa Guy, Senior Account Manager (third from left)

Yvonne Hunter, Regional Sales Manager (fourth from left)

Deana Caudillo, Inside Sales Representative

Customer Service Team

Left to Right:

Dane Fontaine, Customer Service Representative

Robin Canzona, Customer Care Advocate

Javon Lattimore, Customer Service Representative

Joni Kozaryn, Customer Service Representative

Misty McGee, Customer Service Representative

Authorization Team

Left to Right:

Justin Moody, Authorization Representative

Maj Hedlund, Authorization Representative

Sheryl De La Cruz, Authorization Representative

Jazmine Buck, Authorization Representative

Technicians

Left to Right:

Steve Chase, Appliance Technician

Alfredo Pedrego, Senior HVAC Technician

Serena Lancaster, Appliance Technician

Juan Castillo, Plumbing Technician

Enrique Hernandez, HVAC Technician

Chase Baker, HVAC Technician

Choose PHW and get the support of the full team! Any questions? Let us know!

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a big corporate machine! Head here for more Q&A’s with the Platinum team.

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Tell us a bit about your personal background and family.

I have been married to my husband for the past 11 years. We have two children — our son who is 10 and our daughter is who is 7. I am originally from Glendora, Ca. and, after moving between Phoenix and California in elementary school due to my father’s career, my family settled in Phoenix by the time I entered high school. I attended and graduated from Arizona State University (Go Devils!!) with a degree in Communication.

What has your career been like? / How did you get started at Platinum?

The majority of my career has focused upon business development and leadership. I spent over 10 years in higher education, where I was a Regional Director of Business Development. I also worked as a Project Manager for a custom home builder in the Phoenix Valley, which is where I learned about home building and construction. The combination of what I learned from these careers is what led me into the field of commercial warranty programs in construction.  Through that experience, I became familiar with other warranty programs, which led me to start with Platinum.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy reading, being active in my community and spending time with my family.

What have you learned that you would love to share?

In life, what I have learned is that risks, change and even failure are good because they mean I tried. Without trying, the opportunity to succeed or fail did not exist, and the opportunity to learn and improve is lost. So I try and embrace my failures and change as much as I embrace my successes.

What does “home” mean to you?

When I think of home, I think of the binding to a great novel.  Within the binding there is a story, which is created by the chapters of our lives. These chapters are filled with memories that are either made in our home or experiences brought back to share within its walls. My home is where my family gathers to talk about our long busy days, where relatives can stop over anytime without having to call and where friends are always welcome to dinner and conversation.  Home is where stories are shared, where memories are made and where comfort is felt.

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a big corporate machine! Head here for more Q&A’s with the Platinum team.

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Tell us a bit about your personal background and family.     
I grew up in Northern Virginia/Washington DC area with loving parents and three siblings. At the age of 20, we moved to Arizona, and at that time, I started working towards building my professional background and career with a focus on Communications and Customer Service. I now have three daughters of my own and five grandchildren.

What has your career been like? / How did you get started at Platinum?
My career has given me the opportunity to work in various environments while keeping the focus on providing a high level of customer service. I’m passionate about having the ability to help others and take pride in treating my colleagues, customers and clients as I would want my own family to be treated. Accepting the position with Platinum as the Customer Care Advocate allows me to work with a team everyday who shares my ideas and determination to provide only the best for our customers.

What are your hobbies?
I love cooking, wine tasting, traveling to Mexico with my husband as well as spending time with my family and friends. Living in Arizona allows us to spend a lot of time outdoors in the pool and on our patio enjoying the beautiful weather.

What have you learned that you would love to share?
Everything happens for a reason. It’s not always clear at the time, but the answer always come out in the end. Stay true to who you are, and you will always be fulfilled.

What does “home” mean to you?
Home is where I am most happy and treat those who are in my home as my family. It’s been a long tradition of mine as a child and now a mother and grandmother (Mimi as my grandkids call me) to cook Sunday dinners and enjoy time together as a family.

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a big corporate machine! Head here for more Q&A’s with the Platinum team.

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Tell us a bit about your personal background and family.   

My name is Javier Mendez, but most people call me “Javi” for short. My mother likes to tell the story about how she had to drive herself to the hospital that fateful stormy night that she gave birth to me, so that I can understand how hard things can be sometimes and that you have to get things done on your own at times. I love my parents Blanca and Armando for all they have done and given for me. I grew up in Pacoima, CA (San Fernando Valley), which is just 15 minutes from Hollywood and about 30 minutes from Downtown Los Angeles (if there is no traffic, otherwise it is about an hour to get anywhere). I am the oldest of four children (Javi, Aeshia, Tiffany & Ryan) and am also now a father of two beautiful children of my own and husband to an amazing woman, Deisy. I have a son named Isaac who is a splitting image of me, and my mini-me as well as a little cutie and feisty daughter named Emma. I studied CAD drafting and residential uniform building code / design at Los Angeles Valley College but have not really done much CAD work in over a decade. For me it’s simple:

• God first
• Then family
• Then community / the world

What has your career been like? / How did you get started at Platinum?

My career has been primarily within this industry or with homes in general. Homes seem to be my thing as I learned early on how to draw them and how they are built and the processes in between to get that done. I started with Platinum in December of 2015 and have had the opportunity of bringing many years of experience with some of our counterparts in the industry. Having had experience with a major entity in our industry (First American Home Buyers Protection) and then a smaller and growing warranty company such as ourselves (which I shall not mention) are a couple of companies that I have had the opportunity to spend my career and time at over the years.

What are your hobbies?

Hobbies? Well my nickname sounds like a hobby (Javi) so I have many. 🙂 I love to cook and am praying that one day I will have the opportunity to take my passion in the kitchen and transition that into a taco truck or maybe even a restaurant one day. It’s also no surprise — I really really …. really love my team The Los Angeles Dodgers, as I spent most of my life playing baseball myself and even spent a few years in semi-pro leagues both in California (LAABL – Burbank Royals) and also here in Arizona (AZABL – Arizona Amateur Baseball League) as a pitcher and utility player. One of other big passions is house music. I have always been intrigued by the four on four rhythm of house music. It is not only a sequence in time but also somewhat a basis for the soundtrack of life, as it is upbeat, moving and has a certain taste that I will never grow tired of. I had successfully released music that I have produced in this genre over the years under one of my musical aliases of “Cyberpunk.”

What have you learned that you would love to share?

Over the years I have learned many things, so for me to tell you everything would make this a never ending story, so I will keep it simple. I can say that I have learned how systems and appliances work inside and out and what the costs are involving repairs and replacing such items, but these are cooler:

• Having a home warranty is essential when owning and especially buying a home.
• Not everything is “black and white” and there is never a “dumb question” because the only “dumb question” is the one you do not ask.
• There is nothing wrong with failing, only then can you truly know your worth and be able to get back up and try it again.

What does “home” mean to you?

What “HOME” means to me is probably going to sound cliche, but it’s “Where the heart is.” I don’t think there is anything more true than that. Your heart beats to stay alive, and in order to keep your home alive, there are many different systems and items that help us live our day to day lives. I am thankful that I know about these things because I would probably be lost in that regard of “keeping the home alive” if I didn’t. Home is also a place on your map or GPS that is both a start and end point to any one of your journeys throughout your daily life. So no matter how many twists, turns, curves and bends, bumps or holes in the road…. the start and end will be the same, and I am blessed that God gives me chance to call Platinum a destination in between and even more blessed to work with such wonderful people along the way.]]>

This post is part of a series to help you get to know the members of our team. We’re real people who call Arizona home, not a big corporate machine! Keep an eye out for more Q&A’s with the Platinum team.

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Tell us a bit about your personal background and family.

I was born and raised in a suburb north of Detroit, Michigan. I moved to Arizona, sight unseen, in 2010 to finish my degree at ASU in 2012. I have two Shih Tzus, Bertolli and Zora, who are my fur-babies. It’s very hard being so far away from family, but I stay connected and talk to them as much as I can — sometimes a few times a day! It’s like I’m still in Michigan, minus the snow and freezing cold! I’ve grown to love Arizona, particularly the climate and beauty.     

What has your career been like? / How did you get started at Platinum?

I have held positions in a broad range of industries over the last several years. I spent time in the salon and spa industry, and have also spent years both managing merchant accounts and in the automotive aftermarket performance industry. Recently, after zeroing in on my own passions and visions, I knew I was ready to get out of the everyday office setting and focus on interacting with people in an upbeat and interactive environment. I was fortunate enough to have a great friend call me one day to let me know about the opportunity with Platinum. I was headed to see family in Michigan and missed my flight so I could interview with Platinum, and here I am!

What are your hobbies?

I love to cook, read and spend time with good friends and family (and of course, my two dogs). I grew up near lakes, so any chance I get, I love to slalom water-ski, lay in the sun and spend time on a boat. Some locals may say I should be ashamed to admit this but I am an avid Detroit sports fan…Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, sign me up!  I love the game, enjoy watching it and, yes, I actually get it. I scream at the TV every NFL Sunday and try to catch almost every baseball games (season is 162 games!).  

What have you learned that you would love to share?

Make sure you stay in tune with and follow your own intuition, despite your fears and doubts. Tomorrow is not guaranteed; live every day to the fullest. Say you’re sorry, and own your mistakes. Learn from the past, and look forward to the future. Treat others the way you want to be treated. From the words of the great Dalai Lama: “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

What does “home” mean to you?

Home is love. Home is security. Home isn’t always a place but a feeling. The feeling that you are still safe even in your most vulnerable state. That is home.