Meet Platinum: Javier Mendez

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.]]>