Having always been someone who loves helping others and giving back, Sales Manager with Academy Mortgage Jevon Domench said his family became involved with starting Helping Hands with Our Little Fans – an organization that strives to strengthen the community and children’s futures through the gift of compassion, humanity and kindness – about six years ago.
“We (my wife Tanya and I) were discussing the limited opportunities that children have to volunteer,” Domench said. “Quite a few have an age requirement for safety reasons, etc. and we wanted to help shape the next generation. Lead by example and have it trickle down, if you will. This led to seeking organizations that would allow us to bring our children, invite other families and their children, and do our best to make an impact.”
“NW Children’s Outreach was the first to jump on board with the idea and thus started our mission of giving back,” Domench continued. “Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, shelters, Rocksolid Community Teen Center, NW Children’s Outreach, Watchdogs, Angel Bags, Cash for Kids (supporting local schools), coaching numerous sports and teams, etc. all became a regular thing with not only my family, but my work team as well.”
Domench – who first entered the home loan industry fresh out of college in 1998 – first started out his career with a local title and escrow company known as Charter Title at that time. He worked his way up to area sales manager during his seven and a half years there, leaving in 2006 to enter the world of mortgage lending in order to further his career and work towards creating something of his own. He eventually found his way to Academy Mortgage about eight years ago.
“I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “I was able to take my passion towards education (went to college to be a teacher) and bring that into this arena. We are dealing with a basic human need – shelter. Couple that with it being one of the largest, if not the largest, financial decisions of someone’s life and you have a situation that requires a calm, professional and educated team to guide one through the process.”
Domench said he currently has two offices that he and his team work out of – one branch in his hometown of Battle Ground and one centrally located in Vancouver. He said he had been working towards a Battle Ground office for the past five years, and by the time it came to fruition they had already outgrown the space before they moved in. They will move locations in Battle Ground during the first quarter of 2020 to a spot with about three times the square footage in town.
In 2016, Domench was nominated for – and won – a national humanitarian award that Academy Mortgage takes part in called The Duane Shaw Award, named for Academy Mortgage’s founder.
“I was very surprised to have won, let alone be nominated, and it remains one of my proudest moments of my life,” Domench said. “One of the things I like the most about the company I work for is their mission – to be the first choice in delivering the dream of sustainable homeownership by inspiring hope and building prosperity in the lives of our employees, builders, Realtors and the communities we serve. They go so far, in fact, that their President’s Club trips (every other) are service trips to third-world countries. Imagine a company that recognizes the best of the best at what they do and their reward is a week improving the lives of others.”
Domench said he and his wife Tanya recently celebrated their 20-year wedding anniversary. They have three kids – Jenilyn (17), Jaden (14) and Elliana (9).
“As I find myself turning 44 shortly, I could not be more proud of the individuals Tanya and I have the privilege to raise,” he said. “An awesome responsibility, but absolutely no better job out there.”
Domench said that servant leadership is what he has built his practice on and, subsequently, his reputation. He said he surrounds himself with some amazing co-workers who share the same vision and view giving back to their local community as the only way to be, and he said he has found in life that “karma will always win out in the end.”
“My preference would be to be known for giving back, volunteer work, community involvement and, ‘oh, by the way, he did mortgages,’” Domench said. “Any business would be well served to put the community first as, after all, isn’t that who pays the bills at the end of the day? A better community for ourselves, and our kids, should be the end goal. I take pride in what I do, where I work and where I live – I don’t ever want that to change.”
