Celebrating its 20th anniversary in Coconino County this year, Pioneer Title Agency handles all types of real estate transactions, ranging from the small, secondary loans to the transfer of large, sophisticated commercial properties.
“After graduating NAU in 1979, my first real job was for the Kuban family at Minnesota Title,” said Pioneer Title Agency co-Founder and President Keith Newlon. “We were like a family – and Bob Kuban was a mentor to me.”
So much so, in fact, that after Newlon moved south to start his own business with his parents, Bob and Betty, and his wife, Cindy, he stayed in touch with his Minnesota Title friends – eventually learning in the early 1990s that the elder Kubans wanted to retire.
“I respected the kind of company Bob and Neldeanne created at Minnesota Title and was proud to be able to purchase it from them in 1993 to create Pioneer Title Agency in Flagstaff. Our goal then and our goal now is to never have to answer to outside stockholders or investors,” said Newlon.
And to true to his word, Pioneer Title Agency in Coconino County has remained a wholly family-owned business since day one – eventually growing to seven offices throughout Flagstaff, Page, Sedona, William and Winslow and outlasting all of the big-box chains in the area through the recession.
But for as proud as the team is of its business success and growth, they seem even more enthusiastic about their positive footprint on the surrounding community.
“Pioneer Title Agency has operated under the philosophy of ‘Commitment to Service’ since its inception, which to us also means a commitment to service within each of our local communities,” said Andy Fox, Pioneer Title Agency’s Coconino County manager.
Under its “Pioneer Title Agency in Action” community relations umbrella, from sponsoring local sports teams to organizing fundraising walks to simply donating to causes important to the community, Pioneer’s management empowers and supports each of its team members across Arizona to be active members of the communities where they work and live.
As a result, the Flagstaff team members are actively involved with more than a dozen local organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Soroptimist International of Flagstaff, Northland Family Help Center, Hope Cottage, the Flagstaff Ski Team, Flagstaff Family Food Center, Flagstaff Community Foundation, the local Boy Scouts, Flagstaff Family YMCA, Literacy International, Hope’s Close, BOTHHANDS and more.
“Giving back locally is only truly successful on every level if it is modeled by executive leadership and management,” said Fox, noting that Newlon is so dedicated to the area that he was inducted into the W.A. Franke College of Business’ National Advisory Board Alumni & Faculty Hall of Fame in 2010.
In addition, Newlon also launched the Dr. Betty J. Newlon Memorial Scholarship in his mother’s honor to help graduate students living and working in to Arizona earn advanced degrees in counseling.
“Having not only the freedom, but the expressed desire to get involved in the Flagstaff community is one of the many reasons I’ve been proud to be a part of this team for more than 10 years,” said Pioneer Title Agency’s Flagstaff Marketing Director Brenda Silveus, who was honored in 2010 by the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce with its prestigious ATHENA Award.
For more than two decades, the Chamber has presented the ATHENA Award to a local businesswoman who has achieved excellence in her field, served the community and assisted other women in the attainment of their goals.
Most recently, Flagstaff native and Pioneer senior escrow officer Mandy Mann was honored by the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors® on Oct. 31, with its Affiliate of the Year Award, which is not awarded every year, but only when someone has gone above and beyond traditional service to the organization.
“Here’s to another 20 years of growing, giving and amazing teammates,” said Newlon.
To view story in the Flagstaff Business News, please click here.