Top Movement loan officers redefine President's Club

For most sales professionals, annual President's Club trips focus on rest, relaxation and rewarding top producers with extravagant luxuries.

Not so at Movement.

Movement loan officers have redefined their annual President's Club trip by devoting a full day each year to outreach. In 2019, Movement's top loan originators visited two destinations in Mexico and spent a large portion of their trips generously investing in their host communities.

Over the course of two trips in April, more than 150 Movement teammates and their spouses and guests gave away more than 1,000 pairs of shoes and refurbished a rural school, as part of a mission to bring life, light and hope to the communities that hosted their celebrations.

This year, Movement split its annual President's Club trip into a pair of getaways, in order to accommodate the 100-plus loan officers that joined the company from Eagle Home Mortgage in early 2019. Movement had already booked President's Club travel for its legacy loan officers at the time of the February acquisition. So, a second trip was planned for the former top producers at Eagle, recognizing their successes from the prior year.

Both trips were designed with an Outreach Day at the center of activities.

"At Movement, we do things a little bit differently. We celebrate the fact that we get to give," Movement Chief Executive Casey Crawford, who attended both trips, says. "When we celebrate our sales teams, we start by loving and celebrating the communities where we go, both at home and abroad."

In Cancun, on Mexico's east coast, Movement rented Beto Avila Stadium for an entire day, inviting 1,000 underprivileged children from Cancun to enjoy a day on the baseball field turf. Each child was treated to a new pair of shoes, and a Movement loan officer washed each child's feet, speaking words of encouragement as they washed. Children also enjoyed games and other giveaways.

"Just being servants to these amazing kids, seeing the smiles on their faces, that makes it all worth it," Loan officer Mark Halvorsen said between shoe fittings and feet washing. "The rest of the trip is all downhill from here. This is the highlight."

In Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico's west coast, Movement loan officers boarded open-air buses and traveled to the rural Vicente Guerrero Primary School, where they repaired aging facilities, painted, planted trees and refreshed an old playground. They also welcomed the school's students to an afternoon of fun activities.

Movement loan officers are not required to give up a day of their well-deserved vacation for the outreach events. It's an optional excursion. But participation in 2019 hit 100% as teammates who attended the trip reported it to be the highlight of the vacation.

"Loan officers are normally about themselves and their clients, but today had nothing to do with that," said Movement Regional Director Kisha Wier, who joined Movement in the Eagle acquisition. "I've been emotional all afternoon. These people who normally have to focus on themselves and their careers, were only focused on these kids. That's who we are. And to be in the middle of it — it's life-changing."