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TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been named a 2019 Best Places to Work Honoree by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Voted on by their staff, the winners were chosen based on the employee engagement surveys.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, has officially expanded its business with a new closing office in Blaine, MN. The Blaine location will be their 8th branch in the Twin Cities, with other locations in White Bear Lake, Apple Valley, Edina, Forest Lake, Maple Grove, Woodbury, and Faribault.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been named a 2019 Top Workplace by the Star Tribune. Voted on by their staff, the winners were chosen based on the employee engagement surveys.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced the official expansion of its Commercial Real Estate Closing Department Services and the introduction of Timothy Thrush to lead its commercial team.

Inc. magazine today revealed that TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, has been named on its 37th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

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TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that they have been named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For by
Minnesota Business Magazine

. The “100 Best” were voted for in an anonymous online questionnaire filled out by the employees of each company.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been named a 2018 Top Workplace by the Star Tribune. Voted on by their employees, the winners were chosen based on the employee engagement surveys.

When Michelle Tiede Morris joined TitleSmart four years ago, she envisioned someday opening a branch in her beloved southern Minnesota. Last month, it became a reality. On the second floor of the Bachrach Building, Tiede Morris’s office overlooks Central Avenue. Thursday, she celebrated her ribbon-cutting ceremony after a month in business.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been ranked on the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s’ Fast 50. The Fast 50 list ranks privately held companies based on their overall growth from year to year. The list represents the top 50 fastest growing private companies based on financial growth rate. This year TitleSmart ranked 34th overall with a 60.34% overall growth rate from 2014 to 2016. They were presented this honor at Thursday night’s award ceremony at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis. This is the third time TitleSmart has appeared on the Fast 50 list.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been identified as a 2017 Best of Business first place winner in the Title Company category for Twin Cities Business Magazine. Local professionals vote to identify companies that represent “true excellence in their respective industries”. TitleSmart earned its first-place status through the peer voting process. Data was collected through a third party, DataJoe Research.

“We are humbled to be voted the 2017 Best of Business Title Company winner,” said Cindy Koebele, President of TitleSmart, Inc. “We truly appreciate the support of our peers and are proud…

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/09/prweb14648816.htm

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies for the fourth consecutive year. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small businesses. TitleSmart earned its spot on the list for achieving 99% growth over the last three years.

“We are ecstatic to be a part of the Inc. 5000 2017 List of America’s fastest-growing companies,” said Cindy Koebele, President of TitleSmart, Inc. “To be featured for a fourth year in a row is a true achievement. I am extremely proud and humbled…

http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb14607996.htm

Professional real estate closers TitleSmart Inc. recently opened a location in Forest Lake at 207 Lake St. N. The business is headquartered in White Bear Lake, it has six locations total, and it will celebrate its 10th anniversary this month.

President and CEO Cindy Koebele is co-owner with her sister, Vice President and Executive Closer Angela Shackle. They started the title insurance business in 2007 in Maplewood…

http://forestlaketimes.com/2017/04/21/progress-titlesmart-growing-fast-with-plenty-to-offer/

What’s one business decision you made in the past three years that’s been critical to your firm’s growth? We increased our focus on developing a unique set of employee benefits and perks. As we face more competition for top talent, offering things like our flexible PTO, birthday PTO, sabbatical vacation program, and our Feed the Smarties initiative that provides free, healthy food for employees on-site, has been instrumental in recruiting and retaining employees.

TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, today announced that it has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies for the third consecutive year. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small businesses. TitleSmart earned its spot on the list for achieving 111% growth over three years.

“We are proud to again earn recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing companies,” said Cindy Koebele, President of TitleSmart, Inc. “Our continued growth is a result of our unwavering commitment to creating phenomenal closing experiences. We are grateful for the strong support of our customers and partners, who have helped to make our success possible.”

The 2016 Inc. 5000 is the most competitive crop in the list’s history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 433%. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue is $200 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the past three years, or about 8% of all jobs created in the entire economy during that period. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

“The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts,” says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “It honors real achievement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great – usually from scratch. That’s one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails.”

About TitleSmart, Inc.
TitleSmart, Inc. is a full-service title insurance company dedicated to providing clients with exceptional title, escrow, and real estate closing solutions. From investing in the best systems to adding extra touches like warm cookies, gourmet coffee and branded trinkets to each closing, TitleSmart embraces the mentality that closing on your house should be a positive, fun and upbeat experience. A certified Women’s Business Enterprise, TitleSmart was named one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America in 2014, 2015, and 2016 and one of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2015. For more information visit https://title-smart.com.

By Cindy Koebele, EO Minnesota member and President of TitleSmart, Inc., a full-service title insurance company.

The title insurance industry, like many others, has faced incredible change over the past few years. I started TitleSmart, Inc. in 2007 during the collapse of the housing market, precisely because I believe change and chaos breed opportunity. Remaining focused on the core of our business, while others are distracted by temporary circumstances, is at the heart of our business plan.

During the recession, while most companies were pulling back and investing less in their clients, we jumped in with enhancements to the closing process that impressed our customers at a time when they were feeling let down by others in the marketplace. An unwavering focus on creating a superior customer experience saw our company through one of the toughest times in our industry and left us with a loyal base of customers and a clear direction for the future…

Congratulations to Cindy Koebele, President, Title-Smart, on being named by the professional organization EY as its 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year® for the Upper Midwest region. The award recognizes entrepreneurial excellence in the Insurance Services category, highlighting outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Cindy was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala event at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis June 10.

Cindy Koebele was tired of being overworked, underpaid and underappreciated by the title insurance company where she had worked for five years. Fed up, one day she told her sister and coworker, Angela Shackle, “We’re going to leave and open our own company.”

Award recognizes entrepreneurial excellence in Insurance Services category

Maplewood, MN – June 12, 2015 –TitleSmart Inc., a leading full-service title insurance company that provides title, escrow, and real estate closing solutions, today announced that President, Cindy Koebele, received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award in the “Insurance Services” category in the Upper Midwest. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Koebele was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala event at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis on June 10, 2015.

“It is an honor to be recognized by one of the most prestigious business award programs in the country, “ said Cindy Koeble, President of TitleSmart. “TitleSmart’s success is the result of the work of our incredible team. It’s an honor to share this recognition with them as well as our customers and partners who have supported us along the way.”

Koebele started TitleSmart in 2007 with a mission to provide the highest level of customer service in the title insurance industry. Today, TitleSmart, one of the Inc.
5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America in 2014

, has 19 closers and 50 staff members in seven locations throughout the Twin Cities.

As an Upper Midwest award winner, Koebele is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 14, 2015. The awards are the culminating event of the
EY Strategic Growth Forum®

, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

View an interview with Koebele

that aired at the June 10 award gala event.

About TitleSmart, Inc.
TitleSmart, Inc. is a full service title insurance company dedicated to providing clients with exceptional title, escrow and real estate closing solutions. A certified Women’s Business Enterprise, TitleSmart, Inc. was recently named number 11 on the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal’s
list of the 50 fastest growing private companies in the Twin Cities

and as one of the Inc.
5000 fastest-growing private companies in America in 2014

. TitleSmart has locations in Apple Valley, Blaine, Edina, Maplewood, Uptown Minneapolis, White Bear Lake and Woodbury. For more information visit
title-smart.com

.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

Most people’s reference point for title companies is summed up as “that time I nervously signed a stack of papers at a conference table while buying a house.” But the job of a “closer” is far more complex than collating paperwork.

Cindy Koebele should know. Her company, TitleSmart averaged 4,400 closings annually in 2012 and 2013. Now with seven locations throughout the metro, Koebele expects closings to reach 5,500 this year.

Koebele’s career in real estate began unexpectedly. After two terms at Northwestern University, she moved back home to White Bear Lake and decided to get a full-time job instead of finishing school. Her mother, a mortgage officer at the time, mentioned that a title company was hiring. Koebele interviewed and started manning the front desk a day later, earning about $1,000 a month…

TitleSmart Inc., a full service title insurance company, celebrated the grand opening of its Apple Valley location with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 28. Community leaders at the celebration included state Rep. Anna Wills, Apple Valley Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland, Apple Valley Chamber President Ed Kearney and several members of the Apple Valley city staff and Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce. “Opening this location has been a dream of ours for the past several years,” said Cindy Koebele, president and owner of TitleSmart. “We have built strong relationships and partnerships in the area and are excited to now have a physical presence in the south metro as well.” TitleSmart’s Apple Valley location is at 14985 Glazier Ave. in the Wings Financial Building. The company plans to open its next office in Woodbury in November.

Woodbury, Minnesota, September 18, 2014 — TitleSmart, Inc., is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Woodbury, strengthening its presence in Minnesota to nine metro area office locations.

TitleSmart’s Woodbury office will be located in the Tamarack Hills Office Park and will help the company better serve the area’s growing population during a time when real estate transactions are on the rise.

“TitleSmart has been providing title, escrow, and real estate closing solutions since 2007 and we look forward to bringing a convenient location to our current and future customers in the area,” says Cindy Koebele, President and Owner of TitleSmart, Inc. “Woodbury’s vibrant community is an excellent match for TitleSmart. We bring energy and passion to the work we do and we look forward to building even stronger relationships with our partners and customers in Woodbury.”

TitleSmart, Inc.’s Woodbury location will open on November 1 in the Tamarack Hills Office Park at 563 Beilenberg Drive in Woodbury. For additional information contact Cindy Koebele at 651-779-3075 or cindy@title-smart.com.

Cindy Koebele, president and executive closer, sent the team to Best Buy and bought a temporary modem until a new one arrived. At the time, the office was a small operation and the outage didn’t disrupt business too much, but Koebele swore she would be more prepared next time.

The business has grown from that three-person shop and now has onsite and offsite back-up systems as well as Web-based closing software company applications offsite.

“We also have several locations with various computer workstations, as well as primary and back-up Internet services to assure that we are never down,” Koebele said. “We also have several locations around our metro area that employees could work in with various computer workstations. Many of our locations have dual internet carriers with primary and back-up Internet services to assure that we are never down, and again, our most critical closing software systems are Web-based.”

All of her supervisory and administrative staff members are aware of the procedure if some type of disaster or disruption were to happen at the office…

Woodbury, Minnesota, September 18, 2014 — TitleSmart, Inc., is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Woodbury, strengthening its presence in Minnesota to nine metro area office locations.

TitleSmart’s Woodbury office will be located in the Tamarack Hills Office Park and will help the company better serve the area’s growing population during a time when real estate transactions are on the rise.

“TitleSmart has been providing title, escrow, and real estate closing solutions since 2007 and we look forward to bringing a convenient location to our current and future customers in the area,” says Cindy Koebele, President and Owner of TitleSmart, Inc. “Woodbury’s vibrant community is an excellent match for TitleSmart. We bring energy and passion to the work we do and we look forward to building even stronger relationships with our partners and customers in Woodbury.”

TitleSmart, Inc.’s Woodbury location will open on November 1 in the Tamarack Hills Office Park at 563 Beilenberg Drive in Woodbury. For additional information contact Cindy Koebele at 651-779-3075 or cindy@title-smart.com.

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SoftPro is the nation’s leading provider of Real Estate Closing and Title Insurance software

ALTA Member Companies Named to Inc. 5000 List
August 26, 2014
Three ALTA member companies were recently named to the
Inc. 5000

List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies.

Newport Beach, Calif.-based Title365 Co. came in at 2,195 with three-year revenue growth of 180 percent. The company, founded in 2009, has added 240 positions over the past three years and now employs 345.

TitleSmart Inc., which is based in Maplewood, Minn., ranked 2,787 with revenue growth of 133 percent over the past three years. Over that time, the company has added 24 employees and has 34 people on staff.

“We are honored to be included on this prestigious list of companies,” said Cindy Koebele, president and owner of TitleSmart. “This accomplishment is a testament to our team’s talent and commitment to delivering outstanding results. We’re excited to build on this momentum to continue to provide creative closing solutions and a high level of personal service.”

Austin, Texas-based Independence Title came in on the list at 3,722 with revenue growth of 85 percent since 2010. The company employs 200 and has doubled its staff over the past three years.

The 2014 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2010 to 2013. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2010. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent–not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies–as of Dec. 31, 2013. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2010 is $100,000; the minimum for 2013 is $2 million.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held Oct. 15-17 in Phoenix. Speakers include Michael Dell, Martha Stewart, host of the CNBC show “The Profit” Marcus Lemonis, Container Store Founder and CEO Kip Tindell, and Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya.

TitleSmart, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, has been providing title, escrow and real estate closing solutions to the Twin Cities since 2007 and currently has seven metro area locations.

“We are thrilled to provide the Apple Valley area with a convenient location for exceptional title, escrow and real estate closing solutions,” said Cindy Koebele, president and owner. “We are extremely passionate about the work we do and the communities we serve and we look forward to building even stronger relationships with our partners and customers in Apple Valley.”

TitleSmart Inc.’s Apple Valley location will open on or before Sept. 1 in the Wings Financial Building at 14985 Glazier Ave. For additional information, contact Koebele at 651-779-3075 or cindy@title-smart.com.

Apple Valley, Minnesota, June 24, 2014 — TitleSmart, Inc., a leading Twin Cities title insurance company, is very pleased to announce the expansion of their business with a new branch in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

TitleSmart, Inc., a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, has been providing title, escrow and real estate closing solutions to the Twin Cities since 2007 and currently has seven metro area locations.

“We are thrilled to provide the Apple Valley area with a convenient location for exceptional title, escrow and real estate closing solutions,” says Cindy Koebele, President and Owner of TitleSmart, Inc. “We are extremely passionate about the work we do and the communities we serve and we look forward to building even stronger relationships with our partners and customers in Apple Valley.”

TitleSmart, Inc.’s Apple Valley location will open on or before September 1 in the Wings Financial Building at 14985 Glazier Avenue in Apple Valley.

Location: 2127 E. County Road D, Suite A, Maplewood. Also, locations in Edina, Fridley, Minneapolis (Uptown area), White Bear Lake and Wayzata.

Contact information: Cindy Koebele, 651-779-3075; cindy@title-smart.com

;
title-smart.com

Originally featured in Open for Business on:
April 6, 2008

What does your business do?
TitleSmart Inc. is a full-service title insurance company dedicated to providing our clients with exceptional title, escrow and real estate closing services and solutions.

How’s business?
Excellent! TitleSmart has been growing steadily since opening in 2007. The owners and staff members work extra hard to provide an extraordinary level of service to our customers. March 2012 has been our best month so far.

What have been the biggest changes?
There have been several. Moving our Maplewood location in December 2009 to a larger office in the same complex and then most recently expanding the office to over 3,000 square feet, increasing professional title staff members from five in 2008 to 18 in 2012. We recruited closing and office staff members who we feel are simply the best in the industry in the Twin Cities. We also recently opened an executive closing office in the Edina area.

Do you have any advice for others launching a business?
Build your business one customer at a time and make “everything your business,” The success and quality of your company depends on it.

Always be accessible by phone or email and respond promptly to all inquiries. With today’s high-tech environment, response is everything.

Appreciate and reward your customers and employees.

Mentor your staff members and customers.

Be positive and upbeat — it’s contagious!

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) launched a new eClosing pilot program in order to explore new avenues to make closings less complex to consumers. Cindy Koebele, president and executive director at TitleSmart Inc., and Bill Anderson, vice president of legislative affairs at the National Notary Association told The Title Report they weren’t surprised by the announcement.

Koebele said she hasn’t received a large number of requests in the past for eClosings but has performed some at the request of lenders in the last few years.

TitleSmart is a full-service title insurance agency dedicated to providing our clients with exceptional title, escrow and real estate closing solutions. Why are you launching it now? After more than 21 years of working in this industry as employees of other title companies, we decided it was time to start our own company. We had the knowledge, experience and a loyal client base. It is the best decision we’ve ever made.

Tell us how you developed your business plan.
In addition to years in the title industry, over the past five years we started up and ran the title company for a local well-known real estate firm in the Twin Cities metro area, Brainerd and Rochester. Over the years, we have worked hard to service our customers and establish a reputation of outstanding service and knowledge in this profession. We used this reputation to start our own company.

How are you financing your business?
The capital to open the company came from the personal savings of the owners. How do you see current economic conditions affecting your business? The current market conditions have given us a “refreshed” perception. We are able to give “one on one” personalized service to every customer.

What makes your business unique?
The title business is a mystery to the average consumer. Most people don’t have any idea what it is that their title closer/company provides to them. We work to bring buyers, sellers and real estate agents through the process so that it is easy to und! erstand and fun. Customers sense we enjoy what we do, which ma! kes the overall experience for them more personalized.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it?
Once we made the decision to move forward, everything really just came together. The momentum definitely was there each step of the way. The biggest obstacle was leaving our old company. They were not supportive. However, we all stayed positive and didn’t look back or allow ourselves to dwell on negative situations or gossip.

What will tell you the business is successful?
That part is easy. The company opened on April 1, 2007, and we got off to a smooth start. Systems are in place and operations are already successful. Now we are working towards our goal of growing the company around the Twin Cities.