In this behind the scenes, two GreenStone employees share how their role allows them to support rural communities and agriculture.
Collin Nurenberg
Financial Services Officer
Ionia, MI
5 Years of service
Describe how your role carries out the GreenStone mission of supporting rural communities and agriculture.
As a financial service officer, my role allows me to help provide products and services that allow our customers to succeed in both their operational and family goals.
What do you enjoy about your role?
The thing I enjoy the most about my role is the people I get to work with every day, both customers and coworkers.
What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs?
A lot has changed over the past few years, but the biggest changes are probably the technology and increased flexibility. Both have allowed GreenStone to serve our customers better and in a more timely fashion.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Spending time with family and friends, as well as working on our family farm.
Joel Norkus
Vice President of Lending
Grand Rapids, MI
5 Years of service
Describe how your role carries out the GreenStone mission of supporting rural communities and agriculture:
Most clients that I help fall into one of 2 categories. The first category is clients who are looking to purchase a specialized property (such as agricultural or recreational land), and they have been told that financing is unavailable by their residential lender. A big part of this group are clients who’s dream it is to build their own house in the country for their families and future generations to enjoy. The second category is current GreenStone customers who know and trust us for all of their financing needs. We are usually their first call if they ever need anything. Both types of clients are focused on preserving the agricultural and outdoor recreational culture in Michigan.
What do you enjoy about your role?
I really don’t know where to start! I’ve never been a part of an organization with such a loyal customer base. However, given GreenStone’s company culture, I am certainly not surprised. Our company research and surveys consistently show the highest levels of employee satisfaction, and this absolutely filters through to our clients. GreenStone has the best team that I’ve ever worked with. My time here has given me a real appreciation for Michigan agriculture and the outdoors.
In our current environment of consistently being surrounded by technology, it is extremely satisfying to assist clients with achieving their goals to be able to acquire an asset that allows them to ‘disconnect’, and enjoy time with their families in the beautiful outdoors. Almost every client expresses their wish to keep these properties in their family to be used for future generations, and this makes me truly appreciate the services I provide for them.
As I mentioned, many of my new clients are referred to me by other real estate professionals (realtors and lenders), and I’ve been fortunate enough to have created a local network that refers these clients directly to me when the situation arises. Instead of competing for business with other lenders, I find that they will refer clients to me when they know a GreenStone loan is a better fit.
What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs?
A good number of my clients who are purchasing land now express a desire to build a home in the future. In these cases, I do my best to describe how construction loans work and what a construction loan might look like for them, even if the build won’t happen for years. Clients appreciate the education and helps them set personal financial goals in order to get to that point.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Mainly, I love spending time with my family (Wife Amy, daughter Lilli, and son Jonah). As far as hobbies go, I have to admit that my main outdoor hobby consists of spending time on many of Michigan’s golf courses. In my spare time, I play guitar and have put together a pretty decent collection of guitars and amps. This year, I’ve even connected with an old high school friend to start a band. However, I don’t think I’ll be quitting my day job anytime soon!
To view the article in the online 2023 Spring Partners Magazine, click here.
As a financial service officer, my role allows me to help provide products and services that allow our customers to succeed in both their operational and family goals.
What do you enjoy about your role?
The thing I enjoy the most about my role is the people I get to work with every day, both customers and coworkers.
What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs?
A lot has changed over the past few years, but the biggest changes are probably the technology and increased flexibility. Both have allowed GreenStone to serve our customers better and in a more timely fashion.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Spending time with family and friends, as well as working on our family farm.
Joel Norkus
Vice President of Lending
Grand Rapids, MI
5 Years of service
Describe how your role carries out the GreenStone mission of supporting rural communities and agriculture:
Most clients that I help fall into one of 2 categories. The first category is clients who are looking to purchase a specialized property (such as agricultural or recreational land), and they have been told that financing is unavailable by their residential lender. A big part of this group are clients who’s dream it is to build their own house in the country for their families and future generations to enjoy. The second category is current GreenStone customers who know and trust us for all of their financing needs. We are usually their first call if they ever need anything. Both types of clients are focused on preserving the agricultural and outdoor recreational culture in Michigan.
What do you enjoy about your role?
I really don’t know where to start! I’ve never been a part of an organization with such a loyal customer base. However, given GreenStone’s company culture, I am certainly not surprised. Our company research and surveys consistently show the highest levels of employee satisfaction, and this absolutely filters through to our clients. GreenStone has the best team that I’ve ever worked with. My time here has given me a real appreciation for Michigan agriculture and the outdoors.
In our current environment of consistently being surrounded by technology, it is extremely satisfying to assist clients with achieving their goals to be able to acquire an asset that allows them to ‘disconnect’, and enjoy time with their families in the beautiful outdoors. Almost every client expresses their wish to keep these properties in their family to be used for future generations, and this makes me truly appreciate the services I provide for them.
As I mentioned, many of my new clients are referred to me by other real estate professionals (realtors and lenders), and I’ve been fortunate enough to have created a local network that refers these clients directly to me when the situation arises. Instead of competing for business with other lenders, I find that they will refer clients to me when they know a GreenStone loan is a better fit.
What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs?
A good number of my clients who are purchasing land now express a desire to build a home in the future. In these cases, I do my best to describe how construction loans work and what a construction loan might look like for them, even if the build won’t happen for years. Clients appreciate the education and helps them set personal financial goals in order to get to that point.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Mainly, I love spending time with my family (Wife Amy, daughter Lilli, and son Jonah). As far as hobbies go, I have to admit that my main outdoor hobby consists of spending time on many of Michigan’s golf courses. In my spare time, I play guitar and have put together a pretty decent collection of guitars and amps. This year, I’ve even connected with an old high school friend to start a band. However, I don’t think I’ll be quitting my day job anytime soon!
To view the article in the online 2023 Spring Partners Magazine, click here.
