Page 94 - Cityview_Jan_Feb_2014

2014 ENTREPRENEURS

GO HOME

Chrissi Rhea

and
Chuck E. Tonkin II

Founders and Co-Presidents,

Mortgage Investors Group

Chrissi Rhea and Chuck Tonkin II
built Mortgage Investors Group (MIG)

on trust and value. They had both
worked for national mortgage lenders,

and had seen their own work—and

customers—hampered by corpo-
rate decisions. “We knew they were

missing the key element of success in
our industry,” says Rhea. Both Rhea

“Knoxville was a and Tonkin believe MIG’s success is

largely due to the value they place on
wonderful market for employees: They’ve created a business

where loan professionals who care
us to get our start about their customers can shape their

careers, with the support they need
and lent a great to always deliver the best service to

balance for us as
homebuyers. That’s how trust grows,

and how MIG did, too—from a single,
we began to grow
seven-person office in Knoxville to
“Placing our
275 employees working at 20 branches
in other areas.
customers’
across Tennessee. Since its founding

in 1989, Mortgage Investors Group
Many people in the needs above
has helped more than 75,000 people
around the state become homeown-
Knoxville area have proit motive
ers. Tonkin emphasizes MIG’s scope,
been with us for asking, “Wouldn’t we all like decisions
and making
that are made about something as im-
more than 20
promises that we portant as buying a home to be made
by someone who actually knows us,
years and have
always kept were
not someone a thousand miles away in
another state?” MIG works at a local
truly grown up
our focal points
level in another way, too. MIG has long
with us.”
supported the Salvation Army, KARM,
as we began—and
and other community organizations.

it has not changed “As the company has grown, so has our
desire to help,” says Rhea.
to this day. Satisied

customers bring

success!”

92 january february 2014