DSF: Tell us about yourself.
TN: I am a native of Saginaw, MI, a small city in the middle of Michigan. I am married to a fellow Michigan State alum, Heather, who's a member of Alpha Chi Omega, and we have three children.
DSF: What made you decide to go to Michigan State, and what was your major while there?
TN: I had originally planned to go to Howard University on a soccer scholarship, however, my Grandmother was ill, and so I decided to stay closer to home and go to Michigan State. I walked on to the soccer team there, and played forward.
My undergraduate degree was in Human Resources, and my Master's degree is in Organizational Management and Leadership.
DSF: Tell us about your experience in the Alpha Pi chapter, and what the chapter was like when you were there.
TN: It's an interesting story on why I decided to join Delta Sigma Phi. My father was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, a historically black Fraternity, and I was planning on joining that Fraternity as well, but they happened to be suspended from campus. So, I was told that I should rush by some of my friends. I didn't even know what rush meant. However, I did end up rushing, and the guys at Delta Sigma Phi did a great job in getting me to join and closing the deal.
I have a lot of fond memories about my three and a half years in the chapter. There were a lot of great guys, many of whom have gone on to very successful careers, and I was able to develop tremendous relationships. The chapter was also made up of a very diverse group of guys - both ethnically as well as economically, which brought a lot of perspectives to the table. It was there that I really learned to deal with different people.
DSF: Talk about the positions you held while in the chapter, and what you got out of those.
TN: I served as the pledge educator, which really gave me a great appreciation for the history and traditions of the Fraternity. I also served as the rush chairman, which allowed me to meet people, and help to shape the future of the chapter in the folks I helped influence to join. Finally, I served as the social chairman, which gave me a great opportunity to meet a lot of other people on campus and help develop relationships with members of other fraternities and sororities - some of those people I still see today.
DSF: Tell us about your career thus far.
TN: Well, when I was in school, I was an account executive for our school newspaper, which led me into an internship with Gannett News, which owns the USA Today and many other papers. There, I gained a great deal of sales experience. As I graduated, I had a few job opportunities presented to
me with big businesses, but I didn't want to go the same route as everyone else in my class - I wanted to have a major impact on the company for which I worked.
I took a job a Rock Financial, which at the time consisted of about 150 people. Today, we have 4,000 employees. The business line I was brought in for was an internet startup, which began with 20 people, and now has about 3,000. I had jobs in inside and outside sales, with the private banking group, in marketing, and now as the Regional Vice President for Sales for Quicken Loans.
DSF: Tell us about where you see the company's growth opportunities as you move forward.
TN: Right now, Quicken Loans is the #1 online mortgage lender, and is #12 in overall retail mortgage lending in the U.S. We are having rapid expansion, including opening shops in Phoenix and Cleveland as we speak. In the next 3-5 years, we will be in 6-8 marketplaces across the U.S., and will continue growing.
The partnership that owns the company also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA basketball team, and several other companies, including ePrize, Fathead, and Flashseats.
DSF: Talk about your responsibilities as a Regional Vice president.
TN: I am responsible for driving the sales and increasing revenues for the organization. I am also in charge of interviewing, hiring and selecting candidates, and then training, coaching and mentoring new leaders. I manage about 300 people. I also have responsibility as the liaison with the marketing
team, and I maintain continuity between our business units. Some people say that I am the Chief Morale Officer of the organization.
DSF: Managing all of those people must be difficult. How would you describe your management style?
TN: I have a philosophy in managing people that includes trusting them, having open communication between us, and letting people know where they stand at all times. I try to help them create visions and help them the best I can. I feel strongly that if you give people the tools and training that they need, they will succeed. Our company has a group of core philosophies we call "ism's" and I try to help people realize these on a day to day basis.
DSF: If we asked one of your subordinates what it is like to work for you, what do you think they would say?
TN: Let's call one in and see what they have to say. (Calls in a woman named Annie.)
Annie - "Tony is very consistent in his message. We always knows what he tells us is honestly what he thinks, and sometimes we don't like what he tells us, but we know it's honest and it will make us better."
Tony - There's a quote that I really like when talking about this - "People don't care what you know until they know you care."
DSF: What are your career goals?
TN: I want to help drive this company to be the #1 retail lender in the U.S., not just the #1 online retail lender. If I can help make that happen, I will have a big sense of accomplishment. I am so focused on this right now, that I don't really think too far past that, although I would really like to become the president and CEO of Quicken Loans, or help another company by becoming a high level executive if that presents itself in the future.
DSF: What was the one thing that you learned in your Fraternity experience that has helped you the most in your post graduate days?
TN: I think it comes back to rush, and the philosophy of bringing in a man better than yourself. I look for people when hiring who have more skills than me in certain areas, and that really stemmed from my time as the rush chair in Delta Sigma Phi.
DSF: Who has had the biggest impact on your throughout your life?
TN: My mother, who continues to coach me today and every day. She always used to say, "If you can believe it, you can achieve it." Even with three degrees, and as a middle school principal, she was always there for me and always had my back on everything.
DSF: What words of wisdom do you have for our undergraduates and alumni to be successful?
TN: For the undergraduates, I would say that they should gain a lot of experience while on campus both in and out of the classroom. They should take on more responsibility than they can handle, because when you realize you have more to do than time to do it, you understand the true value of time.
For alumni, I would say that they should continue to dream big and build solid relationships in all areas of life. You never know who you can help, or who can help you in the future. A quote I like goes like this - "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success
when they gave up." One other thing I have heard and I like -"there are two ways to be defined in life - with results or with excuses. Which would you rather be defined on?"
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