A neat, petite businesswoman with solid goals and a boardroom projection, Michele Francis has an accomplished background in financial consulting and mortgage serving. At first glance, it's difficult to associate her with the oft-messy and muddy scene of a construction site, even from a financing perspective. But truth be told, Francis admits, "I love watching land improvements and love big equipment."

Although she finds home building very exciting, she realized she wasn't going to become a builder. But working closely with builders, Francis says, gives her "a bit of satisfaction in the fun that goes on there. It allows me to take off the heels and put on the work boots."

"I think that when you start out in any career, you have to find yourself a niche," Francis recently told Networking Magazine. At Safe Harbor, she applies her philosophy, directing the company to find its niche.

Three years ago, Francis joined Beechwood Capital Company as director of sales and mortgage operations, and was charged with developing and implementing a business plan for this start-up mortgage brokerage firm. She then became president of Beechwood Capital, servicing its affiliate, the Beechwood Organization, a leading homebuilder on Long Island. Shortly, Beechwood Capital became "two people in a conference room," and before long, she says, the firm expanded, with 50% of its business involving outside sources, such as other developers, corporations, attorneys, and financial planning firms.

"There began to be a need to have an identity as a stand-alone company," notes Francis, and Beechwood Capital transitioned into Safe Harbor Capital Group again as president, extending its reach beyond Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Rochester and setting a course to provide mortgage banking services.

Recognizing that Long Island babyboomers are already looking for vacation and/or retirement homes in Florida, Safe Harbor began its expansion there. "There's a tremendous amount of new construction and new development going on in Florida, and we want to participate in that marketplace," remarks Francis, adding, 'and the other hot spots on the flight down are Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C." Expansion into these areas has enabled the company to open doors to new business and referral sources.

Three years later, her staff numbers 22 mortgage counselors in its Jericho office alone and five "pipeline managers." Instead of having an opener, a processor, an underwriter and a closer handling loans, Francis says, Safe Harbor's pipeline managers have a full understanding of each loan they oversee and don't have to become reacclamated before closing. The company handles the financing of tens of thousands of units with 95% of its business in the residential sector, including Beechwood construction projects.

"I love breaking new ground," puns Francis, as she speaks of Safe Harbor's bold advances. She sees the company developing as many investor or lender relationships as possible in order to create a diverse product base. To date, the firm has developed some 55 lender banking relationships nationwide. Francis has also helped build strategic partnerships, including developers, a core base of attorneys, and financial planners who seek the company's advice when assisting clients with their personal "blueprints" for potential growth. Through its affinity program, Safe Harbor brings information and services to corporate and nonprofit employees, particularly if they are contemplating the purchase of a home.

Francis marks two important pieces of the company's growth plan: technology and education. "Technology is key," she says. "In this industry, if you're not automated, you're left behind." Safe Harbor "equips its loan officers with laptops that are dial up cable and wireless, so they can do business wherever, whenever." Loan officers sit at construction sites to run credit checks, pre-qualify and issue commitments at application, "so clients know up front exactly what they are qualified for and that they have the bank's commitment behind them." Safe Harbor works with vendors whose technology platforms match their equipment, and she points to an appraisal company that sends out a van with an appraiser in the back who is able to send information "via e" to her company email. She works with title companies that provide online services to track project progress.

This cutting edge technology enables Safe Harbor to "literally close a loan from start to finish within a week," claims Francis. The use of technology "allows the company to be conservative regarding infrastructure, but still able to offer high qualify and quality control."

In addition to technology seminars, Francis brings educational programs to Monday sales meetings to assist her loan officers to become polished, keep up to date on "rules and regs" and learn about changes in credit reporting. Extolling the networking opportunities and knowledge gained from membership in professional groups, she requires her loan officers to belong to at least two or three organizations.

Francis believes that Safe Harbor's greatest asset is its focus on customers. At the end of the current "refinance boom," she predicts "a shake out" of those companies that have solely focused on the numbers of loans they made. "Each individual customer is a seed that you watch grow," she says, "a billboard you don't have to pay for."

Calling Long Island "very unique," Francis doesn't see any slowdown in new home building or resales, although homes on the high end are being negotiated more heavily. "I think the question is more likely to be how to afford taxes, rather than principal and interest," she says, adding that "new home building starts are still very healthy."

Acknowledging the upcoming election and trouble overseas, Francis doesn't see a drastic change in interest rates in the short term. "The economy is gradually making its start to improve over the third and fourth quarters," says Francis, and she predicts progress by the first quarter of 2005. "It's an amazing arena we're in now, and I know I won't see this again in my lifetime." Francis advised that in this atmosphere, "It's a good choice for a consumer to go with a new construction project, because costs only go up as the project moves into its final stages." She adds, in the meantime, "you're building equity, without even being in your home."

While Safe Harbor continues to follow a conservative approach, Francis says the company has the ability to offer new construction clients a long-term rate lock or cap, providing them with a "safety feature."

A member of the board of directors of the New York State Mortgage Brokers Association, Francis is a strong industry advocate. Noting that unlike stockbrokers and other professionals, loan officers do not have education requirements and do not undergo background checks or fingerprinting. Coming from a banking and securities background, she is cautious about predatory lending and the possibility of misleading consumers, and therefore, actively lobbies for accountability in the mortgage industry. The onus is on the business owner, she adds, saying that her company carefully monitors its hiring. Francis and her colleagues have begun to push for changes on the state level, but she has also traveled to Washington, speaking with some 25 members of the New York State delegation to seek a national standard.

Francis anticipates "sweeping changes happening in the industry," and she believes licensing in the states where her company does business may take place in May or early June. Through its business practices, she feels Safe Harbor will have its "people in place" for licensing, and the company will be open to do business as bankers.

Francis is concerned with possible reform to the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. The proposal was put on the back burner, however, while HUD reviews an FTC study of RESPA's good faith estimate (full disclosure of closing costs to the consumer). The study shows that time and again consumers choose what turns out to be the more expensive option because different lenders present loan terms in different formats. Mortgage officers are obligated to disclose a yield spread premium, while their competitors often "bundle services" in a guaranteed mortgage package. Francis believes her company's good faith estimates are "very lean."

Whereas Francis agrees with the consumer's call for simplicity, she says her disagreement lies in the fact that "big banks and big title companies have the ability to platform themselves because of volume, and mortgage brokers can't compete in that marketplace." Safe Harbor is currently working with its vendors to pass on discounts to consumers. Mortgage brokers are responsible for 60% of loan business, and Francis believes current consolidation will only hurt the competitive aspect of the industry.

With a slight smile, Francis acknowledges a strong Irish heritage, saying her biggest holiday is St. Patrick's Day, when she places shamrocks on employees' desks, goes to breakfast at the Waldorf with the Governor to kick off the parade and celebrates for a week, cooking a different Irish dinner every night. "I took Irish step-dancing as soon as I could walk," she adds, and still keeps in touch with her "cusins" in Ireland.

Although she's a working mom, Francis comfortably manages to balance work and home life by building understanding among family members and recognizing the importance of patience. Residents of Bellport, Michele and Arthur have four children: Michael (13), Caileen (11), Bourke (4) and Padraig (3), as well as a black lab named Max, a fish known as E.T., and five birds.