Meet Mary Wendel of MK Consultants in North Central

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Wendel.

Mary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I worked at a bank in a small town in Michigan. When I moved to Arizona in 1982 I applied at a title company that was looking for assistance in its accounting department. I quickly learned that a bank and a title company accounting department are vastly different! I’m NOT a “bean-counter”. When I started looking for another job, a co-worker advised me that the foreclosure department had an opening. While I thought foreclosure was something I wanted no part of, I was swayed to stay with the title company and learn something new. Turns out I loved my “teacher”; enjoyed the work, and have been grateful to both my friend and that teacher ever since.

The business has grown because we’re always thinking “what if?” we’re not afraid to take a chance and try something new. And we don’t say no; when a happy client is satisfied with our X and asks if we can do Y, the answer is always yes! We may not realize a profit the first few times we provide a new service, but we insure our client is happy. Then it’s to the drawing board to figure how to do it better, how to do it cost/time efficiently, and how to market the new service to all our clients. The customer service received from MK Consultants, Inc. is unmatched. We provide big company product with small company attention to detail and personalization. MK Consultants, Inc. is more than a vendor, we are your teammate. The better we can make you look to your client, the better we look to you! We have a terrific mix of long-time industry veterans and same-minded savvy teammates with fresh ideas.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Where’s the challenge in a smooth road? Bumps make us grow and change course and learn and devise… all making us better and stronger. MK Consultants, Inc. has experienced two major economic housing crashes. We’ve been overwhelmingly busy and challenged with keeping up our high standard of service and products. We’ve also been just as overwhelmingly slow, inspiring us to expand in new areas and develop new revenue sources.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the MK Consultants, Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
MK Consultants, Inc. is a full-service attorney assistance firm, specializing in default services.

We handle all aspects of all types of foreclosures (mailings, postings, service of process, publishing, auctions) in 17 states. We do quite a bit of pre- and post-sale work, including, but not limited to, appraisals, BPOs, occupancy inspections, demand letter delivery, trash-out, lock changes, and eviction assistance.

MK Consultants, Inc. provides service of process worldwide. Nationwide, we publish all types of legal documents, not just the Notices of Trustee’s Sale or Foreclosure. A large portion of our client base has nothing to do with real estate but is law firms that practice in the areas of corporate, family, or criminal laws, having us publish incorporations, probate notices, hearing notices, summonses, etc… We also publish LLCs for CPAs and contractor companies.

We tackle research projects and just about anything else that our client requests! For instance, I have a client, a family law attorney, for whom we published a Notice to Creditors. She knew I “did something with land” and asked if I could take a look, a physical look, at the deceased’s property. There was a question about a driveway easement and the neighbor’s possible encroachment that had gone unaddressed in a neighborly way while the elderly woman was alive, but now was being questioned by heirs. MK Consultants, Inc. was not only able to publish the original Notice to Creditors, but was also able to inspect, measure, and photograph the property, provide Affidavits, and work with the title company in a quiet title action. MK Consultants, Inc. is a unique company!

We have a very strong “mid-west” work ethic at MK Consultants, Inc. Our clients enjoy the pride of ownership each of our employees takes in her duties. We have fun working with one another and with our clients and it’s truly palpable. We’ve never lost a client to dissatisfaction. My company has a reputation for perfection and old-fashioned service. We answer our own telephones, and remember client’s birthdays and anniversaries. It is what I am most proud of and what sets us apart from other companies. We truly care about our customers, big and small, and the product they send to their clients that originate from our office. We’ve seen each other’s children grow up, we’ve shared holiday cheer, and we’ve still communicated with each other even after retirements. I think that is an amazing testament to the depth of service and quality of product that leaves this office. What more could I want?

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m sure luck played a part in here somewhere, but I believe a positive attitude, timing, a backbone, a willingness to go above and beyond, to work 27 hours days 8 days a week, to make sacrifices– I believe people make their own luck a lot of time.

I think a little bad luck is a good thing. I remember having to change my own truck tire in the middle of nowhere outside Yuma. On a July Monday. I remember having to call a tow truck from the payphone outside Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, begging the tow operator to take me to Flagstaff, too, against passenger regulations, and then calling the office to hear that we’d been broken into and our computers were gone. I’ve dipped into my personal savings to make payroll when receivables have been slow or nearly nonexistent. Adversity makes us grow and think outside the box. Earning a reputation, earning a wage, earning anything feels so much better than simply being handed something. There’s value in earning.

A lot of what I’m saying sounds trite and like old folks’ adages, but trite has truth in it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mkconsultantsinc.com
• Phone: 623-434-5560/877-440-4460
• Email: mk85027@yahoo.com or katie @mkconsultantsinc.com

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.