Operations Manager is not an easy job, but Mike pulls it off effortlessly. He understands the customer's sense of urgency, treats our employees with the respect they deserve and understands every aspect of this industry. His character and loyalty uphold the DSI philosophy.

Mike is simply 100% dedicated to DSI, DocMagic and all of our clients. He will stop at nothing to insure that the product and service we offer our clients is unparalleled by always being prepared to give as much as it takes to satisfy a customer.

Mike is simply the most reliable human being on the face of the planet. He has never missed a day of work or called in sick… a record that is simply incomprehensible. He is my right hand.

I love Mike; he is a brother.

Mike is, without question, an integral part of DSI. According to Alan Brisbane, Director of Customer Service:

Mike joined our company at a critical time. We were experiencing tremendous growth and Mike brought his vast experience of the mortgage industry to us. This knowledge really helped in accomplishing the company's goals in connection with the complete take over and domination of this industry. Mike's attitude and work ethic are, in my experience, rare. His attention to detail, and a capacity to organize effectively abundant amounts of material is unmatched.

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Mike and ask him about his tenure at DSI. Here's what he had to say:

When did you start working at DSI?
Mike: October 22, 1990.

What kind of work were you doing before joining DSI, and how do you think your prior experience prepared you for your role here?
Mike: I was working for a mortgage company where I started out as a messenger. I gradually got promoted to doing loan insuring, drawing initial disclosures, working with shipping and servicing, drawing loan documents, and then, finally, funding loans. I believe my prior experience at this mortgage company prepared me well for my varied responsibilities at DSI. Because I was once in our customer's shoes (i.e., drawing docs and funding loans), I can relate well to their concerns and time constraints. I think I understand where our customers are coming from when they call us, and, hopefully, we are all adequately prepared to resolve their issues.

What do you like best about working for DSI?
Mike: There are several things that I like best. I love the fact that I am involved in almost everything at DSI, from programming to billing to testing our software, and more. The variety of work is challenging. One of the other things I like best is my relationship with the people at DSI and its customers.

What do you like least about DSI?
Mike: The fact that I cannot get to everything as quickly as I would like. I also wish there was more time to develop each and every employee who reports to me directly to their fullest potential. While all of our employees do great work, I know that many of them have not yet reached their fullest potential. I hope to work on doing this in the years ahead.

What changes have you seen at DSI over the many years that you've worked at DSI?
Mike: Well, we no longer have 2 shifts working a total of 24 hours/day during the workweek to generate the loan documents, proof read them, and deliver them to the customer as we did in the early years. Now, with continual advances in technology, we no longer need as many personnel doing this sort of thing. Technology is able to do the work. Because DSI strives to keep its technology at the "cutting edge," I have also seen DSI grow to the premier loan document production company that it is today. In addition, since there is no turnover, I have watched my peers grow as we all have over the last 15 years.

You are such a vital member of the DSI team. You are committed to your job and to DSI, and you seem to really care about the customers and the people at DSI. To whom do you credit your great work ethic?
Mike: First and foremost, I credit my mom and dad for instilling in me a good work ethic. I also credit my manager at my prior job for teaching me a lot of things about our industry and doing my job well. And now, working with Don [Iannitti], Alan [Brisbane], and others at DSI all these years and watching us grow, I just want to remain a factor in the continued growth of our company. Furthermore, I think that what helps is that I love my job here at DSI. I feel really blessed to be here.

What would customers be most surprised to learn about you?
Mike: I don't think they know that I'm an avid sports fan [He really is - he knows all the sports statistics!], I love cars and listening to all types of music. I look forward to attending car shows, auto races, and baseball and basketball games each and every year. I also enjoy spending time with my family.

What do you see for DSI's future?
Mike: I think that DSI has unlimited potential. I think that with Don (DSI's President) and Jim (DSI's Director of Research & Development), who are both always "one step ahead of the game," we have the ability to retain our current customers and expand our customer base. Many large financial institutions already use DocMagic, and I think that many more will use DocMagic after seeing the benefits of our products. I see DSI getting "bigger and bigger" in the industry. I think that, if we want to, we could also expand our business to auto loans, commercial loans, and other types of lending programs. Who knows? We could even get into front-end software systems -LOS' (loan origination software). The possibilities are limitless.

Melanie A. Feliciano is Assistant General Counsel of Document Systems, Inc. and a member of its Compliance Department.