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22 | TH E M R EP O RT S everal years ago, Caliber executives identified an area within the mortgage industry that needed more attention: Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2016, they hired Bryan Bergjans to spearhead the company's VA growth plan. The Military Lending Team's first goal was to shift the overall company culture, increasing its focus on veterans and their unique needs and situations. As Caliber employs many veterans, the organization set out to create an internal culture that recognized the military and veteran community. Better Serving Those Who Serve Us A s National Director of Mili- tary and VA Lending, Berg- jans was charged with managing all initiatives that support active duty, reserve and veteran com- munities and families. His own military career began in 1995 after he graduated from high school, and he served on Active Duty until 1998 when he transferred to his current position in the Navy Reserves. "A corporate culture within an organization, including the employees who work there, must believe in helping veterans at their core if they truly want to succeed," Bergjans said. VA-Focused Tools & Training A t a high level, the Military Lending Team began by creating initiatives to recognize Caliber's veteran and reservist employees, and spark patriotism within the organization. This in - cluded launching new programs and updating existing programs to better serve the military and veteran community. For the last several years, Caliber's existing policy ensured that jobs would be waiting for civilian soldiers upon their return from duty. However, the Military Lending Team knew it could do more. After researching military leave policies at organizations that championed veteran-friendly pro - grams, Caliber launched a policy that guaranteed jobs for reservists who were deployed or traveled for training—and granted paid leave during their absence. The enhanced policy was implemented in September 2016. Additionally, Caliber cre - ated "Military May," which— in observation of Memorial Day—encourages all employees to decorate their offices with a pa- triotic theme. Employees are wel- comed to share personal stories of their own military service and the service of their family, friends and loved ones. To better serve veteran and active military borrowers, the Military Lending Team created a proprietary training program for Caliber Military and Veteran Lending Professionals. Loan Consultants, underwriters, pro - cessors, branch managers, sales employees and divisional manag- ers may enroll in Caliber Military and Veteran Lending Professional (CMVLP) training. Through the program, Caliber employees learn how to communi - cate with veterans and understand the pressures, constraints, chal- lenges and opportunities they may National lender Caliber Home Loans, Inc. has placed a special emphasis on VA lending—both outside and within the organization. In Part One of this two-part series, you'll learn how Caliber Home Loans is growing its veteran ranks and what it's doing to keep them around. By Lauren Abney Reporting for Duty FEATURE