Member Highlight – Agent: Julie Scianna
In an attorney-agent state like Mississippi, Julie Scianna is a rare find as a true, independent insurance agent in the title insurance business. As a college student in 1996, Julie was hired as a receptionist for a local title company and quickly moved up through the various departments, learning each step of the process along the way. In 1998, she landed a nationwide lender account that propelled the company into multi-state status and led to her position as CFO. A native of Bay St. Louis, Julie saw a need for reliable, efficient closing services in her hometown and decided to come home in 2000 to start and grow her own title company rather than someone else’s. Julie is forever grateful that Max Link and Stephen Reck with First American Title Insurance Company agreed to take a chance on a then “25-year-old female, non-attorney in a market which was dominated by male attorney agents.”
While handling residential transactions, Julie finds that helping others brings her joy. “Closing day is usually a happy and exciting time for buyers,” she says. “Conversely, there’s often a sense of sadness for the sellers as a chapter in their book is closing. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be there with and for our clients in each instance.” Julie describes her company, Landmark Title & Escrow Co., Inc., as a small company with a huge commitment to customer service. She values the relationships she has formed with realtors, lenders, and customers over the years and sees every obstacle as an opportunity to learn and grow in her knowledge of the profession.
According to Julie, the most valuable skill for a title insurance agent to master is adaptability. She cleverly summarizes her business philosophy this way: “Life ebbs and flows, and the journey from your Point of Beginning will traverse many courses and distances. You may end up on a road that wasn’t on the original Plat. Don’t be afraid to create a new Landmark.” Adaptability was essential for the closing where a buyer arrived with a briefcase full of gold bullion and insisted on being promptly ushered into a closed conference room for security purposes. “We all thought we were in a scene out of a spy movie,” Julie recalls. “I suppose gold is ‘other good and valuable consideration’!”
Julie is the youngest of nine children and an alumna of Our Lady Academy, Pearl River Community College, and the University of Southern Mississippi. She still lives in Bay St. Louis with her husband, Harvey; their son, Jackson; their yellow lab, Luna; cats, Mrs. Arugula Hughes (aka “Hughsie”) and Azrael Hobson (aka “Hobsie”) as well as numerous fish, snails, shrimp, and other aquatic life. The family recently bought a pontoon boat they named “Fishful Thinking” that they use to follow Jack as he pursues his passion of sailing. Julie’s own passion is cooking for people she loves. She “can neither confirm nor deny” that she has been to Disney World over 30 times (so far). She has traveled the U.S., toured Europe, cruised the seas, and spent summers as a missionary in Mexico. A member of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, Julie is current serving a 2nd term as President of Holy Trinity Catholic School’s Advisory Council.