Even before she relocated from the Midwest to Seattle in 2003, Kate Beck decided to become a member of GSBA.
“A friend of mine in Kansas City was like, ‘If you’re moving to Seattle, the first thing you need to do is join GSBA.’ So I took her word for it, immediately joined, and became a volunteer,” said Kate.
“I picked my real estate agent, my home insurance, my healthcare – I picked everybody out of the (GSBA) guide. I was so excited to be in a gay community, moving from the Midwest where there wasn’t that kind of community available with professionals who were out.”
Fifteen years later, Kate has become not only a familiar face at GSBA functions across the city, but a pillar of her community as GSBA’s 2018 Business Leader of the Year. While she served on the GSBA Board of Directors from 2004 to 2008, Kate expanded her network as a home mortgage consultant through connections she built with other chamber members. Now at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Northgate, Kate leads a team of loan processors and underwriters, and a full-time assistant as they guide future home-owners through the many intricacies of buying a house.
“I make myself available evenings and weekends because that’s when real estate happens,” said Beck. “I follow my clients all the way through to the finish line and make sure they know what’s going on, because buying a house is such a stressful time in a person’s life, and they need someone there to shepherd them, and be warm and available throughout the process. Even after closing, it’s nice to have someone to follow up with as well.”
Besides her work with GSBA, Kate also volunteers across King and Snohomish Counties with Mary’s Place, Cacoon House, Ronald Commons, and the YMCA. It’s through these organizations where she not only finds fulfilment in helping communities thrive, but meets people where she can help secure their own homes.
“The more people I meet, the more people I’m able to help. So I’m able to combine my philanthropy as a way to network,” she said. “I’m a true believer in ‘win-win.’ I truly want the best for my clients, their (real estate) agents, and the company that I work for. I will work so hard to advocate for people. I’m a problem solver. I want the end result to be the best for everybody.”
As a longtime member of GSBA, Kate finds herself emotional when she contemplates the impact of being honored at Justice for All: 38th Annual Business & Humanitarian Awards Dinner.
“I grew up in the Midwest and my formative years were during the seventies and early eighties. I was very much in the closet,” she said. “Being able to be in a big city and be honored by my peers is just so impactful. It’s so healing (considering) all I went through in my childhood and teens. It’s a little overwhelming, in a good way.”
Join us in honoring Kate during Justice For All: 38th Annual Business & Humanitarian Awards Dinner on Thursday, Feb 21 at Seattle Marriott Waterfront: http://bit.ly/2Rzxo3i
