Jarod Mathiason in his new office in downtown Blue Earth. He opened the office back in February and is glad he did.

When Jarod Mathiason graduated from Rasmussen College in Mankato with a business administration degree, he was not sure what kind of business he wanted to go into, but he did know he wanted to do something that would help people.

The Granada-Huntley-East Chain graduate eventually found out what that is.

Mathiason opened an office of Supreme Lending on Blue Earth’s Main Street back in February. He is a loan officer for Supreme Lending and a branch manager.

How he got to Blue Earth is a bit convoluted.

“When I graduated from Rasmussen, I first started working for a brokerage firm in Mankato, where my best friend was a vice president,” Mathiason says. “I always said I did not want to work at sales or for a commission, but I did it for a short period of time.”

From there he worked for a mortgage lending company, not Supreme Lending, for a time in Okoboji, Iowa, right by Arnold’s Park.

Five years ago, now working for Supreme Lending, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, he had an office in Fairmont.

“I sold my house in Fairmont and moved to rural Winnebago,” Mathiason says. “I decided an office here in Blue Earth made a lot of sense.”

It would be less of a commute, of course, but the other reason was that he already was doing a lot of business in Blue Earth and Faribault County.

“Blue Earth and especially Faribault County is really underserved when it comes to the home mortgage world,” Mathiason says. “Yes, there are some good banks here, but it is hard to service everyone.”

Mathiason likes to specialize in helping first time home buyers with specialized products, including the Minnesota Housing Down Payment Plan.

“They are mostly used in the Twin Cities but we can compete for them here,” he says.

Mathiason has completed a very difficult professional CMA (Certified Mortgage Advisor) course, and has helped many clients with their finances and to qualify for a mortgage.

Another group of people in this area Mathiason wants to help are veterans. He says veterans are badly underserved when it comes to getting home mortgages.

“I am taking a class in May to become a Veterans Lending Specialist,” he explains. “It will help me better serve veterans and give me a Veterans Administration tool box.”

He says buying a home, or getting a mortgage, can sometimes seem overwhelming, but he tries to break it down, a step at a time, and make it more simple. Like real estate agents, he says he understands the market and can guide people through it.

“I have worked with the real estate agents here in the past, so I am on their list of lenders that they like to work with,” Mathiason explains. “I think they also like that I am really very flexible – that I am available by phone on evenings and weekends, as well as my regular business hours.”

He adds that real estate agents don’t just work a traditional 9 to 5, so they appreciate that he can be contacted on his cell phone at noon on Saturday or seven at night, if need be.

“They want to run through some numbers or various options,” he says. “And I am happy to help them out.”

Mathiason says that as a branch manager, there are three others on his team. They all can, and do, work from home, and are scattered around the state.

“Southern Minnesotans don’t always have that fast food mentality where everything can be done over the phone or on a computer,” Mathiason says. “Many folks like to take care of things in person, and so do I. So that is why an office on Main Street in Blue Earth is working out well for me.”

So why is he connected to Supreme Lending?

“They are a company that does good work,” Mathiason says. “They are not too big, or too small. They offer good products and believe in customer service.”

He also appreciates all the support they have given him.

When he is not hard at work, Mathiason likes hunting, motorcycle riding and all things outdoors.

He also says that he, and his significant other, Nicollette Bock, “chase a lot of sports.”

Mathiason has three sons, Parker, Benet and Camden, who all attend Fairmont High School and are in a lot of sports. Bock has three children also, Natalie, Trevor and Alayna.

The kids are ages 18 down to four, so that keeps the couple pretty busy, they say.

Another reason Mathiason wanted to open his office in Blue Earth is that he felt this was a very good community, and that it has a great business environment and active organizations.

“I want to get involved in the community as much as I am able, and I have joined the Chamber of Commerce,” he says. “I want to support the town and the area.”