Patrick Stone knows all about growing companies into industry leaders.
As vice chairman for Metrocities Mortgage’s board of directors, he is helping the company grow and realize its full potential in the lending segment.
Before joining Metrocities in March 2004, Stone served as CEO of Fidelity National Information Solutions, a majority-owned subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial.
Stone had a lengthy career with Fidelity, including eight years as chief operating officer, during which time the company grew to be the number one title company, responsible for more than 30 percent of policies underwritten nationally. In addition, while serving as CEO of FNIS, he grew the company by integrating Fidelity credit, flood, tax service, escrow service, appraisal services, real estate agent MLS, desktop tools and numerous real estate and mortgage technologies.
Stone will speak during Real Estate Connect in New York City, Jan. 11-13, 2006.
Here are his answers to a set of questions posed by Inman News:
Panel or session at Connect: Paperless Solutions: A Profusion of Choices.
What type of home were you born in and where?
I was born in a hospital. At the time, my parents were living in a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver, Wash.
What style of home do you live in today and when did you buy it?
My wife, kids and I live in a Tuscan Villa that my wife built over two years. It was completed in June 2004.
What worries keep you awake at night?
I have three daughters, two of whom are teenagers.
Describe your dream home:
I am living in it: an 8,000-square-foot Tuscan Villa in Montecito, Calif.
What lesson did you learn in the last year?
How wonderful it is to have time to be a part of my kids’ lives.
What’s the strangest thing you ever packed in a suitcase?
A bottle of Cobra wine from Vietnam.
Who is your hero?
My dad will always be my hero. He lived his life as a happy, content man without ever compromising himself or his values.
What was your first job?
A clerk in the Fargo, N.D., Public Library.
What would your second career choice be after real estate?
Art dealer.
Which daily newspaper do you read and which section do you read first?
New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Santa Barbara News-Press — front page, business section and then sports.
Where did you spend your last vacation?
Venice and Florence, Italy.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Being a part of the meteoric growth of Fidelity National Financial, and the wealth it created for all the employees who worked hard and bought stock.
What is your favorite technology devices or software application?
HDTV.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Classical and ’60s rock.
***
What’s your opinion? Send your Letter to the Editor to opinion@inman.com.
