Kelly Resendez is Executive Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Development at Loanpal, the nation’s leading point-of-sale platform for sustainable home solutions that has over 16 years of financing experience with more than $35 Billion in funded loans, serving more than 250,000 households across all 50 states. Resendez has been with Loanpal for nearly a decade. She also continues to serve as a Founder/Speaker/Writer for BigVoices Rise, a women-empowered network designed to positively impact the lives of women.
We spoke to Resendez about what excites her in her role at Loanpal, how the company has changed during the tumultuous past 12 months, its move to remote work, and its financing of clean energy projects.
Comparably; What excites and keeps you motivated in your role as EVP of Talent Acquisition?
It is hard not to be motivated by our mission of making a positive impact on the planet, both through Loanpal and our non-profit partner GivePower, where we bring solar energy systems and clean water projects to developing countries. I also get excited about helping someone start on a career path that I know will make a huge difference to them and their families.
Comparably: How have things changed over the last 12 months and how have you and Loanpal adapted, allowing Loanpal to keep growing at the pace it is?
We have moved our entire recruiting, on-boarding, and training operation to remote work. It has required an enormous team effort, but we were successfully able to hire a record number of people over the past year, growing to almost 900 employees from 500 in 2019. We have made regular improvements to our workflow between HR, IT, and our recruiters to make the experience seamless for the team.
Comparably: How has Loanpal’s culture contributed to the growth your team has had?
Our mission-driven culture makes our employees our best recruiters. Because of the support we give them, they support us by referring friends or previous co-workers, making our job easier. Our culture has also supported the innovation that our teams demonstrated in 2020. They were willing to think outside of the box to accomplish what we consider a miracle year, where we continued to grow at a remarkable pace in the face of unprecedented disruption.
Comparably: Can you tell us about the unique opportunity that Loanpal has found in financing clean technology projects?
Our desire to address big world challenges at scale is our number one driver. This mission drove us to create a fast and frictionless point-of-sale payment platform for sustainable home solutions that makes the financing experience easy to navigate for both our home improvement partners and their customers.
Comparably: What are some things that you think are critical for HR leaders to be considering in this environment?
Consider if all your employees truly understand the company’s motivating force. We have found that highlighting our sustainability mission really drives our employee’s productivity and loyalty. We also include them in the work led by our non-profit GivePower, so all of our employees can see the impact we are making in communities around the world.
