Despite growing up amidst two generations of real estate and mortgage industry professionals, Chris Rieland originally set out to be a nurse. “I grew up listening to foreclosure stories. In college, I assumed I was working at a title company to pay my tuition,” she says.

Long before she knew it, she had shifted her focus to business courses. It would be a few more years before Rieland would decide to conscientiously fall into the footsteps of her family and become a third-generation businesswoman in the mortgage industry. She has carried that title with pride and integrity ever since.

As the owner of Pacific Northwest Title in Silverdale for 14 years, Rieland grew her company from practically nothing to a 30 percent market share, going from eight employees to about 50. As she worked for a few years at the Seattle office of Pacific Northwest and received many references to Kitsap area, she saw the opportunity to enter a new market — and bring better services. Having local roots certainly made the idea even more exciting: Her grandparents both lived in the area, and her mother was born here.

But Kitsap came with its own set of rules. Rieland, who was one of the original founders of the Seattle office, says the new area was almost like another world. “In Kitsap County, business is done differently,” she says. “We are like an island economy here.”

Since she opened the new company as an independent agent, Rieland could set her own goals and rules. The choice to adopt the company name was intentional. “Since the Seattle office owned 30 percent of our company and that’s where my roots were, it made sense to align ourselves with them and cross-market,” she says.

Despite the difference in business styles in high-tech Seattle and military-driven Kitsap, one important aspect was carried through: integrity. As a neutral party at the closing end of real estate transactions — and as frequent witnesses to stressful situations for their customers — the employees at Pacific Northwest must keep their integrity at all times, Rieland says.

“Our office is sometimes like an ‘emergency room’— people who come want to know exactly what’s happening, not get a story for the sake of a story. It takes professionalism and courage for our closers to stand up… and say, ‘This is what I can and cannot do,’ and be able to withstand the frustrations people sometimes have,” she says. “This is the end of the road, the pinnacle of the ‘stressometer,’ and we have to deal with it with absolute integrity.”

Remaining neutral could be difficult when dealing with some of the biggest financial transactions in individuals’ or companies’ financial involvement. But while employees cannot give any advice or consultation, Rieland says they do suggest to clients who are not completely comfortable or satisfied to seek professional advice and research a transaction more if needed.

“We are not in a position to represent either party. We can’t legally advise them but we can suggest to them to seek advice,” Rieland says. “We have to choose every day to do the right thing. If we can help them make the right decisions, or if we sense they are being victimized, it’s in everybody’s best interest to direct them (to the right people).” Fortunately, she says, those instances are very rare.

Most importantly, the integrity comes through while dealing with employees. Rieland says growth is completely driven by individuals who work at Pacific Northwest Title, and it’s important to make good decisions while sometimes riding a market roller coaster. She says the best part of being a business owner is “being able to reward the employees and support them as individuals — everything else falls in place.”

And while she makes support of employees the company’s number one priority, being able to count on their support in turn allows her to contribute back to the community. This year, Rieland is the president of the Rotary Club, and is helping organize the second annual Soap Box Derby, an event revived from the ‘60s last year. She is also active in the chamber of commerce and the Home Builders Association (HBA) among other things — which she says she couldn’t do without the support of her employees, as well as family and the community. The company is also a strong supporter of the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council (KREDC) and she has just been asked to become a member of the KREDC board.

There is one more difference Rieland definitely noticed since moving from Seattle: Kitsap is very much still a small world. Some of the people faces are the same at the Rotary meetings and at the school functions for her two children, ages 12 and 16. And to further keep the company local and continue to understand local needs better, she invites area professionals to be on the board of directors.

“Business is done much more personally and professionally here,” she says,” because we are doing business with our neighbors.”.