Though the global economy is weak and unpredictable, Paragon is still working diligently to extend our reach around the world. Based on client request, we have put the mechanics in place to bill in multiple currencies. While we have the ability to support moves to more than 150 countries with various destination services, we are currently working with expatriates in 70 of those countries. To do so, we are expanding our boots on the ground operations in strategic countries where we have major volume like France, Spain, the Benelux Countries, Britain, Switzerland, the Americas, China and other countries in Asia Pacific. While our U.S. domestic volume is constant, and no doubt we will continue to add new clients requiring services in the U.S., future growth in years to come is likely be in international relocation.

As a result, to best support a 24/7 operation in multiple time zones, we have put our Client Accounting Help Desk and our Information Technology Help Desk in place, both of which are available to our employees, clients and customers. In addition, we have provided cell phones to all of our Relocation Consultants, International Assignment Consultants and International Relocation Coordinators to allow for emergency, after-hours customer calls. We recognize that as a service company our business does not always occur within the normal confines of the typical business day.

Paragon Relocation has added Gold Service for "when great service is just not good enough" as an optional service enhancement for our clients that want to provide their employees a higher than normal service level. Paragon Relocation also just completed a major migration to PRISM 2.0, our upgraded and enhanced information technology platform, to allow our clients and customers even more information at their fingertips. Paragon GeoImmigration (PGI), our newest subsidiary, is active throughout the world assisting clients and customers with visa and immigration services. PGI's state of the art technology allows for tracking all aspects of the visa and immigration process. GenEquity Mortgage, our national mortgage company, continues to successfully fund mortgages at very competitive interest rates, among the lowest in American history, in a very difficult business environment. Paragon Decision Resources, our consulting business unit, continues to add clients for Pre-Decision Consulting services which assists clients and customers with individual, customized policy implementation, cost analysis and budgeting for each move.

In the remaining quarter of 2011 and beyond, we will place a new emphasis on training as the key to our success. Though our employees often come to us with relocation experience, we want to teach the Paragon way of providing services, which includes a higher touch capability. By making sure that administrative tasks are delegated down, we allow our Consultants and Coordinators to spend more time counseling our customers. Though we face a difficult economy and declining real estate markets in the United States, Paragon is still very focused on our growth and development. We are still doing what is necessary to continue moving our company forward to best support our clients and customers around the world.

Paragon has recently hired a number of key contributors to better serve the needs of our clients around the world. In addition, Paragon Relocation is still searching for candidates who can help us reach our goal of providing excellent service.

Recent new hires include:

• Catherine Ronayne, Director of IT Applications - In this newly created position, Cathy will be responsible for managing all software applications and leading the IT development of the company.
  (Read Full Press Release)
• Rick Calanni, Director of Global Business Development - In this position, Rick will be Director of Global Business Development covering the northeastern United States, stretching from North Carolina to Maine. (Read Full Press Release)
• Darrell Bockemehl, Director of Global Relocation Services - In this role Darrell will be the Director of Global Relocation Services based at the North American Service Center in Coppell, TX. (Read Full Press Release)

In addition, because the demand for Paragon's services has continued to grow, we are hiring. Please visit the Careers page on ParagonRelocation.com for more information.

GenEquity Mortgage, a subsidiary of Paragon Global Resources, launched a new website which has been redesigned with a vibrant new look and new content. The site features a number of resources and tools, including calculators to assist borrowers in determining how much they can afford, which mortgage loan options might best fit their needs and budget, and whether refinancing an existing loan might be favorable. The new GenEquity website also offers the ability to complete and submit a mortgage application online.

GenEquity Mortgage is a nationwide mortgage banker providing innovative solutions, convenience, savings and choice through a single relationship solution. Dedication to service and competitive solutions has earned GenEquity the proud reputation for providing "The Best Thinking in Home Finance™"

Visit the new website at www.genequity.com.

Paragon Relocation Completes Migration to PRISM 2.0

Paragon Relocation is pleased to congratulate the project team that is completing the PRISM 2.0 implementation for all of Paragon's clients. PRISM 2.0 is our industry-leading relocation information management system. The implementation of this system will provide Paragon's clients with more real time data than previous systems.

The original project team members were Sasi Kilaru, Terri Wheeler, Susan Schaetzle, Drew Krycerick, Kevin Sheehan and Stacy Bass, along with Wolfgang Hombrecher as the executive sponsor. The team began work on the PRISM project in January 2010. Along with our software partner, Equus, the team spent countless hours training on the system and configuring it to support Paragon's business needs to fully replace five legacy relocation systems with one integrated solution. In addition, the team spent hundreds of hours mapping legacy system fields to PRISM and integrating and automating the accounting and general ledger systems. The first phase was completed at the end of June 2010. Paragon's project team dedicated more than 7,500 hours to the initial phase of the project.

Once the project moved into the migration phase, additional team members were added including Peg Cich, Saima Azeem, Sean Ireland, Janelle Gerber, Cathy Ronayne, Jennifer Morabito, the Paragon Account Management group, as well as Craig Selders and Mary Legate participating as executive sponsors. During the migration phase, the project team: configured the system to support the policies and business practices of our clients; uploaded all client and internal documents; recreated internal reports and all client reporting; and migrated 42 clients with over 18,000 files and hundreds of thousands of expense transactions. In addition, Susan Schaetzle and Stacy Bass wrote all training documentation, user manuals and trained every user company-wide as well as clients and key suppliers. The migration phase will be completed by October 15th with the final migration of all remaining clients.

For future PRISM development, a committee meets each week to review any issues and to prioritize and discuss further enhancement opportunities. This group consists of Cathy Ronayne, Kevin Sheehan, Stacy Bass, Tom True, Wolfgang Hombrecher, Susan Schaetzle, Janelle Gerber, Deborah Graham and Craig Selders.

"Paragon employees are dedicated to improving the lives of those in the communities in which we live and work. Our Coppell office is extremely engaged in supporting local charities and we are always proud of the initiative and generosity they show," said Craig Selders, President of Paragon Relocation.

The Food 4 Kids program helps to eliminate hunger by providing backpacks filled with nonperishable, kid-friendly, nutritious food to chronically hungry children on Friday afternoons to last throughout the weekend. Each backpack contains four meals. The program currently serves over 325 schools in 32 schools districts across Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Hunt, Rockwall and Kaufman counties. Currently, over 8,000 children receive a backpack each week.

Paragon GeoImmigration Exhibits in London

Representatives from Paragon GeoImmigration recently exhibited at the International Bar Association's (IBA) conference in London. Attendees took part in sessions that focused on the new immigration world after the economic crisis, employer compliance, global transfers and the future of immigration law practice.

Visit Paragon at our upcoming events:

Worldwide ERC® Global Workforce Symposium

October 12-14

Denver, Colorado USA
Booth 400 and 402

 

The HRSouthwest Conference
October 30-November 2
Fort Worth, Texas USA
Booth 1308 and 1306