Finding Love in Title: Courthouse Courtship
February 13, 2014
Working as a young attorney for a firm specializing in courthouse examinations, Diane Calloway often spent her days in the DeKalb County Record Room in Decatur, Ga.
She loved sifting through the deed books and poring through the heavy plat books. Little did she know that she’d find more than legal descriptions and breaks in the chain of title.
George Calloway also worked for a firm specializing in searches. And he, too, spent many hours in the same DeKalb County Record Room, conducting the same type of searches using the same plat books.
One day, while performing unrelated searches, Diane recalled being in the plat area at the same time as George. She was trying to get to one of the heavy plat books on the bottom row of the shelf. After watching her efforts, George decided it was best to give Diane a hand. The relationship blossomed from there.
“We would go to lunch together in groups,” Diane said. “First we were colleagues, then it became apparent that we were meant for each other.”
Within a year of sharing plat books, the couple married in 1988. They’ve been sharing love and life ever since.
Soon after meeting George, Diane became an auditor for Ticor Title Insurance Company of California, while George maintained his steady law firm job. In 1994, Diane started her own company in the Atlanta area, Specialized Title Services Inc. George joined her soon after. He serves as the company’s vice president and senior title counsel.
“I knew that we’d complement each other,” Diane said. “I’d always done the firm management and office planning, and in fact built our current office in 2001. As I developed the space layout, though, I was determined to put myself in one corner and George in the opposite. I knew we couldn’t be in each other’s face the entire day.”
It’s been a grand strategy as the couple celebrated 25 years of marriage last July. The company, meanwhile, is set to mark 20 years of business in March.
“George has always been the rainmaker, meaning he generates the client business and is also responsible for production,” Diane said. “I’m good with the industry and community contact. There’s never been a meeting I wouldn’t attend or a speech I wouldn’t give. In business and in our marriage, we’ve been a great match.”
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.