President, Loan Officer
Loan Officer
Loan Processor
Ruby Grynberg
President, Loan Officer
Ruby started college at age 15 through the University of Washington’s Early Entrance Program and has been on a high-achievement track ever since. After working as a loan officer for four years, Ruby founded Salmon Bay Community Lending in July 2005, as she explains it, “To provide more personalized service in the always fast-paced, often intimidating Puget Sound home mortgage market.”
After receiving her B.A. in Social Welfare from UW, Ruby honed her listening and problem-solving skills as a social worker for King county. While on a two-year visit to Argentina to study tango and take her Spanish fluency to the next level, Ruby met her future husband, Sebastian Grynberg. They settled in the Salmon Bay neighborhood (aha!) of Ballard in 2001 with their two sons, Zac and Alejandro (and now number three, Mateo). In the spare time she intends to have again any day now, Ruby looks forward to indulging in her passions for performing tango and classical violin. But not in the same performance.
Jeanne Neal
Loan Officer
Jeanne has 15 years experience in mortgage banking, including 4 years working with Ruby Grynberg at a local mortgage company. Her BS in Finance from the University of Oregon and MA in Teaching from the University of Alaska are obvious assets in a job that involves helping people do the important math. “Even experienced homebuyers can find it daunting to compare lenders, loans and costs,” Jeanne says. “Part of my job is help people make sense of their options and secure a mortgage that’s going to work for them today and down the road.” As for job satisfaction, she adds, “There’s nothing I enjoy more than telling a client that they’ve just been approved for their dream home.”
Jeanne likes to stay in motion, so the upbeat tempo at Salmon Bay suits her perfectly. She enjoys kayaking with her 8-year old daughter and is a volunteer for the Sierra Club’s Inner City Outings, a community outreach program that facilitates a wide variety of out-in-nature activities for urban youth and adults.
Ellaina Lewis
Loan Processor
Ellaina has the important role of helping Salmon Bay’s clients complete their loan applications and expediting the approval process as much as possible to ensure that loans close on time and as promised.
Ellaina’s timing skills and her ability to exhibit grace under pressure come naturally, thanks in part to her training and experience as an operatic soprano. She studied at the Aspen Opera Theater Center, the University of Washington, Iowa State University and at the Astoria Music Festival and Academy. Her awards include the Helen Crowe Snelling Scholarship from the Seattle Musical Art Society, and the Opera Aria Division title at the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside in Bellevue. Ellaina is also active with the Open Door Theater, whose mission is to free children from violence and abuse by teaching safety skills through dramatic live performances.
Colleen Butler
Loan Officer
Like her colleagues at Salmon Bay, Colleen Butler gives her clients the benefit of an eclectic background and a communitarian spirit. After graduating from Smith College with a BA in Anthropology, Colleen earned a law degree from the University of California. After several years with the California Public Defender’s Office, she practiced corporate transactional law in San Francisco.
Her life-changing decision to enter the home-lending profession was inspired by her personal experience with an unscrupulous mortgage company. “Like most consumers, I just assumed that they were looking our for my interests,” she recalls. “After what happened to me, I decided that a great use of my background would be to help people have the joys of home ownership without the sorrows of a bad loan.”
To recharge, Colleen enjoys hiking and cross-country skiing with her daughter, Rowan, and son, Griffin, and volunteers time to Baby Loves Disco (www.babylovesdisco.com/seattle) and Momsrising (www.momsrising.org).
Colleen joined us in 2006 and brings a consumer-focused perspective that’s right at home at Salmon Bay. Plus, there’s no one better at explaining the fine print.
Mary Land
Loan Officer
Mary has lived in Seattle for 20 years and is currently living in the Greenwood/Phinney area. With 15 years of experience in real estate, home buyer education, and mortgage lending; she loves helping people prepare to buy a home and to create a strong financial foundation.
As a loan consultant, Mary is pro-active and forward thinking, solving problems before they materialize. She guides people through every step of the process so they will have a stress free buying experience. Her high level of enthusiasm drives her to continue sharing her knowledge by offering free seminars to the people in her community.
www.savvyhomebuyer.org
Steph Fairweather
Loan Officer
Steph Fairweather is a Seattle/Vashon Island native, UW alumna and has been a Ballardite for 11 years.
Steph has enjoyed the process of buying and selling homes, and this dovetailed into a career as a loan consultant five years ago. Prior to providing mortgages and home finance education, she promoted and marketed national and local artists in the music industry for over a decade. Naturally, her initial client base tended toward diversity and creativity in their lives and jobs. “I wanted to be able to help people who need out-of-the-box solutions to home loans to fit their unique, individual scenarios.”
Steph prides herself on her attention to detail during the loan process, quick response and great communication with her clients, and on providing a positive experience for the people she works with.
Loan Officer
Loan Officer
Loan Officer