First Am Napa is now closing deals beyond Napa’s borders by the name of Cal Land Title
By Matt Larson
Buying or selling a home is no easy task, and when it comes to the paperwork—particularly with title and escrow—there is zero room for error. The mission of First American Title Company of Napa is simple: to be the leading title and real estate settlement service provider in the Napa area and throughout the State of California.
After 55 years of trusted service in Napa, they’ve certainly accomplished their goal. Now, they’re taking things to the next level. Last year, for the first time ever, First American Title Company of Napa opened an office outside of Napa County, and it was a grand success. Located in Benicia and doing business as Cal Land Title, this location is their cornerstone office for venturing beyond Napa County, and into Marin, Solano, Sonoma, Mendocino, and wherever else the wind will take them.
Many of their clients have crossover work between Napa and Solano Counties, as well as in Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino Counties, and all over. So this addition is a very welcome expansion for their regular clientele. “We’re going to be able to tell those clients, who have become so comfortable using us over the past 5 decades, that we can now help them in all these counties,” said Owner and CEO Jonny Karpuk. “We’d like to carry our reputation and build on it throughout the rest of the North Bay.”
Karpuk’s grandfather was on the ground floor of starting First American Title Company of Napa in the mid 1960s, and became the sole owner a couple decades later. His three daughters assumed ownership of the company and his middle daughter, Andrea, ran it until 2013. That was when Karpuk purchased it from his aunts. His ownership began effective January 1, 2014.
“We’ve been tremendously successful over the past four years,” he said. “We’ve seen our market share increase by orders of magnitude: from just over 40% in 2014 to 47/48% last year in Napa County.” And now that they’ve started Cal Land Title in Benicia, exponential growth is on the horizon. Karpuk is very proud of what their Benicia location has accomplished in their first year. “Christina, Tessie, Tricia, and Dayana are all first rate, and incredible teammates,” he said. “We’re lucky to have them as a part of our family.”
For some specifics on their reputation, Karpuk said, “We are regarded as the preeminent title insurance company in Napa County, and our market share speaks to that.” He explains how your average title company is often part of a big box corporate conglomerate, so it’s nice to be able to have easy access to whomever you need to talk to if something comes up. “They’ve got direct access to me,” he said. “We have the ability to make decisions, and to help people right here on the grounds. We don’t have to go down to Santa Ana or off to Sacramento; if they come up, we can resolve title issues right here, directly.”
Being locally owned is a huge part of the culture at both First American Title Company of Napa and Cal Land Title. Not only is it good for the client to have 55 years of local expertise, but the community as a whole benefits as well, as unlike some of those larger conglomerates that offshore many of their jobs, Karpuk makes sure to keep everything close to home. “As a locally owned, family business, we’re employing people who are also part of our local community,” he said. They currently have about 40 employees, who each support at least one to two family members of their own. “So, probably more than 100 people are dependent on this company for the income it provides to their families. That’s a significant contribution that we’re making to the community in terms of employment.”
Closing people’s transactions via title and escrow services are what First American Title Company of Napa and Cal Land Title are most often asked to do, but Karpuk and his team look at it a little differently. “We like to say that we’re providing peace of mind,” he explained. “Homes are the largest investment most people will have in their lives. You want to know that your money’s in good hands, and you want the peace of mind that it’s being handled well.” First American Title Company of Napa has the proven track record to keep your mind at ease throughout the entire closing transaction process, and that extends directly to Cal Land Title as well.
A key element to the success of First American Title Company of Napa over the years has been the positive culture of their company as a whole. “I feel, personally, like my job is to keep us committed to being the best place to work,” said Karpuk. “Being a family-owned business, we really try to connect with our staff, and welcome their families into our company … title and escrow is really hard work and a lot of our staff has to spend big chunks of time committed to their desk, so we are incredibly grateful to the families of our staff that support them and help them to be successful.”
At this writing, Karpuk was looking forward to a companywide town hall meeting where all the staff gets together to just hang out with pizza and beer. Always looking for ways to bring the employees together, First American Title Company of Napa recently helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity in February of this year. “It was an awesome family/team experience,” said Karpuk. “Sometimes there are people you work with, but they’re at a totally opposite end of the assembly line, so it gave us an opportunity to collaborate and work together in new ways.”
They’re also big financial supporters of Napa’s Salvation Army, as well as a nonprofit called Warrior Rising, which is not a local nonprofit, but they are active locally. “Their mission is to help veteran-owned small businesses through membership, partnership, and funding,” said Karpuk. “I’m a big believer in that cause.” Karpuk, a married father of five, is a decorated Army veteran. He served in Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan, received two bronze stars for service in combat, and is a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. And his grandfather, who helped start the company, served in World War II with the Navy, so First American Title Company of Napa and Cal Land Title are locally owned, family owned, and veteran owned as well.
Realtors, consumers, and lenders alike have all relied on First American Title Company of Napa for all their title and escrow needs. With offices in St. Helena, three locations in Napa, and now in Benicia as Cal Land Title, call their Solano office today at (707) 361-5760 or visit Cal-Land.com. “We’re the most trusted provider,” said Karpuk. “At the end of the day, when you’re talking about something as significant as a real estate purchase—you want to be dealing with the most trusted provider.”
Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!
Keep up with all things Larson at www.MarsLegstrong.com.”
