As we begin the search for the 2012 Notary of the Year to be honored at next year’s Conference in San Diego, the NNA takes a look back at past distinguished NOTY recipients over the years. This week’s profile is 2010 Notary of the Year Daniel Lewis.
When Daniel Lewis of Carmel, Indiana, was named the National Notary Association’s 2010 Notary of the Year, he was already a successful Notary Signing Agent and Notary educator. But since receiving the honor, business has really taken off.
“I’m having a record year,” Lewis said in a recent interview. Specifically, he has expanded his business from taking mobile Notary assignments and teaching continuing education classes for other Signing Agents to offering a national scheduling service for other mobile Notaries.
“Being Notary of the Year helped me establish the scheduling service,” he said. “It’s a very strong appeal for potential clients.”
Part of Lewis’ business success stems from the fact that he has never limited himself to just mortgage- and real estate-related assignments. When the market slumped, he started performing business inspections for insurance companies. And he takes that same approach with his scheduling service.
He’ll schedule weddings for Florida Notaries or insurance inspections for North Carolina Notaries. “Anybody who needs a Notary can contact us,” he said.
Like many of his peers leveraging the NNA’s social media properties, Lewis uses social media to engage with those in the Notary and business communities. He also remains committed to driving legislation and membership in the Association as an NNA Member Advocate, and he serves on the program’s Leadership Committee.
Lewis continues to teach Notary practices and ethics classes for Indiana Signing Agents, who are required by state law to undergo continuing education to maintain their title producer’s licenses. But he is planning to expand his curriculum to offer classes in good business practices for Notary entrepreneurs.
Lewis views being named Notary of the Year with equal measures of pride and humility. The distinction validates all his hard work and means that he is among the best in his profession. But he recalls all those years he attended the NNA’s annual Conference before earning the honor. Meeting the different Notaries of the Year and hearing their accomplishments “pushed me to look at what I could do to get to that level.”
And the desire to get better is always there.