Few Notaries have had a career path like Kimberly Rogers of Mims, Florida. Starting as an Army veteran, and growing as a bodybuilder, a
nutritionist and one of the stars of the TV series “American Gladiators,” she has taken her punches and experienced many ups and downs. Today, like many other signing agents, her business has slowed due to the decline in refinancings, but she stays competitive with the determination and drive of a champion athlete.
While business was much stronger when she started in 2004, Rogers says it’s important to never give up — a philosophy she’s carried with her through her Army and television days. Like a good prizefighter, she keeps her tactics close and focuses on staying strong while putting all her effort into success. “If you’re not going to give 100 percent, why bother?” she says. “Only the strong survive.”
As part of her regimen to stay at the top of her game, she keeps up with the ebb and flow of the mortgage market, she serves lenders and title companies in a four-county area and makes herself available when they need her, she provides impeccable customer service by being on time, professional and by paying attention to the minute details. She returns documents promptly, is a strong communicator and finds solutions to unknown challenges that arise. Her customer service and professionalism has gained her a stellar reputation in her community, and her positive industry reviews on LinkedIn prove it.
Rogers has always pushed herself to meet high standards since childhood. She’s always been enthusiastic about athletics and physical fitness, and has been an active bodybuilder for more than 20 years. “I played every sport except golf in school,” she said with a laugh. After high school, she served six years in the U.S. Army, where as personal secretary to a three-star general, she learned to pay attention to detail and scrupulously handle paperwork — skills that would serve her later in life as a Notary signing agent.
After leaving the Army, Rogers returned to college, where she was approached with a unique job offer — to join the cast of the TV sports competition “American Gladiators.” She describes her time as Gladiator “Jade” on the series as one of the most amazing experiences of her life. “I loved it,” she said. “We trained daily and you couldn’t go into the show good at only one sport — you had to be an all-around athlete.”
After “American Gladiators” ended, Rogers ran a nutrition and fitness store for several years, and then decided to change direction and took a real estate course. A fellow classmate had just started a Notary business, and offered to mentor Rogers, who applied for a Notary commission. She’s been a signing agent for more than a decade — and signers still occasionally recognize her from “American Gladiators” when she walks into a closing.
Whether lifting weights, competing in televised sporting events or notarizing signatures on loan documents, she's shaped her working life around a simple philosophy: “Do it, do it well, or don’t do it at all.”
David Thun is the Assistant Managing Editor with the National Notary Association.