Introducing Shawn Rogan

Shawn Rogan is proud of his Irish heritage. The names of his four children, Liam, Aidan, Tighe and Maeve, is evidence of that. And like any self-respecting Irishman, Shawn likes talking with people, learning what makes them tick and developing relationships.

As vice president in charge of sales closings at Sterling Associates, the 50-year-old Rogan clearly has found his niche. “I’ll finish a closing and then sit with the client for 30 minutes and talk about their life,” he says. “It’s fascinating to me to learn how people’s careers have progressed.”

Shawn came to Sterling Associates 20 years ago after graduating from Bridgewater State. While working full time he attended night school at Nichols College, earning a Master’s degree in Business Administration. After working as an underwriter for four years, he moved into his current position.

“Underwriting helped me learn how to make deals the most presentable to banks,” he says. “A boat loan is a hybrid between a mortgage and a car loan, and it’s important to know which banks would be interested in which customers. We’ll look at thousands of loans and place them with the appropriate banks. You have to know the personality of each bank.”

Shawn also believes in getting to know his customers, which is why he annually puts up to 35,000 miles on his car traveling across New England to meet with each individual borrower. As a notary, he is able to make the complex loan process smooth and efficient, and he believes that it’s important to sit across the table from customers and be available to answer questions.

“Our office is in the middle of the state, so we’re only about 90 minutes from Cape Cod to the south, Gloucester to the north and Newport, R.I. to the west,” he says. “I like to meet people in person, so I usually visit them at their office. There are a lot of pages to sign, and I can give explanations and describe what they are signing. In my mind, it’s all about giving them the best service and the best product possible.”

Shawn lives in Sutton with his wife, Denise, and their four children, and he coaches soccer year-round. “It’s a huge sport in town,” he says. “I had coached three soccer teams; now I’m down to two. That takes up a lot of my time.”

Clearly, it’s time that he enjoys, because just like with his job, it involves meeting new people, and getting to know them. “That’s what I like most about what I do for work,” he says.