This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2019 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alums Joe Goryeb ‘75, Rick Goryeb ‘78 and Lynne Goryeb Porfido ‘84 built a successful family business, Champion Mortgage, with their parents, Joe and Marguerite.  They have continued to “champion” family, children, and community for decades.    We were able to catch up recently with the three siblings and hear about some of their memories of Morristown High School.

MEF:  Tell us a little about your journey since high school:

JG:  I attended Muhlenberg College for two years and then Rutgers University for two years.   During that time I worked at Beneficial Finance. They were headquartered in Morristown, and my dad worked there.  I learned the business from the bottom up.  After Beneficial, I joined ADP where I learned an unbelievable amount in five years and was promoted to National Account Sales.   After ADP, I joined our family business, Champion Mortgage where I spent the majority of my career. Over the years, I was responsible for overseeing Sales, Marketing and Loan Operations and as Co-President/COO, I was involved in setting the strategic direction of the company. 

RG: I only went to a few semesters at County College of Morris after graduating Morristown High.  I worked as a part-time finance company collector as a teen, and after I graduated high school, I worked full-time as an associate in various finance company offices.  At age 20, I was hired as a sales rep for Minolta Corp in Mahwah, NJ where I gained professional sales training and experience.

I also opened my own business, a picture frame molding wholesaler.  During the same time period, I helped my dad with his new mortgage brokerage company, Champion Mortgage. I ultimately joined him in 1982 at age 22.   Champion Mortgage was an amazing 20-year journey of entrepreneurship, while being part of a very special and successful family business.

LGP: After high school, I took a few courses at County College of Morris and then decided to go right to work. I worked in retail as a manager for a short period of time and then made my way over to Champion Mortgage. I worked as an underwriter there, but my interest was still in retail. I opened a clothing boutique, which I enjoyed for a few years. And then I decided to close the doors and go back to work at Champion Mortgage as an underwriter for 10 years.

Then in 1997, I stopped working after getting married to my husband, Jim Porfido. In 2001, I had my son Cole and was a stay at home mom while pursuing my hobby as an equestrian. I started riding horses in 1994 and came to love the Arabian breed. My son started riding at a young age.  He is 17 now and is still competing.  It is so nice to share that passion with him. I also have a passion for working out.   I’ve been doing yoga for the past 20 years and recently have acquired my 200-hour yoga teacher certification. I also have started a small business of flipping houses. We are just finishing up our first project, which is very exciting.

MEF:  Your family moved to Morristown from Long Island in the early 1970s.  Tell us about that transition:

JG:  We were living in Long Island.  I was 16, Rick was 13, and Lynne was six when my parents sprung on us we were moving to Morristown. I was a sophomore in high school and quarterback of my high school football team and didn’t want to leave.  It turns out it was the best move that could have ever happened.  Morristown was completely different.  The diversity of town was very new for me and Morristown had a much bigger high school.  However, because of football, I immediately made friends. I was very welcomed and accepted.  The team was very successful and it was a special time as we were undefeated and were state champions both my junior and senior year. The diversity of Morristown High School as compared to where I was coming from was quite a learning experience for me.  I learned so much more about life in those years, both in and out of the classroom. 

RG:  Coming to Morristown from Long Island was a very good time for me.   I was in 7^th grade and went to Frelinghuysen Middle School.  Sports were really big for me and I got to know a lot of older kids from my brother, Joe.   Joe and I had a lot in common and this gave me an  “in” and a head start.  It was very exciting to be part of the football program that year as the varsity team were state champs. Our Freshman team was very successful as well, going undefeated, emulating the varsity team. 

LGP:   I was in first grade and I went to Sussex Avenue School.  That’s all I remember about the transition as I was so young.   I do remember when I was eight years old I became the mascot for the high school football team.  This is my greatest memory of my school-age years.  I got to be with the high school team and the cheerleaders.  They would come to the house and teach me the cheers.  I made a lot of friends when I got to the middle school.  I was a cheerleader.   However, when I got to the high school I became intimidated, and it was a little tough for me.   However, I did meet so many people from all different walks of life and I believe this helped me become a well-rounded person.

ALL:  We remember that time as a very special time for our family.  Joe and Rick were playing football, Lynne was cheering and mom and dad were in the stands rooting us all on.   Our main family activities revolved around football, as this was a big football time for Morristown community. 

MEF:  Tell us about Champion Mortgage. 

Author note:  The Goryeb family grew Champion Mortgage into one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the country.  Champion was named by INC. Magazine as “One of the 500 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies” in the United States for three consecutive years.  It was also named as one of the “10 Best Companies to Work For” by The Business Journal of New Jersey. 

JG:  My parents decided to start the Champion business in 1981.  I clearly remember sitting down at the kitchen table in Morristown and discussed starting Champion Mortgage.  Our parents told us that this was an opportunity to come together as a family and try to grow the business. They wanted all of us to be part of the decision as to whether to go forward or not.   My mom always said that family is the most important thing and if the business gets in the way of that, there will be no more business.  We were assigned an area of the business according to our expertise.  I was 28, Rick was 25 and Lynne was a teenager when the business started.  Dad would listen to all of us and our ideas; which he certainly didn’t have to do, as he could have made all the decisions himself. Mom was there as well, helping us every step of the way.    It truly was a family affair and was really pretty special for a number of years.  By the time we sold the company 16 years later we had over 750 employees and were one of the largest home equity lenders in the country.

RG:  I  remember the day we hit a million dollars in sales. All of our employees rallied around us and we saw how we were really making a difference.  Ultimately, my role was Co-President along with my brother Joe. We split responsibilities within the organization in order to have our own personal growth and control, but constantly coordinated together and with our father on the overall company direction, strategies and growth. We worked as a team and communicated closely and directly with all management and employees. We were very hands-on. It really was an amazing journey from the beginning for me as the third employee of the company, partnering with my father and then with my brother and family.  I went from being a young kid selling loans to ultimately an executive and entrepreneur of this dynamic and growing company. It was an amazing experience. Ultimately we sold the company in 1997.  The five of us felt like were were giving up our extended family.  It was a very emotional decision.  We continued to run the business for three additional years.

LGP:  Champion Mortgage was great place to work. People still talk about it to this day.  It was a great environment.  We worked really well together as a family.  All five of us were in there together and we like to feel we treated everyone like an extended family. It was a very special culture we were able to create there… largely due to mom and dad. As a matter of fact, there is still an active Facebook page today “When Your Bank Says No, Champion Says Yes” with people commenting. 

ALL:  We still keep close as a family, all of us.  We just returned from a stay at a Dude Ranch in Wyoming with all of us and our families.  We are carrying on the tradition our parents set, of being a close-knit family.  Family first.

MEF:   You have been involved in many local initiatives and causes.  What inspires you philanthropically?

ALL:   The idea for Goryeb Children’s Hospital came from our mom and dad.  Before that gift, our parents showed us the importance of giving back and thinking philanthropically.  At Champion, we had a partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS) where we contributed $10 for every “closed loan”.  We ended up giving millions of dollars to them in the names of our customers.   Our dad fought cancer for 25 years and had been closely involved with Morristown Medical Center, so when we sold the business we approached them about doing something special to give back.   The hospital talked to us about their dream of building a children’s hospital. We live in this community, all have children, and we have our employees who are in this community and all have children.   We gave the seed money to start the hospital.  We had just sold Champion Mortgage and wanted to do something for the community.  The timing was right for this perfect opportunity.    Twenty years later, we could not be happier with what the hospital has done.  It has helped bring world class care to the area.  Rick is on the board there and of course having our name associated with this fine institution, we are very concerned that the hospital be the best it can be.

JG:  After selling Champion, I was asked to be on the Board of Trustees of the Mayo Performing Arts Center for the past 17 years, serving as Chairman for the last 8 of those years.  It has been a joy to see the growth of the theatre contribute in a small way towards the growth of Morristown.  Philanthropy and its impact came from our Mom & Dad.  They always taught us about the importance of giving back and thinking philanthropically.  We are very proud of coming together as we have, as a philanthropic family in the town where we grew up.

RG:   We all continue to stress the importance of philanthropy to our children.  The hospital forwards letters from patients at Goryeb Children’s Hospital every quarter and we read these to our kids and stress importance of giving. Being a father of four sons, I’ve always felt drawn toward children’s causes. In addition to my involvement with Goryeb Children’s Hospital, I was a trustee for the Somerset Hills Learning Institute for Autism for five years. I also currently provide sports car rides/experiences to children/teens fighting cancer. It’s very rewarding for me and provides a few hours of distraction for them.

MEF:  What are your favorite memories of Morristown High School?

LGP:  It was great going to high school in Morristown. At the time it was an open campus and we could walk to town for breakfast or lunch. My favorite spot was Frank’s Deli for breakfast and Suvio's for lunch!  I made many friends from all walks of life, that was the best part about going to school where there was such diversity.

JG & RG:  We also loved the open campus concept.  We could leave the high school if we had an open period. This gave us a sense of responsibility that we thought was great.

MEF:  What of your successes would you attribute to your experiences at the high school?

JG:   For me, it was the foundation of what we learned at Morristown High School, especially getting along with different types of people from such a young age.   At Champion Mortgage, we had to work with people in difficult situations and it was critical that we understood  how to get along and how to communicate.  This really helped set us up for success in business.  A big shout-out to Steve Wiley for his vision in keeping this community and school diverse and building this foundation.  Also to John Chironna  (English teacher, head coach of football) who was an absolute mentor for me  Next to my dad, he had the most influence on helping to shape me as a person.  He constantly pushed me to achieve excellence. 

LG:  I would say the same thing.  Meeting so many different types of people and learning how to navigate that was the best lesson.  I made a lot of friends and built many connections in high school.    

RG:  Coming from a homogenous community in Long Island to Morristown was great. We met so many people of different backgrounds.  It was a great experience to have so many friends (sports helped).  It prepared us well as we grew our company.  Also, I want to credit the wonderful influences of good teachers and coaches.  Participating in sports really helped build my confidence to push myself harder when the moments matter.

MEF:  What advice would you give an MHS student?

ALL:   Get involved in extracurricular anything. Participate in clubs, sports, hobbies,  part-time work or charity so that your education doesn’t stop in the classroom. Being involved in other things is critical and helps you develop experience in teamwork, responsibility and success beyond the classroom.   Part of that is also getting to know the adults who head up these groups, as having these relationships will help you later in life. Whatever you do, do it with passion.

MEF:  If you had known then what you know now, would you have done anything differently in high school?  If so, what?

LG:  I would have paid attention more.

JG and RG:   {Laughter} Agree.  

MEF:  So what about Morristown?

ALL:  The vibrancy of the town today is incredible and attracts a lot of people.  We all have seen the town go through tremendous change.  The fact that it is diverse is so interesting and there is always something going on. It is nice to see the school and town thriving after all of these years.