1. VISION
JAN | FEB | MAR 2016 JAN | FEB | MAR 2016americanbuildersquarterly.com
“It was a perfect time to celebrate
the company’s history and create
areas to showcase it while we
were restacking the buildings.”
Elise Luckham, VP and Director of Corporate Real Estate
Elise Luckham describes First American Financial Corporation’s stake in history
with its Home Office in California, and a worldwide relief effort to rebuild an
Oklahoma office and help families affected by a devastating tornado
byJessicaMontoyaCoggins
Preserving History,
Protecting Employees
S
ince 2007, Elise Luckham has served
as vice president and director of
corporate real estate for First Amer-
ican Financial Corporation, devel-
oping strategies to optimize the company’s
vast real estate assets. For such a position
at a company comprised of more than 700
domestic office locations and an additional
55 international office locations, Luckham’s
is a dynamic role.
The largest of these locations is First
American’s 500,000-square-foot “Home
Office” in Santa Ana, California. The campus,
which opened in 1999 and currently consists
of seven buildings, features several unique,
visually striking rotundas and an architec-
tural theme modeled after Thomas Jeffer-
son’s estate, Monticello, reflecting the compa-
ny’s rich history.
First American traces its roots to 1889,
when Orange County split off from Los
Angeles County. Two firms opened to handle
title matters in the brand-new county. Five
years later, C.E. Parker, a local businessman,
succeeded in merging the two competi-
tors into a single entity—Orange County
Title Company, the immediate predecessor
to today’s First American Title Insurance
Company, the largest subsidiary of First
American Financial Corporation.
Now, 126 years later, Orange County’s
evolution into an influential economic power-
house mirrors First American’s growth into
an international enterprise and leading
provider of title insurance, settlement
services, and risk solutions for real estate
transactions.
Prior to the opening of the current Home
Office campus in 1999, First American’s head-
quarters was located in downtown Santa Ana.
First American’s Moore,
Oklahoma office had to
be rebuilt after a May
2013 tornado.
AMERICAN
BUILDERS
QUARTERLY
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2. VISION VISION
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The historic first building was left alone until
two years ago, when Luckham and her team
decided to migrate certain teams over as the
company embarked on a process to “restack”
or streamline its office space, bringing a new
focus to the notable structure.
The downtown Santa Ana building
remains a functioning part of First Ameri-
can’s real estate portfolio and still features
the nearly untouched office of Donald P.
Kennedy, the iconic former CEO of First
American. Under three decades of Kenne-
dy’s leadership, the company grew from
an Orange County-focused title insurance
company into a publicly held industry leader
with offices across the United States.
“His office was really a time capsule,”
Luckham says. So, she and her team set out
to memorialize Kennedy’s influence at the
Home Office campus. Inspired by the life-
like office of Disney founder Walt Disney at
Disney World, Luckham and her team recre-
ated Kennedy’s office at First American’s
current Home Office campus. It features
memorabilia from Kennedy’s tenure at the
helm of First American and includes a visual
timeline that highlights significant company
milestones.
First American also plays a special role in
commemorating the history of the county in
which it is based. It houses one of the largest
collections of historical photos of Orange
County, which includes approximately
12,500 photos. The Home Office restack was
also bolstered by the addition of several more
historical artifacts.
“It was a perfect time to celebrate the
company’s history and create areas to show-
case it while we were restacking the build-
ings,” Luckham says.
Since arriving at First American, Luckham
has mastered the art of integration. She
became the first real estate executive to
centralize the department for First American.
Though companies often consider remodel-
ing, Luckham feels the First American Home
Office campus is significant because of its
connection to the company’s fabled history.
MOORE, OKLAHOMA REBUILD
On May 20, 2013, the city of Moore, Okla-
homa, was struck by a devastating EF-5
tornado. The tornado struck in the middle of
the workday, and First American Title Insur-
ance Company’s Moore office was directly in
its path. A total of 20 First American employ-
ees, as well as 15 other people and three
dogs took shelter in the building’s basement.
Thankfully, none of the people in the base-
ment were injured. However, many people
suffered significant property losses and
damage to vehicles and other possessions.
First American Title’s office was severely
damaged to the point that it had to be rebuilt.
Within three days, First American CEO
Dennis Gilmore launched the First Ameri-
can Oklahoma Employees’ Relief Fund. First
American contributed $50,000 to the fund
and committed to matching dollar-for-dollar
employee donations to the fund.
Luckham was very proud to see employ-
ees from around the world rally around the
Moore office. Hundreds of employees contrib-
uted to the relief fund, and a total of $122,000
was raised to replace automobiles, personal
items, and help repair the damaged homes of
the First American Title employees and their
families. In fact, there was so much money
raised that a balance remained afterward.
First American Title also committed to
rebuilding its office in Moore and embarked
on a two-year process to build and open
a brand new office building. The recently
opened building includes a statue of an
eagle soaring in flight, which was funded
by the leftover balance from the relief fund.
The eagle statue, reminiscent of First Amer-
ican’s logo, was dubbed “321”—a reference
to the time when the tornado struck—by
the staff.
First American recreated
former CEO Donald P.
Kennedy’s office in its
Santa Ana Home Office
building.
Architecture at the First
American Home Office
echoes Thomas Jeffer-
son’s Monticello Estate.
FIRST AMERICAN FINANCIAL’S
COMPANY MILESTONES
2010
First American separates
its real estate information
businesses from its title in-
surance and financial services
operations, creating two new
independent companies
1889
Orange County, CA—a rural, unde-
veloped area at the time—splits off
from the county of Los Angeles. Two
firms open to handle title matters in
the brand-new county
1894
Local businessman C.E. Parker merges
the two companies and is named
president of the resulting company—
Orange County Title Company—prede-
cessor to today’s First American Title
Insurance Company
1924
First American becomes
the first astract company in
California to qualify to issue
policies of title insurance
1948
C.E. Parker’s grandson, Donald
Parker Kennedy, completes law
school and joins the company,
helping expand itbeyond the
county’s borders
1957
The board of
directors authorizes
an expansion plan
1963
The company changes its
name to First American, and
D.P. Kennedy is named pres-
ident of the company, now
operating in four states
1982
First American Title now
serves every region of
the country, providing
comprehensive presence
across the US
1988
First American approaches
Canadian officials with a
request to open title insurance
offices in Canada
1990’s
First American develops inter-
national operations around the
world and becomes the first title
insurance provider in Mexico,
Korea, and Hong Kong
Present
First American has the leading
market share in England
and Australia and continues
to explore international
opportunities, working with
government officials and
community leaders to protect
landowner rights
Photos:SteveGiraud