With an emphasis on customer service and reaching out to the GLBT community, Nashville Title Partner and Senior Vice President Alan Maloney wants his GLBT “brothers and sisters” to know his company is there for them.

Nestled in the quaint neighborhood of Berry Hill on Bransford Avenue , Nashville Title was started just over three years ago as a full service real estate closing firm. Working with realtors, bankers, mortgage bankers and mortgage brokers, the firm helps close an average of 100 homes a month.

Maloney, whose focus with the company is sales and marketing, wants to reach out to the GLBT community and let them know his firm is very gay-friendly.

Nashville Title is the only real estate closing firm that regularly advertises to the GLBT community. He recently inked a deal with WTVF NewsChannel 5+ to advertise on the GLBT news and information show, Out & About Today. By doing so, he becomes the first real estate closing company to use television as a venue to reach the gay community. The 30-second commercial includes realtor Johnna Bailey, her partner and children, as well as a gay male couple. Nashville Title is also a major sponsor of the upcoming Nashville GLBT Business and Life Expo.

“Closing can be stressful but it shouldn’t,” he said. “A gay person buying a home should be as comfortable as possible, especially if they are buying that home with a partner or want to have their significant other present at closing. We want to stress that with the television commercial.”

Maloney has been with his partner, Kyle Pendleton, for six years. He and his brother Andy (who is straight, married with one child), make sure Nashville Title gives back to the GLBT community.

“I feel it is extremely important on so many levels to support our community,” he said. "Why? Well, we have a corporate responsibility to support a community that has long been ignored and discriminated against. And second, there is obviously a huge untapped business opportunity. We have to keep the money and business in the community and support each other.”

Maloney understands the importance of marketing to the right audience. He worked for many years in the hotel industry in Nashville and Chicago in sales and marketing.

“We have built great relationships with numerous gay realtors and mortgage banker/broker clients,” he said. “But we want to keep growing those relationships and let the community know we are here for them.”

Maloney met his partner Kyle at a mutual friend’s Christmas party. Maloney laughs when he looks back on the first meeting, saying he felt for sure his “gaydar” wasn’t working properly.

“My friend wanted me to find out if I thought Kyle was gay,” he said. “Well I was convinced that he was not.”

Despite the broken gaydar, Kyle called Maloney two days after the party to see if he wanted to hang out.

“The rest is the proverbial history,” Maloney said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Pendleton is a sales engineer with Aspect Communications, located in Maryland Farms in Brentwood .

A native Nashvillan, Maloney noted that the Middle Tennessee GLBT community had experienced tremendous growth over the last five years, and said it offered things that larger metropolitan cities didn’t.

“Well obviously the first thing that comes to mind is the TV show, Out & About Today,” he said. “That’s huge. No other city in America has a network affiliate dedicating time to a gay and lesbian news and information show. Nashville has come a long way in so many ways – arts and entertainment, a so called ‘gay district’ forming, gay owned and operated businesses opening and NAPP growing. Some of these things aren’t available in bigger metropolitan cities.”

Forever the entrepreneur, Maloney and his brother also started and ran Nashville Mortgage. They recently sold their interest in that company to concentrate on growing their customer base with the title company.

Maloney, who is also a licensed closing agent, said anyone currently looking to purchase a home should use an experienced full-time realtor and a trusted mortgage advisor.

“The client should never feel the stress we as an industry feel,” he said. “Trust the professionals and everything should go smooth. Remember, you are the client and you do have choices to pick the realtor, banker, and title company. It’s your house and your money.”

If you have real estate closing needs, you can reach Maloney at Nashville Title at 615-385-5944 or www.nashvilletitle.com.