Finding Her Place: Cayla Kacos's Journey to Industry Leadership

Cayla Kacos never set out to become a titan in the title industry. She started as a waitress, juggling plates and customer orders in a bustling restaurant through high school and into her adult years. She thought teaching might be her calling, but college quickly revealed that wasn’t her path. Feeling adrift, she looked to her aunt, a Realtor who specialized in new builds, she admired, for inspiration. Cayla shadowed her for a few days, soaking in the fast paced world of property deals.

Understanding that residential resale would be a more viable option to start, she landed at Five Star Real Estate, a prominent Michigan brokerage, in 2014.

At Five Star, Cayla dove into showings and open houses, but the grueling schedule of late nights and weekends clashed with her personal life. Her partner, Cody, now her husband, worked early mornings, and their opposing schedules left them like ships passing in the night. So, Cayla shifted gears, taking on a role as an office manager for a top performing team within Five Star, craving the stability of consistent hours. She excelled, but when the team lead stepped back roughly 4 years later, Cayla faced a crossroads. She loved Five Star’s culture and didn’t want to leave, but her role was dissolving.

Determined to stay, she reached out to the company, asking about staff positions. The response was unexpected: they needed someone like her at Star Title, Five Star’s sister company. Cayla had no grand plan to enter the title world; it found her, as it often does. She joined Star Title in 2018 as a supervisor, but the role was just the beginning. The company was evolving, and so was she. Over time, her position grew into Director of Title Coordination, leading the curative team that shepherds transactions from order to closing. It was a perfect fit, but the learning curve was steep.

Cayla’s first days in title were a revelation. She shadowed an examiner, watching in awe as the woman pored over ancient documents, wielding a protractor and colored pencils to map out metes and bounds descriptions for a development. It was intricate, almost arcane, but utterly fascinating. Cayla was hooked, but the complexity was overwhelming. She spent weeks soaking up knowledge, splitting time between the examiner and the curative team, drinking from the proverbial fire hose. The title industry, she realized, was far more than signing papers at closing; it was a labyrinth of details and deadlines, all hidden behind the scenes.

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As she settled into her role, Cayla’s knack for systems and teamwork shone. She processed files, cleared title, and scheduled closings in the Kalamazoo & Portage areas, but her vision extended beyond daily tasks. There was a severe lack in communication between realtors, customers, and the title team, and she worked with leadership to bridge them. Her goal was simple but ambitious: make the process smoother, reduce surprises, and elevate the customer experience.

Cayla consistently brings the focus back to a core principle: their work isn't about internal processes, but about the end experience. "This isn’t about us," she often remarks. "We are the ones who need to make it easy for the customer."

This customer-first philosophy, Cayla elaborates, demands a clear understanding that the "customer" in the title industry isn't a single entity; the role constantly evolves. Internally, colleagues depend on each other as customers: from curative teams to title examiners to closers, each professional has a crucial part to play for the next.

Externally, the customer landscape is just as varied. Often, it's the real estate agent, the driving force behind much of the business and a vital referral partner. At other times, it's the consumer – the buyers and sellers undertaking a significant life transaction. Then there are the lenders, also key referral sources and integral to the process. Cayla emphasizes that recognizing and serving each of these distinct customer needs is paramount.

Ultimately, she explains, "It’s all connected, and it’s up to us to complete the puzzle." This means ensuring every interaction and every step contributes to a cohesive and positive outcome for everyone involved.

But while she had successes, change was always lurking.

In 2024, Star Title faced a monumental challenge: switching title production software. Cayla, with her self-described “not an IT person” tech curiosity, was tasked with helping implement the change. The decision wasn’t hasty; they’d explored options for years, but they finally settled on a direction.. She pitched it to leadership, and the company’s decisive president greenlit the switch. Excitement buzzed, but the timing couldn’t have been worse: mid summer, the industry’s busiest season.

The transition was a crucible. Cayla and the team logged late nights, testing and training while balancing daily operations. With twins at home, she’d tuck them in at 8 p.m., then dive back into work. Doubts crept in: were they doing this right? Could they pull it off? Some team members resisted, frustrated by the timing and stress, but Cayla’s resolve held firm. They pushed through, rolling out the software in waves starting in early July. By late July, they’d fully transitioned, a feat accomplished in just weeks. It went better than expected, but the intensity left scars.

Reflecting on the experience, Cayla advises others in her shoes to make a pros and cons list, set a firm timeline, and stick to it. Hesitation, she warns, can derail progress. The switch refined Star Title’s operations, but Cayla’s bigger dream is for the title industry itself to evolve. “If I could snap my fingers,” she says, “I’d love to see more interest in this industry. Nobody sets out to be ‘in title’; it just happens. I want it to be a recognized profession, like a trade, with new talent, fresh ideas, and updated education.” She envisions a world where title work isn’t an afterthought but a respected craft.

Operationally, Cayla craves consistency. The push and pull between underwriters and attorneys over document requirements frustrates her, as does the variability in purchase agreements across regions. Uniformity, while unlikely due to area specifics, she believes, would help streamline the process for everyone. At Star Title, with its roughly 30 employees and dozen locations tied to Five Star’s offices, her team is laser focused on refinement in 2025, which was a focus of their President. They’re building a well oiled machine, prioritizing efficiency and customer service, knowing that every realtor, lender, and colleague is a customer with unique needs.

Cayla’s life story isn’t a tale of defiance against the odds. It’s quieter, more collaborative, like a conductor bringing an orchestra into harmony. A planner by nature, she thrives on deadlines and order, though her impatience sometimes chafes at delays. She’s a skeptic, always probing how and why things work, and a unifier, fostering alignment across teams. Her why? To create systems where people work together seamlessly, delivering exceptional service. At Star Title, she’s not just clearing title; she’s building a legacy, one transaction at a time.