Employee Spotlight – Van Kagie


February 24, 2023

The division I work in is…

The Division of Real Estate

I have worked at Commerce for…

I have worked for the Division since November 2003. Some of my prior jobs included Nursery Worker, Aviation, I fueled jet liners for Lockheed Air Terminal at the Salt Lake City International Airport for four and a half years while in collage, Cartographer for almost ten years working projects for the Forest Service and USGS throughout the contiguous US, Alaska, and Hawaii, all while working from Utah.

At Commerce, my job is…

I am a Investigator for the Division of Real Estate. In the past I have had cases in the Real Estate, Mortgage, and Appraisal industries, but I primarily do real estate. I answer the majority of enforcement / complaint phone calls that the Division receives for all industries that we regulate, I’ve been assigned to oversee the Affiliated Title Business Statutes for the Division.

The best thing about working for the Utah Department of Commerce is… 

The best thing about working for the Department is the high quality of coworkers I get to associate with on a daily basis as we serve the public and our licensees. My coworkers are all willing to help in any way possible and that makes for a great office atmosphere.

I have professionally grown working in my division because…

I have professionally grown by keeping calm, collected and not taking things personal. I’ve help very upset and distraught public members whose emotions are very tied up in what is going on in their lives. I have had individuals swear and curse me at first but at the end of a phone call apologize and thank me for helping them calm down, and giving them a listening ear and helping them understanding what the division can do for them.

During my workday I could not live without….

My three potted house plants and the care of another coworkers plants in the office, because of my green thumb they thrive, which brings me joy. I also cannot live without my POPCORN here at work, its always a great comfort food any time of the day.

Outside of the office I like to…

Outside of the office I love going camping as often as possible, or take day trips to enjoy the out-of-doors or go wildflower photo/hunting with my wonderful wife during the spring, summer and fall. I enjoy spending time in the yard working the flower beds and garden My neighbors enjoy the produce from my small garden, they say its big its only 30X50 Feet. I have vegetables in the ground all year. Yes, all year as I plant garlic (120 cloves this year) the first week of September which winter over and are harvested in July. I do cross-stitch projects, my last project took just over 500 hours to complete and is 15X18 inches.

My superpower is…

My superpower is Husband to a wonderful wife, Dad to six kids, two daughter-in-laws, grandpa to two grandkids. This is a great superpower as I enjoy my family.