Chasing Excellence
Chasing Excellence is a podcast for founders, operators, and leaders focused on building high-performing businesses. Each episode features in-depth conversations with top performers across industries, with a strong focus on the mortgage industry. The show breaks down what's driving revenue, marketing and sales systems that convert, real bottlenecks slowing growth, and how top mortgage brokers and lenders scale in a competitive market. It offers real conversations with people actively building and scaling their businesses.
Episodes
32 Years and Still Building Her Own Database: Dawn Carter's Path to Mortgage VP in Lake Oswego
Dawn Carter is a VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate (formerly Guaranteed Rate) in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with 32 years in the mortgage industry. Her path into the business started on a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, where she met a woman who worked in mortgages and made the job sound glamorous, then a man at the pool told her it was "a great business for women — no glass ceiling."Weeks later, on a work tr
Top 1% Since 2015: Brian Dewald's Path from a Denver Bike Shop to Maverick Lending Solutions
Brian Dewald is the President and Senior Loan Officer of Maverick Lending Solutions, a mortgage brokerage he owns in the Denver, Colorado area, ranked in the top 1% of lenders nationally every year since 2015. Brian's path into mortgage started at a bicycle shop, where he worked as a service manager in his late teens and early twenties before a local mortgage broker recruited and mentored him into
20 Years a Fiduciary: Cori Angel's Path from Alaska to Vantage Mortgage in Portland
Cori Angel is a Mortgage Broker at Vantage Mortgage Group, an independent, fiduciary brokerage in Portland, Oregon that works with roughly 40 wholesale lenders rather than being tied to any single company or rate sheet. Cori got her start in the industry in 2005 after asking her retail manager for a promotion into management — he didn't have an opening, but sent her to his wife, who was hiring at
Medford, Oregon's Newmann Group: Michael Newmann on Perception, Connection, and the All In One Loan
Michael Newmann is a Senior Loan Officer and Branch Manager at CMG Financial, leading The Newmann Group out of Medford, Oregon, near the California border — joining CMG in November 2024 after building the bulk of his nearly 20-year mortgage career at one prior lender.Michael's path into the industry was pure fate: a former collegiate baseball player who studied sports psychology at UC Davis, he wa
Surviving 2008 to Social Impact Lender: David Brecher's Playbook at FM Home Loans in Brooklyn
David Brecher is the President and CEO of FM Home Loans, a mortgage banking company he's led since the late 1980s — built on 100% retail, purchase-focused lending across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida, and staying so close to its communities that David says needs can change block to block within Brooklyn alone.That community-rooted approach kept FM Home Loans out of subprime lendin
The Villages, Florida: Guy's Playbook for Leading the #1 Real Estate Team for 6 Years Running
Guy Williams Jr. is Team Lead and Co-Owner of the Roberts Williams Team at RE/MAX Premier Realty in The Villages, Florida, the #1-producing Realtor team in The Villages and surrounding areas for six consecutive years, with more than $400 million in total sales and nearly 1,000 families served since 2020.For years, Guy and his business partner and brother-in-law, Matt Roberts, ran the team without
40 Years, One Rule — Always Answer: Sergio Gutierrez's Playbook at GRC Lending in Miami
Sergio Gutierrez is the Broker Owner of GRC Lending in Miami, Florida, 40 years into a mortgage career built on straight answers and hard-won referrals.Sergio got his real estate license first, but three months in, a friend named Carmen suggested he also get his mortgage broker's license "just in case." He passed on his first attempt, and within six months had left real estate behind entirely — mo
From Dropout to $80 Million: Jennifer Kline's Space Coast Mortgage Story at Neighborhood Loans
Jennifer Kline is the Spacecoast Area Manager at Neighborhood Loans in Melbourne, Florida, a nine-year mortgage veteran closing more than $80 million a year who joined Neighborhood Loans this past February. Jennifer never set out to work in mortgage — she started as a mobile loan closer for extra income while staying home with her daughter during the mid-2000s refinance boom, all while working tow
120+ Loans a Year, One Relationship at a Time: Abdul's Path from Nigeria to Chicago Broker-Owner
Abdul Erinfolami is the Founder and President/CEO of Loan Spot Inc, a mortgage brokerage he built from his living room in the Chicago area, now closing around 120-130 loans a year. Abdul immigrated to Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood from Nigeria in 2003, joining parents who'd arrived in the late 1990s — seven people sharing a two-bedroom apartment, with his mother working as a nurse. He start
Chicago's #1 DPA Producer: How a Family Health Crisis Led Saul Pinela to Neighborhood Loans
Saul Pinela is a Producer Branch Manager at Neighborhood Loans in Geneva, Illinois, just outside Chicago, where nearly 14 years with the company — and more than 22 years in the mortgage industry overall — have made him and his team the #1-ranked down payment assistance (DPA) provider in the Chicagoland market, closing around $80 million a year. Saul's path into mortgage wasn't planned: fresh out o
300 to 2,000 Units a Year: Corrina Carter's Servant Leadership Playbook at CMS Mortgage Solutions
Corrina Carter is the CEO and Owner of CMS Mortgage Solutions in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where 29 years in the mortgage industry — 21 of them running her own company — have taught her that growth stops the moment a leader tries to do it all herself. Corrina got her start in mortgage almost by accident: a family medical crisis pulled her out of her prior job, and she took an administrative role i
$1M Down the Hard Way: Sukesh Shekar's Path from McKinsey to Founding Altgage in Boston
Sukesh Shekar is the Founder and CEO of Altgage, a mortgage company he built in Boston after a $1 million home purchase of his own turned into an education in everything wrong with the mortgage process. Before mortgage, Sukesh was a junior partner at McKinsey & Company — a Ph.D. and Notre Dame alum who assumed a home purchase would be straightforward given his own financial background. Watchin
$30M and Still Self-Processing: Mario Escobedo's Relationship-First Playbook at Sienna Mortgage
Mario Escobedo is the Broker/Owner and Senior Mortgage Advisor at Sienna Mortgage in Henderson, Nevada, and he does something most high-level originators avoid: he's simultaneously the top producer, the broker-owner, and the one still processing his own loans. Mario grew up around the mortgage business, stepped away for a stretch, and came back to it in 2016-2017, bringing a corporate sales backgr
34 Years in Mortgage: Jeff Dettelbach on Building a Husband-Wife Top Producer Team in Indianapolis
Jeff Dettelbach is a senior mortgage loan originator at Hallmark Home Mortgage Powered by Fairway in Indianapolis, Indiana — 34 years into a mortgage career that started in 1992, still ranking in his company's top five producers alongside his wife and fellow top originator, Julianne.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a conversation about longevity, service, and
From YouTube Burnout to #1 Broker Under 30: Shawn Malkou's Journey to X2 Mortgage in Chandler, AZ
Shawn Malkou is the CEO and broker-owner of X2 Mortgage in Chandler, Arizona — named the #1 Mortgage Broker in the Country Under 30 for 2024, and projecting around $70 million in personal production this year.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a candid conversation about an unlikely path into the industry: 8-9 years as a YouTube content creator before burnout, a
From Processor to President in Utah: Emily Rowley on Building a Culture-First Mortgage Company
Emily Rowley is the president of the retail division at First Colony Mortgage — a Utah-based company founded in 1984 that she joined in 2004 as a processor. Over 22 years, she worked her way from processing to originating to leading, building deep relationships and an even deeper conviction that culture is the foundation everything else gets built on.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Emily jo
25 Years, $70M/Year in Tampa: Oliver Orlicki on Why You Should Never Quit
Oliver Orlicki is the founder of The Orlicki Group — a Tampa, Florida-based mortgage team with over 75 years of combined experience, consistently closing around $70 million annually.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a fast-paced, high-energy conversation about what it takes to stand out, stay motivated, and capitalize on the AI wave reshaping the mortgage indus
VA Loans in Charlotte: Alec Conrad's Unlikely Path from M&A to Mortgage Broker
Alec Conrad is the co-broker owner of Carolina Mortgage Advisors in Charlotte, North Carolina — a brokerage built on a simple but powerful philosophy: do the basics better than everyone else, find your niche, and protect it with consistency.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson, CMB for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a mortgage business from
DSCR & Investment Property Lending in Texas: Nathan Howry's Multi-State Broker-Owner Journey
Nathan Howry is the President & CEO of Mortgage Inc. — a New Braunfels, Texas-based brokerage five years in the making, built on a broker-first philosophy, in-house operations, and a team culture laser-focused on helping every loan officer reach six figures. Licensed in five states with 13 LOs and a personal production volume of $35–50 million a year, Nathan has built a company that doesn't ju
Servant Leadership in Tampa: How Chris Musso Grew West Park Mortgage
Chris Musso is the president of West Park Mortgage Group — a Tampa, Florida-based brokerage five years in the making, built on servant leadership, data-driven coaching, and a team culture that produced growth for every single LO in one of the toughest mortgage markets in recent memory.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a deeply practical conversation about what
Orlando's Top 2% Originator: Brian Tewes on Legacy, Competition & Social Selling
Brian Tewes is the president and CEO of Tewes Lending — an Orlando-based mortgage brokerage recognized in the top 5% nationwide by HousingWire and the top 2% in the country by Scotsman Guide.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson right in his home city for a conversation about building a mortgage business on legacy, competitive fire, and daily social media consistency.B
From Ministry to $50M/Year: David Kakish on Faith, Data & Mortgage Growth
David Kakish is the branch manager of Anchor Home Loans — a DBA under C2 Financial based in Gulf Shores, Alabama, closing around $50 million annually across 130 to 150 units in just his third year in the business.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for one of the most honest conversations the show has had yet about what it really takes to build from zero when you hav
Niche Mortgage Strategy & the Senior Market with Mark Maimon of Luminate Bank
Mark Maimon is a branch manager at Luminate Bank with nearly 25 years in the mortgage industry, operating across Los Angeles, New York City, and Florida — and closing between $100M and $200M annually.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to break down the strategy behind his success: go where other originators aren't, plant seeds before the market is ready, and build a
Process, Discipline & $30M/Year with Chris Kerr of Elements Financial
Chris Kerr is a top-producing outside loan originator at Elements Financial Credit Union in Indianapolis, closing $30 million a year across 100+ units — with no inside referral pipeline.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to break down the mindset, habits, and process that have kept him at the top of his game for 20 years.Chris didn't start in mortgages. After studyi
Data, AI & the Future of Mortgage with Justin Demola of Equifax
Justin Demola is the SVP of Mortgage and Housing at Equifax, with 33 years of mortgage industry experience spanning origination, consulting, and the vendor side.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to talk about the forces reshaping the mortgage industry — regulatory uncertainty, the power of data, and why AI represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for mortgage
Building a $400M IMB: John Murphy on Playing the Long Game in Mortgage
John Murphy is the Chief Revenue Officer and co-founder of MJW Mortgage — an Indianapolis-based Independent Mortgage Bank doing $400 million in annual volume.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson live in Indianapolis for a conversation about building a mortgage company that lasts, leading from the front, and why avoiding the vanity of volume is the real competitive adv
$11M/Month in 10 Months: Hussein Nasser on Building Grand Line Lending from Scratch
Hussein Nasser is the broker-owner of Grand Line Lending — a Detroit-based mortgage brokerage he built from the ground up just 10 months ago, already closing $11 million a month with a purchase-focused goal of $150 million annually.In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to break down exactly how he got there and where he's headed.Hussein's path started during college wh
From Welfare to Broker-Owner in Miami: Ashlin Endter Builds 4MG Mortgage
Ashlin Endter is the broker-owner of 4MG Mortgage — a Miami-based brokerage she built from the ground up in just six years, going from first-time originator to top producer and team leader. In this episode of Chasing Excellence, she joins host Tony Thompson to share one of the most raw and powerful journeys the show has featured yet.Ashlin's story starts far from mortgage. After pursuing nursing a
Building a $200M Mortgage Brokerage with Shawn Smith of Sublime Financial
In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to share the mindset, systems, and decisions that took him from surviving the 2008 crash to running one of Dallas's top broker shops.Shawn Smith is the broker-owner of Sublime Financial — a Dallas-based mortgage brokerage generating $200M in annual volume with 23 loan officers across Texas, Oklahoma, Washington State, and Florida.S
Chasing Excellence with Tony Thompson
What will you do with the time you've been given?Chasing Excellence is the podcast that brings you real stories from real people — from those already at the pinnacle of success to those just beginning their journey.Host Tony Thompson sits down with individuals who chose to pursue excellence over the ordinary, sharing their trials, tribulations, breakthroughs, and wisdom.Every episode is designed t
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