National Mortgage Professional Magazine’s 40 Under 40: The 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40

In our third annual “40 Under 40” feature, you will find a list of the top mortgage professionals under the age of 40, as voted on by their peers, who exemplify professionalism and top production in today’s housing market. Despite the rough waters of the U.S. economy and the ever-shifting landscape known as the mortgage industry, these 40 professionals have persevered in a time of great uncertainty. In assembling this list, we at National Mortgage Professional Magazine took some criticism when we began this endeavor. Many felt a list of this nature ignored many, and others felt that a list of this type is a “thing of the past,” while some even cited age discrimination, but we firmly stood by our decision to assemble this group. Like their industry pioneers before them, these individuals are the ones who carried the torch of professionalism in the year 2011 and beyond, fighting the daily barrage or regulatory and legislative pressure and negative coverage by the mainstream media as the culprits for the collapse of the U.S. economy. However, they forge forward, as they continue to lead by example and set the bar for education, professionalism and excellence in the mortgage industry. We’d like to congratulate all of the following individuals named to our “40 Under 40” list—in no particular order but alphabetical—and thank all the nominees for their participation in our second annual “40 Under 40: The 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40” feature. Brianne Aston Senior Business Analyst ♦ CBC National Bank ♦ Alpharetta, Ga. Brianne Aston attended the University of Ga. and graduated in 2002 with a degree in finance. In the mortgage business since 2002, Brianne has held many positions throughout her career, including closer, processor, sales assistant, and her current role as senior business analyst and bank officer with CBC National Bank. Timothy Baise President & Chief Executive Officer ♦ Top Flite Financial ♦ Williamston, Mich. As president and chief executive officer of Top Flite Financial, an Inc. 5,000 company, Timothy Baise has been changing the lending industry, one person at a time, by being and staying in compliance with state and federal laws. As many lending firms have downsized or have closing their doors altogether, Top Flite Financial has been increasing its revenue and has expanded its operations through the toughest economic times the mortgage industry has ever seen. Raymond Bartreau Chief Executive Officer ♦ Best Rate Referrals ♦ Las Vegas, Nev. Raymond Bartreau is a marketing specialist whose focus is the mortgage industry and how to effectively market in today's conditions. Raymond's company, Best Rate Referrals, is a marketing firm specializing in direct mail, call center campaigns and online marketing. Best Rate Referrals was named to the Inc. 500/5000 list for the second consecutive year in 2011. Jenay Bowen Senior Loan Officer ♦ Service First Mortgage ♦ Richardson, Texas With a BBA in both finance and real estate, Jenay Bowen got her start right out of college and has worked her way up as one of the top producers at Service First Mortgage. Jenay began as a processor, transitioning to underwriting before becoming a loan originator. Jenay has been in the industry for more than 10 years and is a certified Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Underwriter. Mark W. Boyer Chief Executive Officer ♦ Foundation Financial Group ♦ Jacksonville, Fla. Mark W. Boyer began his role as chief executive officer of Foundation Financial Group in January of 2011 at the age of 36. He immediately launched a massive realignment while preparing to open the company’s sixth regional sales center, in Rochester, N.Y. Mark began laying the groundwork for what has become known as “Project Sequoia,” the company's new green initiative that will save Foundation Financial Group $50,000 its first year. Foundation Financial Group was named to the Inc. magazine 500|5000 in 2011. Chris Brown Home Finance Advisor ♦ Certified Mortgage Planners ♦ Orlando, Fla. Chris Brown is a vocal leader for originators seeking to change their own futures in the mortgage industry. Chris actively grows his business by acting as a “coach” for his partners rather than a vendor, earning the nickname, "Chris the Implementer." In addition to his role as home finance advisor with Certified Mortgage Planners, Chris is also a published author, frequent contributor to local Orlando FOX News affiliate and AM radio shows. John F. Cady Senior Vice President of Retail ♦ Stearns Lending Inc. ♦ Santa Ana, Calif. Throughout his time on the retail side of mortgage origination, John F. Cady has consistently applied focus to training, motivating and mentoring and as a result, has enabled his previous companies, including MetLife and PrimeLending, to aggressively expand their retail footprint. At Stearns Lending, John has continued his momentum to restructure and catapult the firm’s retail model. In less than 6 months, he has increased new branch signings by 96 percent with the addition of 24 branches. Derek Egeberg Branch Manager/Loan Officer ♦ Academy Mortgage ♦ Yuma, Ariz. Derek Egenberg’s passion is building his automated ACT database and teaching other loan originators how to better track and communicate with their clients. Derek has done many training calls with loan officers nationwide, describing his world class ACT database and how his communication methods are key to success. Derek has been featured in various interviews and industry trainings, such as Mortgage Success Source's "Mastery Business Plan" in November of 2011. Dan Green Loan Officer ♦ Waterstone Mortgage ♦ Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio resident Dan Green is a loan officer with Waterstone Mortgage. In 2006, Dan founded Bring the Blog, a provider of daily blog content. In 2010, Dan launched Rate Quote Widget, a standalone application for loan officers, installed directly on a Web site that improves mortgage lead conversion rates and keeps loan officers from wasting time on "bad leads.” Dan also writes a daily mortgage blog, The Mortgage Reports, seen by Dan as a tireless effort that attracts new business and educates the industry. Matthew Goldman Regional Vice President/Branch Integration ♦ FBC Mortgage LLC ♦ Orlando, Fla. Matthew Goldman is a 12-year veteran of the mortgage industry. He has been a very active member of both the Mortgage Bankers Association of Central Florida (Governor) and of the MBA of Florida as a Board of Director. He is consistently called upon to chair important committees or events and has always been very successful in ensuring that any event that he is involved in is successful. Shaun Guerrero Loan Officer ♦ The Legacy Group ♦ Silverdale, Wash. Shaun Guerrero started in the business of being a loan officer when he was 20, and has partnered with a great lending platform that has allowed him to do 100 percent financing on homes sold at foreclosure auctions. Shaun has hosted many events in the local community that have attracted hundreds of members of the small business community to learn how to integrate networking methods, sales training and video into their business model. Julian Hebron Branch Manager/Mortgage Banker ♦ RPM Mortgage ♦ San Francisco, Calif. Julian Hebron funds $50 million in mortgages annually and operates runs San Francisco-based RPM Mortgage’s branches. Julian manages partnerships with major real estate firms and building groups and is RPM's lead marketing. Launched in 2010, Julian's blog, TheBasisPoint.com, is a must-read for consumer education and insider news. Julian's long-term media mission isn't loan leads, it's to bring credibility to the mortgage industry so consumers, regulators and the mainstream media are constantly reminded how smart, committed, and responsible people in the mortgage industry are. Jason “Hammer” Helmer Director of Business Development ♦ First Priority Financial ♦ Fort Lee, N.J. An active industry participant, Jason “Hammer” Helmer trains and coaches thousands of originators on current industry topics and origination strategies. Hammer currently has 14,000 subscribers to RateAlert who attend his Webinars, in addition to approximately 3,500 loan originators who subscribe to his FPF PowerTips video marketing messages and blogs. Dustin Hughes Owner ♦ Northwest Mortgage Advisors ♦ Portland, Ore. Dustin Hughes is a nationally-recognized loan officer and the owner of Northwest Mortgage Advisors in Portland, Ore. Dustin's unique and ingeniously creative videos have inspired more than 350,000 viewers on YouTube! Dustin was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 GBM brain cancer, and as a result, has continued to inspire the industry through his message. Tom Hurst Executive Vice President ♦ StreetLinks Lender Solutions ♦ Indianapolis, Ind. As a founding partner of StreetLinks Lender Solutions, Tom's focus on strategy, ops and sales proved to be instrumental in the firm’s growth into an industry-leading partner. StreetLinks currently houses nearly 600 employees and works with more than 350 clients, including many of the top 10 banks and mortgage lenders in the country. Daniel H. Jacobs President of Retail Branching ♦ Residential Finance Corporation Charlotte, N.C. A recognized mortgage thought leader and entrepreneur, Daniel H. Jacobs is an executive with 15-plus years of mortgage industry experience who enjoys building and growing companies that solve industry problems. A mortgage banker since 1996, Daniel is the former chief executive officer of 1st Metropolitan Mortgage until he sold the firm in 2009. Daniel is regularly featured as subject matter expert in trade journals, The Wall Street Journal and other major publications. He has also served as a panelist and speaker at major industry events for the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) among others. Chad Jampedro Chief Executive Officer ♦ GSF Mortgage Corporation ♦ Brookfield, Wisc. As chief executive officer of GSF Mortgage Corporation, Chad Jampedro has been changing the lending industry and the landscape of what a mortgage professional is and does. Chad converted GSF from what was known as a mortgage broker company to a mortgage banker at a time when the broker business was booming. In making the transition, Chad grew the company from an $11 million company to a $70 million company. Dan Keller Loan Officer ♦ Hometown Lending ♦ Everett, Wash. Dan Keller adds value to his real estate agent referral partner network by serving as a transparent resource for homebuyers preparing to purchase a home. Dan currently has more than 7,000 views on his YouTube channel, and more than over 600 followers on each Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. His blog and social media accounts for more than 60 percent of his closed loan volume, and the rest comes from relationships built with real estate professionals through teaching “Tech-related” classes on blogging, social media and video marketing. Ryan Kohl Chief Executive Officer/Vice President ♦ Express Capital Mortgage Inc. ♦ Chandler, Ariz. Ryan Kohl is owner and founder of Express Capital Mortgage and was instrumental in creating multiple channels of lending for foreign buyers purchasing real estate in the state of Arizona. Since mid-2010, Ryan has dedicated his resources to finding capital for these buyers. Primarily focused on Canadians and Australians, Ryan has educated many on the homebuying process in America and relayed them to other industry professionals for local homebuying assistance. Eric Kujala National Sales and Consulting Manager ♦ DocVelocity ♦ Troy, Mich. With his knowledge of the industry and years of expertise, Eric Kujala applies it to his sales and consulting role implementing DocVelocity as the firm’s national sales and consulting manager. Through DocVelocity, Eric bring to the market a Web-based paperless solution that simplifies the mortgage loan origination process by creating an online collaboration tool for staff, lenders and borrowers. John V. Levonick Chief Legal and Compliance Officer ♦ Mortgage Cadence LLC ♦ Denver John V. Levonick has worked closely with mortgage originators, servicers, technology vendors, commercial banks, hedge funds and insurers on identifying and managing regulatory compliance risk through the use of technology. In working with each aspect of the industry, John has obtained the ability to understand risk, advise on best practices, and has worked to enhance technology to increase productivity, operational quality, while reducing institutional risk and enhancing asset quality. John is a regular speaker and participant in industry conferences on mortgage compliance risk, and has written numerous articles for various trade publications. Khai McBride Owner ♦ Khai McBride Companies ♦ Los Angeles, Calif. As owner of Khai McBride Performance, Khai’s marketing and teaching methodologies are recognized by top companies and producers nationwide. A faculty member of Mortgage Success Source, Khai is a highly-sought-after industry speaker, innovative coach and consultant, coaching some of the industry's top performers in the area of mindset and performance. Brett McGovern President and Owner ♦ Bay Equity Home Loans LLC ♦ San Francisco Brett McGovern has more than 15 years of experience in real estate sales and lending. Prior to joining Bay Equity, he was senior vice president of Grubb Ellis Company in San Francisco. As president and owner of Bay Equity Home Loans, Brett is responsible for key corporate functions, including investor and warehouse line relations, oversight of accounting and secondary functions and marketing and corporate communications. Scott A. Milner Executive Vice President ♦ US Mortgage Corporation ♦ Melville, N.Y. Scott A. Milner has 10-plus years of extensive equity derivatives and structured products sales experience having worked at some of the largest investments banks in the world, including ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Currently, Scott is leveraging his financial, analytical and business acumen to embark on a new career in the mortgage banking industry, having joined US Mortgage Corporation in 2010 as their executive vice president. Amanda Niles Senior Mortgage Banker ♦ Summit Mortgage ♦ Portland, Ore. Amanda Niles has been a mortgage banker for 10 years. She earned two degrees from the University of Oregon and her MBA from George Fox University. Amanda was a member of National Mortgage Professional Magazine’s 2010 “40 Under 40” list and she has continued her pursuit of being a top originator in Oregon and Washington. Eddy Perez President ♦ Equity Loans LLC ♦ Atlanta, Ga. Eddy Perez has more than 10 years of experience in the mortgage industry as a top producing loan officer, sales/branch manager and executive. Along with his partner, Kunjan Patel, Eddy transformed a small refinance-based mortgage broker into a growing force in the mortgage industry. His five-year plan began with a commitment to solid warehouse and investor relationships and grew into one of the more profitable purchase-driven lenders in the Southeast. Joe Puthur President ♦ Mortgage Coach ♦ Irvine, Calif. Joe Puthur has been president of Mortgage Coach since 2009. To date, he has launched four products for the company including: Ratewatch, Certified Mortgage Coach, Social Pro and Edge. Joe’s eight-plus years of industry experience help him develop the tools that loan officers must use to remain complaint, grow their practice and educate consumers about their mortgage purchase. Phil Rasori Chief Operating Officer ♦ MCT Trading ♦ San Diego, Calif. Phil Rasori has led MCT Trading’s operations since 2005. His areas of expertise include complex financial modeling, computational dynamics and linear programming for operational optimization. He developed the mortgage pipeline hedging algorithms that form the foundation of MCT’s HALO Program. He has also pioneered several metrics that have become standard industry parlance, including “beta pull-through” factors. In addition to banking clients, Phil has consulted with the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE)and the U.S. government on hedging best practices for community banks. Steve Rennie Managing Partner ♦ Hammerhouse LLC ♦ Mission Viejo, Calif. Steve Rennie is a founding partner of Hammerhouse LLC, a national recruiting and strategic growth firm with mortgage sales and leadership placement at its core. Steve has lead the implementation and execution of Hammerhouse's model-matching process for the firm’s clients and candidates. He has been extremely successful in working with hundreds of mortgage sales and leadership candidates to help them identify the best model-match with a mortgage lender in order to positively impact growth, profitability and retention. Rene Rodriguez Sales & Marketing, Brand Strategist ♦ PrimeSource Mortgage ♦ New Mexico Rene Rodriguez heads up sales, marketing and brand strategy for PrimeSource Mortgage, a publicly-traded mortgage bank. A captivating, high-energy speaker, Rene is in high demand for annual events, conventions, and keynotes speeches. He has been a featured speaker at the Mastery Business Plan 2008 and 2011 Conferences in Las Vegas, has emceed for all four Mortgage Revolution events, and is a frequent contributor and author to industry publications such as the Niche Report, National Mortgage Professional, The Scotsman's Guide to name a few." Rick Roque Senior Vice President/Board Member ♦ PrimeSource Mortgage Washington, D.C. Rick Roque is the formerly led sales and business development at Calyx Software and has served as a consultant for the industry’s top tech and lending firms. He is currently executive vice president of growth and strategy at PrimeSource Mortgage, managing the day-to-day business operations at one of the nation’s few publicly-traded mortgage lending companies. Shashank Shehkar Chief Executive Officer ♦ Arcus Lending ♦ San Jose, Calif. Shashank Shekhar is chief executive officer of Arcus Lending, author of the blog, LendingExpertBlog.com and two real estate books. A social media expert, Shashank helps incorporate social media ideas into his customer’s daily business plans and is always willing to help others in their advances for business and social media. Within three years of originating loans, Shashank is closing more than $30 million in personal production in 2011 by building one of the strongest personal brands in the San Francisco Bay Area region. Michael Smalley Regional Manager ♦ Waterstone Mortgage ♦ Winter Park, Fla. Mike Smalley has been a loan originator since 2002, and owned his own company from 2004-2008. Currently a regional branch manager from 2008 to current, and over the last three years with his two partners, has grown his team from one branch to four, and his team from five to 40. Mike is also a frequent industry speaker, being the youngest person ever to speak at LoanToolbox Business Plan (in 2006 at age 27), presenting at Mortgage Revolution twice in 2010 (Atlanta and Orlando), and Sales Mastery in 2011. Adam P. Smith President ♦ The Colorado Real Estate Finance Group Inc. ♦ Greenwood Village, Colo. Adam P. Smith is president of The Colorado Real Estate Finance Group Inc., a commercial and residential real estate finance firm. During his career, Adam has helped thousands of clients, both individuals and corporations, in their goals regarding real estate finance, as well as both personal and corporate finance, and has personally written billions of dollars in mortgage and finance deals. John Glen Stevens Branch Manager ♦ Bank of England d/b/a ENG Lending ♦ Draper, Utah John Glen Stevens served as president of Utah Association of Mortgage Brokers (UAMB) in 2010, the Utah state affiliate of NAMB, the Association of Mortgage Professionals. Nationally, John served NAMB as chairman of the NAMB/WEST 2011 Loan Originators Conference in Las Vegas. John has campaigned for a seat in the Utah State House and currently serves locally as County Planning Commissioner. Holden Thomas President ♦ Oak Mortgage Group Inc. ♦ Dallas, Texas Holden Thomas started Oak Mortgage Group Inc. at the age of 25 with no mortgage experience and built the firm from a mortgage broker in 2006 into a mortgage banker as U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Direct Endorsed Underwriters. Holden relies heavily on social media strategies to drive leads for Oak Mortgage Group. Eric Tishaw Chief Operating Officer ♦ Hometown Lenders ♦ Huntsville, Ala. Growing up around the mortgage business, Eric Tishaw enjoys helping mortgage professionals reach their goals and fullest potential. In an effort to uncover the major pitfalls of making a transition to a different employer, Eric Tishaw authored the Net Branch Survival Kit to help mortgage professionals make a more informed decision about their future partnership with a potential company. More than 10,000 copies have been downloaded to date, making it one of the most successful how-to guides of its time in the mortgage business. Garrick Werdmuller Branch Manager ♦ First Priority Financial ♦ Alameda, Calif. Through technology, blogging and video blogging, Garrick Werdmuller has built an amazing community of fans. Garrick has been a part of the “Funky Formal,” an event to help many local charities, including the Alameda Food Bank, Alameda Education Foundation and the Alameda Boys and Girls Club among others. He founded the Alameda Green Hone Expo, an event promoting green initiatives in real estate. Erik Wind President ♦ EWDC ♦ Melville, N.Y. During his 10-plus years in the real estate and mortgage business, Erik Wind has worked with hundreds of appraisal and real estate professionals to improve their business through technology. Erik is the developer of ShortSaleSpeedway, used by real estate professionals to effectively negotiate short sales and loan modifications and by mortgage professionals as a tool to market to real estate agents. Louis Zitting Founder/President ♦ LenderFeed ♦ Salt Lake City, Utah Louis Zitting founded LenderFeed, a consumer-focused, credit monitoring technology to maintain the retention for borrowers who have been turned down or whose loan had been cancelled. LenderFeed monitors the borrower’s credit profile, and based upon specific parameters, will contact the loan officer when it is the appropriate time. The Next 40 Mortgage Professionals to Watch … Due to the hundreds of submissions we received for our “40 Under 40” list, there are those who are making serious waves in the industry who could not be overlooked. They, like those on the “40 Under 40” list are the leaders of this industry for years to come, so keep an eye out as well for the following innovators and originators as they continue to shape the industry:     ►John Antonelli • President/Mortgage Specialist, Vantage Point Financial Group Inc., Blue Bell, Pa. ►Belinda Austin • Processing Manager, Ranch and Coast Mortgage Group, San Diego, Calif. ►Alan Blood • President, Capital Financial Group Inc., Bountiful, Utah ►Lanie Boudreaux • Mortgage Originator, St. Martin Bank & Trust, Lafayette, La. ►Liz Bushman • Branch Manager, Academy Mortgage Corporation, Diamond Bar, Calif. ►Brian Call • President, Rubicon Mortgage Advisors LLC, Minneapolis, Minn. ►Peter M. Citera • Director of Mortgage Education, Real Estate Institute, Niles, Ill. ►Gwen Creel • Regional Sales Manager, United Fidelity Funding, Kansas City, Mo. ►Jay Crowell • Vice President, Cornerstone Home Lending, Seattle, Wash. ►Richard Donine • Vice President of Marketing, Stearns Lending, Orange County, Calif. ►Sherri Dyer • Owner/President, MDI Mortgage Group, Bar Harbor, Maine ►Richard L. Erb II • Licensed Loan Originator, Weichert Financial, Alexandria, Va. ►Ron Haddad • Senior Mortgage Banker, Key Mortgage Services d/b/a Baird & Warner Financial, Chicago ►Adam Hall • Community Reinvestment Analysis, Fifth Third Bank in Louisville, Ky. ►Josh Harmatz • Chief Operation Officer, Voyage Financial Group Inc., Sacramento, Calif. ►Justin Henneke • Senior Loan Officer, America's Choice Home Loans ►Dan Holtz • Vice President, Sovereign Lending Group Inc., Irvine, Calif. ►Vince Ingui • President & CEO, Louviers Mortgage Corporation, Wilmington, Del. ►Jesus I. Jimenez • Finance Director, Security National Mortgage, Forest Park, Ill. ►Steven Kaufman • President, Zeus Mortgage Ltd., Houston, Texas ►Eric Kelly • Managing Partner, Assurance Financial Group, Birmingham, Ala. ►Todd LaBorwit • Vice President, Topaz Mortgage, Rockville Md. ►Heather M. Lee • Branch Manager, PMC Mortgage, Yakima, Wash. ►Crista Lowrie • Branch Manager, Vision Mortgage, a division of Continental Bank, Montgomeryville, Pa. ►Benjamin Madick • Founder & President, Mortgage Quality Management and Research, Sherman Oaks, Calif. ►Joseph Metzler • Senior Mortgage Loan Officer, Mortgages Unlimited, Inc., St. Paul, Minn. ►Darius Mirshahzadeh • Senior Vice President of Wholesale Lending, Pacific Union Financial ►Jasen Neutzman • Certified Mortgage Consultant, Atlas Mortgage, Lynnwood, Wash. ►Robert Palmer • President, CEO & Majority Stockholder, RP Funding, Maitland, Fla. ►Sam Perez • President, Silvercreek Finance Corporation, Chicago, Ill. ►Nathan S. Pierce • President, Advanced Funding Home Mortgage Loans, Salt Lake City, Utah ►Joni Pilgrim • Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Nationwide Appraisal & Settlement Network, Oldsmar, Fla. ►Reza Rahimzadeh • Chief Executive Officer, Loan America, Calabasas, Calif. ►David B. Ricketts • Area Manager, Bank of England, Denver, Colo. ►Kyra Sommerville Moore • Partner/Branch Manager, Inlanta Mortgage, Johnston, Iowa ►Darin Sullivan • Vice President of Mortgage Operations, BOFI Federal Bank (Bank of Internet), San Diego, Calif. ►Brian Swanson • Senior Vice President & Chief Lending Officer-Residential Lending, BOFI Federal Bank (Bank of Internet), San Diego, Calif. ►Joanna Theismann • Mortgage Loan Officer, Associated Bank, Belleville, Ill. ►Paul Ueckert •President, Voyage Financial Group, Inc., Sacramento, Calif. ►Paul Volpe • Vice President, NOVA Home Loans, Tucson, Ariz.