Below is an excerpt adapted from our Inspired By podcast conversation with 40 Under 40 Honoree Alex Rozhansky, a Loan Officer at Supreme Lending in Dallas, TX. It has been edited for brevity and clarity.

When Alex Rozhansky entered the mortgage industry, he didn’t walk in the front door with fanfare. Instead, he stepped onto the boat — literally. Years before his licensing exam, Rozhansky was the designated boat driver for a group of older friends and mentors who were already in the business. “I saw the money they were making, the fun they were having, and how they were doing it,” Rozhansky says. “I thought, I can do that too.”

Fast-forward two years, and the 25-year-old loan officer has not only proven himself — he’s quietly becoming the go-to guy for the files others won’t touch.

From College To Closing

Rozhansky first worked as an assistant at Altitude Home Loans while he was still in college. By the time he passed his licensing exam, he was ready to relocate and dive in headfirst. “It ended up being a great decision,” he says. “Most people don’t start their first job thinking they’ll be there for 10 or 20 years. But I see myself here for a long time.”

His early days were defined by hard work and proving he belonged. “There was definitely a chip on my shoulder,” he says. “I was the manager’s friend, the boat driver. People thought I was just going to walk in and have it easy.”

Instead, he made 50 to 100 calls a day, showing up early and staying late. “I thrive under pressure,” Rozhansky says. “I wanted to be the best.”

A Foundation Of Friendship

Rozhansky’s origin story is steeped in relationships. That’s how he got into the business—and how he plans to scale within it. “As soon as you get into the workforce, your friends kind of become the people that you work with,” he says.

He’s already brought in a college fraternity brother who joined him after passing his license and closing $3.5M in his first few months. Another friend is slated to start this year.

“Coming into an environment where you’re working with all your friends is one of the greatest things in the world,” he says. But Rozhansky is quick to point out that this isn’t just about vibes. It’s about accountability, learning, and building something together.

Reluctant Mentor, Relentless Example

Rozhansky hesitates to call himself a mentor. “I’ve only been a full LO for two years,” he says. “But we’ve closed a lot of business — and a lot of tough loans.”

Whether he’s officially a mentor or not, Rozhansky is clearly leading. He and his colleague Ryan come in on Saturdays to call leads. He shares best practices, work ethic benchmarks, and troubleshooting strategies.

“I just tell them, if you work an extra 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night, that’s five extra hours a week,” he says. “We figure out tough loans together. That’s what we do.”

The Numbers Tell The Story

Rozhansky closed 88 loans in 2024, just shy of $29 million in volume. He estimates that roughly 25 of those loans were files that had previously been rejected elsewhere.

“That’s kind of how I’ve built my business,” he says. “Doing the ones that others won’t do.”

Some of these were simple oversights: a borrower who had taken on credit card debt while selling a house but was otherwise a strong file. Others were harder: a borrower with a new job who had been told he had to wait six months, or builder deposits a previous lender wouldn’t accept. Rozhansky doesn’t just approve these files — he often closes them in 10 to 12 days.

“We closed one in eight days,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of looking at the file differently, explaining the situation properly to underwriting, and coaching the borrower through it.”

Lessons From The Denied

Every difficult file is a case study for Rozhansky. He remembers the first one vividly: a man who had been injured on the job and denied by Rocket. Rozhansky got the deal approved and paired him with a realtor he researched extensively. That realtor became a core referral partner, and over time introduced him to five or six more.

“Now we’re more like friends than business partners,” Rozhansky says. “They call me to vent about deals or ask for help on a listing.”

His availability is part of what makes him stand out. “They can call me at 10 p.m. and if I’m awake, I’ll answer,” he says. More importantly, “We’ve never missed a close date or failed to close something we’ve approved.”

Gaining Trust Through Toughness

While new relationships continue to blossom, Rozhansky now finds himself advising realtors on offers, contracts, and deal structure. “Some of them are close to my age, mid-20s, and they feel more comfortable calling me than their own broker,” he says.

He often consults on whether a deal can go FHA or conventional, how to structure seller concessions, or just double-checks contracts. The relationship works because of a simple promise: If Rozhansky says it will close, it will.

Anchored By Values

Rozhansky traces his relentless work ethic back to his parents and grandparents, who emigrated from Belarus and Ukraine with nothing. “My parents are hustlers,” he says. “They’re successful now, and I want to be successful too — to continue that.”

That drive has led him to work every day since starting. “I haven’t missed a day,” he says. “I call 10 to 15 leads a day even now. It takes an hour, and maybe I get one or two extra deals from it a week. It adds up.”

His chip-on-the-shoulder mentality isn’t fading either. “I haven’t seen the good times. I wasn’t around when rates were at 2% and people were just calling you,” he says. “But everyone tells me, there’s no better time to start than now.”

Two Closings, Two Lessons

Rozhansky has two deals etched in his memory. One was a Russian family with complex employment documentation. He spent hours parsing their paperwork — even using Google to translate and verify addresses. “They came in on a Saturday and we sat for hours,” he recalls. “When it closed, they sent me this incredible text. I still have it.”

The other deal was grueling in a different way. A client was waiting on an IRS payment plan, and the deal stalled. “Everyone in the office told me to drop it,” he says. “We lost money on that deal. They weren’t even really appreciative. But I knew what we went through. My team knew. And we closed it.”

It’s the kind of internal pride that defines his approach: whether celebrated or not, the work matters.

Looking Ahead To 40

Rozhansky is 25 now, which means he’s got 15 years before he ages out of the “40 Under 40” bracket. Where does he see himself at 40?

“Still in the business, definitely,” he says. “Hopefully with thousands more relationships, with referral partners and borrowers. Hopefully 10 more friends working with me. I just want to keep helping people get into homes, making some money doing it, and having fun.”

He adds, “I came into this wanting to be the best. That hasn’t changed.”