Ron Vaimberg

Growing and building for tomorrow is what Ron Vaimberg is doing today.

Those in the mortgage industry who take time to selfreflect while nurturing relationships with partners and clients end up succeeding no matter the market conditions, he says.

“It is easy to get caught up in simply going after low-hanging fruit to generate business,” Vaimberg, 59, says. “But 2022 taught us all a painful lesson about the dangers of this strategy. Many originators and mortgage companies ignored the reality that the gravy train of refinances would someday end. They ended up paying a big price.”

In 1988, a sales manager recommended Vaimberg read about his business for at least 15 minutes every day.

“To this day 35 years later, I am still doing this exercise, and I keep getting better and better at what I do,” he says. “Our industry is constantly undergoing change, and whether you are selling mortgages or helping salespeople grow business, it’s critical to seek out knowledge and wisdom that allows you to grow. Yet in today’s increasingly fast-paced world, few sales professionals take the time for self-learning.”

There will always be a need for mortgage professionals who can solve the challenges facing borrowers and real estate professionals, Vaimberg says. However, the majority of originators and mortgage companies put very few resources into ongoing professional development.

“This has been a habit of the industry since I entered the business in 1984, and I believe it’s why so many originators and lenders struggle when the market shifts,” he says. “My contribution is to continually focus on the professional development of my audience so they are better able to identify these challenges and create opportunities to solve them, regardless of what is happening in the market. I also advise mortgage professionals to embrace and utilize technology as an extension of their personalized service, but never allow technology to replace what they do. ”

Henry Drennan, account supervisor at Strategic Vantage, called Vaimberg’s coaching and training methods practical, inspirational, and grounded in real-world experience.

“He’s empowered thousands of salespeople to transform their floundering businesses into successful careers,” Drennan says.

Vaimberg dedicates much of his energy to helping individuals and companies build their business for today while setting themselves up to succeed through any market environment.

“The only way they can do this is by continuously honing and developing their skills,” he says, “which requires learning and relearning what they need to do through reinforcement and follow-up.”

Michelle White is not intimidated by the constant ups and downs of the mortgage industry, and integrity will always remain her top priority.

“Before the SAFE Act, the industry had many people who made decisions in their own best interest without regard for who may be negatively impacted,” White says. “Through all of the negativity, my concern always remained first for my customers over all else.”

The mortgage industry, she adds, is like the weather. “Wait a minute and it will change. Rates go up and down. Inventory is abundant or lacking. Loans go in cycles and there is always a new program or a remake of an old program. People will always want to buy houses and the industry will always rebound.”

The 56-year-old industry veteran uses her knowledge, experience and skills to educate fellow MLOs, as a means of keeping an aging industry fresh. She teaches both pre-licensing and continuing education courses. mortgage industry has to offer. Her first-hand knowledge helps put the current laws and guidelines into perspective for her students, giving them a deeper understanding of the ‘why’ in what they are learning. Her dedication to each student’s success is a key indicator of her passion for education and vast knowledge of the mortgage industry.

White started her career in the mortgage industry in 1993 as a loan officer assistant. Later, she earned her Master of Education degree, focusing on adult education and continuing education for professionals. She has worked in nearly every aspect of the loan process, spending significant time as an underwriter.

White acknowledges that many factors contribute to the challenges surmounting the mortgage industry today, but none have deterred her pledge to make a difference.

White went through the housing crash of 2008, both as a mortgage professional and a homeowner. She has seen the best and worst the

“I am working with state housing authorities and investors helping to identify the obstacles to homeownership and finding ways to overcome those obstacles through consumer education, new programs, and finding creative funding sources for grants and down payment assistance programs,” she says.