A CULTURE OF GIVING // COVER
A CULTURE OF
GIVING
MORTGAGE CONNECTION FOUNDERS JOE JACOBS, ROBBY AURORA AND JOSH HIGGELKE REFLECT ON THEIR ORGANIZATION’S SUCCESS BY MELANIE DARBYSHIRE
W
hen Robby Aurora, Josh Higgelke and Joe Jacobs launched Mortgage Connection in May of 2018, their collective vision was to build a brokerage firm committed to all of its stakeholders; one that is not only profit focused, but focused on the greater good. A firm that creates better work environments, empowers and builds up all, and helps to make positive impacts for those directly and indirectly connected to it. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of the partners and their team, at just three-and-a-half years old, Mortgage Connection embodies that vision is every way possible. Its three pillars of Culture, Collaboration and Community have fostered a strong connection to its employees and team, clients, shareholders and the community, and provided the foundation for a rich and unique culture. “Awesome attracts awesome when it comes to the reason for our growth,” Aurora says proudly. “It really has been just trying to do the right thing when it comes to brokering mortgages. Having the best and brightest mortgage brokers
in the industry allows us to do that and to be impactful within our community efforts as well.” The three men, while relatively young (Aurora is 33, Jacobs is 37 and Higgelke is 40), have a combined total of 43 years of experience in the industry. They met several years ago while working at the same brokerage house. They decided strike out together in order to do things differently, in a bid to fortify the independent mortgage broker position vis-a-vis the ‘Big Five’ banks, who enjoy approximately 75 per cent of the Canadian residential mortgage market share. “We felt that, as brokers, we have better solutions for consumers to help them save money throughout the life of their mortgage, but getting this message across as individuals is quite tough,” Aurora explains. “We wanted to come together with a collaborative effort to get this message out to the consumer. Together, as the best and brightest, with a collective vision when it comes to marketing, we can earn our consumer’s choice.”
RIGHT: JOE JACOBS, ROBBY AURORA AND JOSH HIGGELKE. PHOTO SOURCE: EWAN PHOTO VIDEO
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OCTOBER 2021 // BUSINESS IN CALGARY // BUSINESSINCALGARY.COM
