As the country slowly climbs out of a recession, most people would not expect to find a mortgage company flourishing. But it is something that is happening and it’s happening locally. It is also happening under the leadership of some very savvy business women as well as men.
Mortgage Advisory Group is a company of mortgage loan professionals that opened in Everett in 2004. Since that time it has grown, not only in the size of that original branch but also in the number of branches.
“A lot of growth is happening for us right now,” said company Chief Operating Officer Lori Morris. “We have two branches on the verge of opening — one in Bellevue and one in Marysville.”
These two new branches are in addition to already existing branches in Mill Creek, Puyallup, and Wenatchee. There’s even a branch in Chandler, Ariz.
From the original single floor office space on the corner of Colby and Hewitt Avenues, the firm has now taken over the upstairs space of that building in addition to part of the building next door. Still more expansion is planned.
For Morris, the growth, even in a time of recession, is not surprising. Having been with the company since almost the very beginning, she has always been confident in the vision of founders Dave Wortham and Lee Dionne. It’s part of what made her want to become a part of the organization.
“When Dave and Lee got together they wanted to create a utopia for loan originators. I think they’ve been very successful in doing that,” Morris said. “They wanted to create a place where employees could flourish — where anyone who came in and worked really hard to build it could have the same opportunities for growth.”
And a large percentage of those people who came in to Mortgage Advisory Group were women.
Morris herself had originally been working in real estate. But she was seriously considering a different career path. She then got a call from one of the founders asking if she would like to join the new firm.
“I knew the people who I would be working with and what really drew me in was their philosophy and what they wanted to do with the company,” Morris said.
She started out as a marketing assistant but about a month later became marketing manager. From there, Morris went into operations management, soon becoming Director of Operations. Finally she was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.
Morris is aware that her career path moved faster than most. Some other employees, both women and men, have also risen quickly in the organization. But Morris credits the owners with being able to quickly identify a good fit for certain positions. She also noted the absence of a “glass ceiling” at Mortgage Advisory Group.
“I do think that a glass ceiling happens in the industry but it has never happened here at this particular company,” Morris said. “I think that the owners had a lot to do with this because they are very progressive in the way that they think. And I think that we have had a smart, talented group of ladies who have come in and applied for positions.”
Other women in key roles at Mortgage Advisory Group include Chief Financial Officer Mary Loarie, Business Development Manager Tonja Wortham, Director of Human Resources Jasmine Elliot, Senior Production Manager Lisa Britton, Senior Marketing Manager Brenda Carter, Senior Funding Manager Christa Steiger, Senior Compliance Manager Holly Jackson, Wenatchee Sales Manager Traci Dry and many others.
In addition, many of the branch operations managers are women. Jeryl Torick is Operations Manager Manager for Bellevue and Carol Coletta is Operations Manager at Everett.
“All but one of our department managers are women,” Morris said.
While the men-to-women ratio is unusual at Mortgage Advisory Group, Morris believes it is the quality of the people that make the difference.
“All of the people here are so connected to each other that they’re like an extended family,” she said. Account Executive Angela Anderson has even organized two sky dives for those interested — something that CFO Mary Loarie took part in. Others sing together and have outside interests in common.
They also share a philosophy about fostering a client-for-life relationship. It stood the company in good stead when the markets began to tank.
“We weren’t out there doing the type of loans that caused the industry to falter,” Morris said. “We had a solid customer base and a solid team of professionals who knew what they were doing. We only hire seasoned originators because we want the clients who come to this company to experience someone who is knowledgeable and can direct them into the right mortgage.”
This, Morris continued, is ultimately the key to the company’s success. It’s vital to find the mortgage that fits the client’s lifestyle and financial needs both now and in the future. Markets change and there is information out there that people just don’t know.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on in the media right now and we can help people to understand it and understand more about mortgages,” Morris said. “The public needs to be educated and we’re here to help educate them.”
She pointed to the company’s newly revamped Web site, www.magloans.com, as a great tool for people to learn more about mortgages. In addition to written information, there are video clips and a mortgage calculator. If these don’t answer a customer’s questions, Morris invites people to call.
Mortgage Advisory Group offers free professional advice, whether it is about an existing loan or something new.
As to the future for the company, Morris anticipates a continued strong focus on branches in Washington State. But she acknowledges that sometime in the future, Mortgage Advisory Group may expand into other states as well. Right now, she is very content with her role in the company and spending her free time sailing and enjoying the outdoors. No word yet on the sky diving.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
