Where did you grow up? Palos Hills, Illinois. It’s a southwest suburb just outside of Chicago

What was your most interesting job before going into lending? Construction laborer for my father’s construction company (not that interesting haha). More like back breaking!

What do you do to relax when you’re stressed? Turn on some good music and make a tasty margarita!

If you could meet any well-known figure (living or not), who would it be and why? I’d like to think Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be an entertaining person to have a drink with. Either him or Jason Momoa. They seem like good vibe people and probably have some good stories to tell.

Where is Chicago’s best-kept secret? I feel like this is a personal preference, and can be a different answer for a lot of different people. But there is a private little cocktail bar called Sparrow on Elm Street in the Gold Coast. You are then only a block away from some live Piano and singing at the Zebra Lounge!

What do you love most about the industry? The chance to meet people from all over the country with a simple email intro. Being able to lend in all 50 states has made it easy for clients to connect me with their friends and family from all over, and it’s also taught me how different things are from one market to the next.

What is the most difficult aspect of your job? I don’t think the duties of closing a loan from start to finish are difficult, it’s handling the emotions of the lost clients. No matter how successful of a year you have, the clients that you didn’t win really stick with you longer than they should.

What are you binge-watching/reading/listening to lately? Anything related to thrillers, horror, serial killers, etc. Netflix, HBO Max, HULU, Amazon Prime — need to step up their game because they aren’t producing new content fast enough for me. hahah

What’s your favorite meal in Chicago? The best part about living in Chicago is I have a favorite meal for each night of the week! Tacos one night, pizza the next, then Chinese, then BBQ and so on.

Architecturally speaking, what is your favorite building in Chicago? I’m not a big architectural buff, but I do enjoy “staycations” at any of the hotels on the river. Those newer buildings with all the amenities and restaurants overlooking the water, really make it feel like a vacation in your own city.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you on the job? You come across all different kinds of personalities, but one of my favorite experiences that I’ll never forget… I was refinancing a client’s mortgage to cash-out and payoff higher interest debt. They couldn’t get it done with three other lenders, but I took it on because I felt I had a plan that would work. The document requests were heavy during the process, and the client actually called me screaming at the top of their lungs! I took it on the chin, reiterated the serious benefits of the savings and how the effort of paperwork was worth it, and closed the loan. What’s weird about this story is the client was thrilled after it closed, and connected me with several of their friends and family that following week! For someone you would write off as a one time client, you just never know how things will turn out. Emotional roller coaster!

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you? I’m just under 6 feet tall, but I could dunk a basketball

What’s your favorite vacation spot and why? Growing up and never moving out of Chicago, my favorite vacation is ANYWHERE WARM with a beach! Miami, LA, Jamaica, Hawaii are my go-to places.

In 10 words or less, what is your advice for someone new to the lending industry? Show up every day and ALWAYS answer your phone.