Guaranteed Rate

Dan Gjeldum, a senior vice president at Guaranteed Rate, knows that the key to a long-term working relationship is listening. “If you spend enough time listening to your clients, they will take you on the path best for them,” he says. “Listening to clients has allowed me to work with some clients on more than 10 transactions over the 20-plus years I have originating.”

Working with high-net-worth individuals as well as first-time buyers who are fresh out of college, Gjeldum is adept at accommodating every client’s mortgage needs regardless of their economic situation. “When I get an email or call from a client after closing telling me how happy and grateful they are — that’s as good as it gets,” he says.

In 2017, Gjeldum surpassed $100 million in closings for the fifth time in six years, again placing him among the top 200 of all mortgage originators in the U.S. for any company or bank. That level of production has again allowed Gjeldum to enter the prestigious Chairman’s Circle at Guaranteed Rate, which awards those whose production exceeds $100 million.

Motivated by his wife and his four children, Gjeldum strives to lead by example and is inspired by his family to work harder and be a better person. To that end, he coaches at least one of his kids’ sports teams every season. “I always get a kick from how many kids call me coach when they see me in town,” he says.