Results-driven and licensed to lend in all 50 states, Brian Salomon gets the deal done. A senior mortgage consultant and vice president of mortgage lending at Blueleaf Lending, Salomon has 12 years of industry experience and a referrals-only business. Delegating a portion of the process to his relationship manager, junior relationship manager, processor and junior loan officer, he has time to work directly with his clients and referral partners, ensuring a personalized experience that both parties can feel good about. “My team is quick to respond and transparent, and we make the process easy for clients,” he says. “Knowing they can reach out to me or anyone on my team anytime makes the client feel confident about working together.”

A former stock options trader working on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Salomon transitioned to mortgage lending after computers displaced open outcry trading in the early 2000s. “My love of problem-solving and numbers drove me to the mortgage industry, where I could use these skills to help people finance their homes,” he says.

Over the past year and a half, Salomon has expanded his business nationally, growing his client base outside of Illinois to include not only national lending clients but also in-house lines of credit and portfolio lending. “It feels great to be able to say yes to many types of programs,” he says, adding that he’s intimately familiar with the products he recommends.

Salomon has been ranked among the top 1% of mortgage lenders for over a decade by Mortgage Executive Magazine. He previously received the Guaranteed Rate President’s Club award and the loanDepot Chairman Elite recognition, and for the last six years, he’s won the Five Star Professional award from Chicago magazine.

Salomon has been married for 14 years to his wife, Lisa, and has three children under 10, along with two golden retrievers. “Spending time outside of work with my family is my greatest joy,” he says.