Consistency is one of the reasons Guaranteed Rate has recognized Shimmy Braun as a top producer for much of the company’s history. Most importantly, it is the special ingredient that keeps clients coming back to him, home after home and generation after generation.

Though he originally attended rabbinical college, Braun decided to try his hand at sales after seeing his father work with commercial mortgages. Twenty-one years later, he has yet to look back. As vice president of mortgage lending at Guaranteed Rate, Braun is licensed to handle mortgages in 48 states. He also leads a team that includes professionals with whom he has worked for over a decade. When clients ask Braun how he makes his job look so easy, he credits a team that never fails to show up day in and day out, always providing support when it is needed most.

Throughout his career, Braun has learned how to balance big-picture success with maximizing day-to-day productivity. In 2018, he faced a challenging point in both his professional and personal lives. As time progressed, he realized that he was not finished servicing his customers and leading his team. Since then, he has been able to truly enjoy the success that has come as a result of hard work. “I’ve had a wonderful year, reminding me why I love doing what I do,” he said. “My business and volume shot back up. I’m going to be around for a while.”

Braun and his co-workers founded PROUD, Guaranteed Rate’s LGBTQ organization. “This demonstrated our culture of inclusivity and makes sure that we all know that we can only reach our potential when we live our true, authentic lives,” he says. He is also involved with several other LGBTQ organizations, such as Equality Illinois.

Guaranteed Rate Inc. is a private corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. It has no affiliation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any other government agency.