In the past 25 years, senior loan officer Alex Ilich of Wintrust Mortgage has seen just about every imaginable market, recession, high or low interest rate, boom or bust — and he has a trick for navigating all of them.

“I discuss my clients’ needs up front and tailor my solutions to fit that,” Ilich says of his quarter-century of experience building an all-referral client base. “I make sure my clients are in the best possible position for preapproval and finding their dream home.” Combining a detail-oriented approach with a fun-loving and approachable spirit, he is a regular President’s Club and Scotsman Guide feature, and is among the top loan officers in the market. And he knows a thing or two about leadership and fighting through challenges — he was, after all, a 1994 Rose Bowl championship winner alongside his beloved University of Wisconsin football team.

Today, Ilich has traded grass stains and helmets for navigating a wild market and unprecedented demand. Licensed in 50 states and able to handle conventional, jumbo, government and construction loans, he carries on a legacy he says was begun in his youth by his father, who was also a loan officer. After his father’s untimely passing, Ilich picked up the mission they both shared and marched on to a successful career. “I’m always available for my clients, just the way he was,” Ilich says. “My clients know once they work with me that my experience can’t be matched and that I will always have their best interest in mind when we work together.”

“I am relentless in how I fight for my clients,” Ilich declares, “whether it means getting them the best possible rate or addressing challenges that can pop up during the approval process.”

An avid scuba diving enthusiast as well as a musician, Ilich has creative outlets that all funnel back into his main driver: working hard for his clients.