Twenty years ago, Alex Margulis graduated from Loyola University in the middle of a recession. Jobs were scarce, so when a mentor suggested that the mortgage industry offered the opportunity to create a business with no cap on growth, Margulis decided to give it a go. “My mentor was right,” he says. “I’m fortunate to have been directed onto this path.”

Recognized in the Scotsman Guide last year as one of the top dollar-volume and unit producers in Chicago, Margulis also received the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s Loan Officer of the Month award in 2018 and has been nominated by his peers for the Illinois Mortgage Bankers Association’s Loan Officer of the Year.

Margulis, who leads a team of five, is grateful for his staff. “They are the reason why I’m successful,” he says. “We are only as good as our support team, and I have one of the best in the industry.”

A strong believer in transparency, Margulis fully prepares his clients for the lending and purchasing process. “We discuss their budget, qualification parameters, loan options, expected monthly payment and closing costs,” he says. “By the time the consultation is over, they have a deep understanding of the preapproval and purchase process and go into the transaction feeling confident about what to expect through the end.”

Driven to achieve both professionally and personally, Margulis recently completed his second triathlon and plans more in the future. “It brings me a great feeling of accomplishment, as well as ingrains in me the lessons that hard work and perseverance pay off in the end,” he says.

An active philanthropist, Margulis donates to the Jewish United Fund, the Wounded Warrior Project, Pets Are Worth Saving and other charities. A lifelong fan of the Chicago Bulls, he also enjoys traveling and taking in theater productions with his wife, Kate, of whom he says, “there is no success in life or work without her daily support.” Margulis is the proud fur parent of Coco, the sweetest mutt in the world.