After working for his father’s architectural firm during high school, college and shortly after receiving his degree, Brian Jessen became interested in the financial side of project management, including residential new construction and renovation projects. Although he originally intended to pursue a career in investment banking, the financial meltdown in the late 1980s changed those plans. “I stayed in Chicago and joined LaSalle Bank, in their rotational training program,” he explains. “That is when I gravitated toward private banking and residential mortgage lending.”
In the industry for 32 years, Jessen is a senior lender and senior vice president at Wintrust Mortgage Corporation, which he describes as a company with a national reach but a local, friendly feel. Known not as a salesman but as a trusted resource, he specializes in jumbo mortgage loans, residential construction and renovation projects, first-time home buyers and portfolio lending. With a team of several loan officers, sales assistants and processing staff members, he is business-driven but manages to balance his high expectations with caring, kindness and gratitude. “My team and I provide the best advice and counsel,” he insists. “We are good listeners and problem-solvers, giving honest advice with a straightforward process and plan of action.”
A recipient of the Five Star Professional Award for many consecutive years, Jessen received a Net Promoter Score of 98.7% client satisfaction in an industry where the average rating is 60%. He is an affiliate member of North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors, a past treasurer of Women’s Council of Realtors, a founding member of PowerHouse SMART and a member of Network in Action and ProVisors. He supports Soldiers to Sidelines, which is a program that trains and places former military personnel in high school and college coaching careers, and Cradles to Crayons, which provides inner-city youth with necessities and resources for their educational journeys.
Jessen is proud of getting his three children through college and their master’s programs without incurring any school debt. He enjoys golfing, biking and reading inspirational books about leadership and interesting people.
