Frank Graham has been a senior loan consultant/sales manager for Gibraltar Mortgage since the company opened in November 2003.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
Originates mortgage loans and manage three loan officers. “I manage the loan officers in three of the Prudential offices including Fleming Island, Avondale and Mandarin. We are all linked to a network, so I can view all their loans at any given time. I also visit the offices and offer support and marketing ideas. I just ensure that they are accountable, they are where they need to be and are getting things done that they need to do.”
BUILDER BUSINESS?
“Primarily my business is builder business so, in addition to visiting the loan officers and originating loans, I also spend a lot of time visiting builders in the Fleming Island, Avondale and Mandarin areas.”
HIS HISTORY
Graham joined the Army right out of high school. After the Army, he got into the beverage business as an account executive, first for Anheuser-Busch and then Coca-Cola. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the City College of Chicago while in the Army and decided it was time to use it. He was approached by a man who was opening 1st Mortgage, so he got his mortgage broker’s license and decided to take a leap of faith as a mortgage broker.
HOW DID THAT WORK OUT FOR HIM?
Pretty good. He quickly moved over to Washington Mutual as a loan officer and then spent two and a half years as the Sr. loan consultant with Wells Fargo before Gibraltar recruited him.
HOW DO YOU LIKE THE NEW COMPANY?
“It’s going great. It’s a whole new gamut. Before, I was in corporate America with Wells Fargo and Washington Mutual where you are still under the corporate bubble. When you make lending decisions or marketing decisions, they all have to be filtered through the corporate ladder. Here, we started this company from the ground up. We basically set our own policies, marketing materials, picked the products and work with local investors here that give us the products to compete in Jacksonville.”
WHY GO INTO MORTGAGES?
“I had a finance degree and I just loved sales. Mortgage banking is sales - however, it is a little more detailed. The biggest reason was financial. I worked a lot at Coca-Cola and spent a lot of time there, but you could only make so much. I wanted to be more in control of my income and destiny.”
HOW HAS YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU NOW?
“One of the reasons I left the broker business and went into corporate America is that I wanted to have the tools including the products, programs, knowledge and everything that a corporation teaches you. It gave me an upper hand in the market to be able to go out and establish new relationships with the Realtors and builders. As a mortgage broker, I was mainly doing refinances and things that weren’t going to get me to the next level in my career. The main reason for jumping into corporate America was the support that they gave me to better myself and to catapult into the next level of my career.”
HOW ARE REALTORS AND BUILDERS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Graham said they are the backbone of the business. “Fortunately, our market is saturated with new construction and Realtors. We are in a great market and they are really truly our lifeline.”
FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“Seeing a first-time home buyer get into their first home. It is very rewarding. All of my first-time homebuyers are put into my database and we keep in touch. Typically, I will write their second, third or even fourth home loan.”
ADVICE FOR NEW LOAN OFFICERS?
“Be patient. There are a lot of people in the mortgage business and a lot that do not succeed. It’s tough and very competitive. Learn everything you can learn and don’t over commit. Make sure you can deliver what you say you are going to deliver.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
Graham said his work ethic and core values as far as dedication to his job and career. “I take it very seriously. If I didn’t have that dedication, I know I wouldn’t be as successful as I am. I dedicate a lot of time to it. The mortgage business is what you put into it, like anything else. I lost my life for three years. I totally did not do anything. I didn’t have a steady girlfriend; I just worked seven days a week. If you are going to be successful and a top producer, you are going to have to be available to handle the calls and the volume. If you have a pipeline of 150 loans, you need to know how to manage that. The key to success if having a good team under you and being able to manage your business while still being able to grow your business.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“I’ve learned to take the highs and lows of the business. Not necessarily the interest rates, but the good days, bad days, strong months and not-so-strong months. It truly is an emotional roller coaster in this business. Being able to manage and deal with people and handle the highs and lows.”
WHAT IS ONE BEST THING YOU COULD TELL A REALTOR?
“Let us work for you. We know exactly what your customer needs. Our ultimate goal from all of my loan officers, up to management is for that Realtor to get a referral off of the entire experience, not just the real estate side. I feel if they let us do our job and we satisfy the client and they are happy and they will refer business to the Realtor.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION
He is on the board and chairs the welcome and sponsorship committees for the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council. He is also a member of NEFBA and the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
HOMETOWN?
Jacksonville.
CHURCH
Our Lady Star of the Sea in Ponte Vedra Beach.
PERSONAL SIDE?
Though Graham is a self-admitted workaholic, when he does take time off, he enjoys golf, watching football, working out, offshore fishing and spending time with family and friends. He is single. “I am married to Gibraltar,” he joked. He lives in the Isle of Palms development off San Pablo Road. When dining out, he prefers either Restaurant Medure or Chizu restaurants and his favorite movie of all time is “Top Gun.”
- by Michele Newbern Gillis