It had something for everyone…
A big focus of the recent Hall of AIME event staged this month in Florida was to buttress the point that organizer the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts is all about offering support to its members. By that measure alone, attendees lauded the event as a hit.
The event was billed as a celebration of the broker channel. To that end, elite leaders and top originators in the wholesale mortgage industry were on hand at the event in Miami Beach, Fla. that took place from Feb. 10-12.
Chris Griffith, broker/owner at Debt Does Deals, said the event offered a unique opportunity to build relationships. “I think people are appreciative of the opportunity to have community and continue to work and build relationships that they’ve already found from different places. An event like this gives a lot of opportunities to encounter people who are having incredible successes. If you’re willing to have a dialogue with them, you can uncover all sorts of secrets that will unlock your ability to grow.”
Rami Daood, founder of Rightway Lending, noted the timing of the event when building relationships will become increasingly important amid higher interest rates. “You come here and build relationships,” he said. “We all know where this market’s going. At the end of the day, you’re hooking us up with the sponsors and also getting us in front of lenders as well.”
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Jon Tallinger, chief growth officer at Class Valuation, also derived value from the event. “It’s not your typical trade show or conference where you have booths and setups and a bunch of sponsors. This is more of a tighter-knit group. It’s really nice to be able to just sort of casually network and spend time and not have to worry about having a table and people coming by.”
Todd Bitter, vice president at JKS Mortgage, also lauded the event. “It’s been super positive,” Bitter said. “It’s a unique event.” He contrasted the event to a past AIME gathering staged in Costa Rica. “This is a lot more inclusive,” he said.
Jerilyn Shaw, mortgage broker at C2 Financial, was most impressed with a presentation by Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage. “He’s always inspiring,” she said. “High energy, and always has good things to say. I was taking all kinds of notes, and always get good food for thought from him.”
Melinda Payan, president at The Truth About Lending, said the event yielded something of a primer for attendees. “It’s really a wonderful celebration but it’s also an amazing road map for both originators and broker/owners to give us all the tools we need to take us to the next level in whatever role you’re in. The feedback has been amazing.”
Jamie Cavanaugh, COO/broker associate at Amerifund, was impressed with the panel discussions that were tailor-made for the audience. “The content in the panels is really applicable to what we do. Sometimes, you go to conferences and you’re not necessarily getting a lot of value. We drilled down to the real nuts and bolts of what we do from both the top producer perspective and the up-and-comer perspective.”
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Skylar Welch, licensed mortgage professional at Maine Pointe Lending, liked the dynamic aspects of those invited. “It’s bringing the best of the best from around the country in one room. The most beneficial thing is the relationships you create with everyone and referral partners you create across the entire country.”
Ramon Von Walker, president and CEO of Educate Mortgage, was taken by the youthful energy of the gathering. “I think what’s been most exciting from my perspective is all the new faces,” he said. “It’s a relatively young organization, but you wouldn’t think so. They definitely make waves. They found a way – or we found a way—to be magnetic where a lot of people in the industry are recognizing that AIME does a good job being noisy.”
Tom Ahles, co-founder and broker at Edge Home Financing, enjoyed the Miami setting but noted how many of the attendees were keen on learning from each other at the event. “People all over the country are coming here to get better,” he said. “Although it’s a celebration, people are coming to learn how to be better this year.”
