In just two years at First Guaranty Mortgage, Aaron Samples has made a significant impact. Samples was named president of the company in January 2018, and was promoted to CEO just 13 months later.
Under Samples’ leadership, FGMC has undergone a complete transformation in terms of profitability, company culture, and innovation.
In the last year, Samples led the creation of the FGMC Strategic Pillars, which serve as a blueprint for the company. Samples also managed the company’s entry into the non-QM market through the creation and rollout of a proprietary line of products under the brand, Maverick Solutions, to the correspondent, wholesale and retail channels. Samples also shepherded the firm through several major technology implementation projects including an employee intranet, retail point of sale and B2B portal technologies in order to streamline processes and increase efficiencies for clients and employees throughout correspondent, wholesale, consumer direct and corporate entities.
Samples also guided the re-launch of FGMC’s wholesale division, supporting both inside and outside sales teams, to further meet the market demand for non-QM loan solutions throughout the broker community. In total, Samples drove unprecedented firm growth of 84% year-over-year while implementing expense reductions of 12%, and increasing production volume through expansion and incentive strategies by more than 30%. Samples also helped build a company culture initiative by implementing recognition events, ongoing employee experience and training resources, promoting work-life balance through remote work opportunities and increasing transparency.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Don’t lose sight of what’s truly important: the people. Taking care of yourself and others, and focusing on family brings happiness, not money. Your career will fall in line behind those priorities.”
