Top Originator Spotlight: Matt Hawkes of Network Funding

Matt Hawkes: Fresh out of college, I got a job at a company called Mellon Mortgage as a customer service representative. I got familiar with mortgage terms, and I experienced different personalities. This job helped me with my customer service skills. I use this every day and feel my customer service skills are how I separate myself from the other loan officers. I have been in the mortgage industry ever since—for more than 25 years. I worked my way up from a customer service representative to a processor, a closer, to a loan originator. Now, I run my own branch in Galveston, Texas.

MPA: Who was/is your role model and/or leadership mentor? How important is it to have a mentor to grow as a leader?

MH: My role model was at one of the previous mortgage companies I worked for. He displayed confidence and could talk to anyone. He helped me understand by example that hard work and dedication will pay off. He wasn’t perfect, but he made it work, just like I do.

MPA: How do you balance your career, personal life and passions? Is there such a thing as balance?

MH: I don’t know if there is balance. I know I make my career, personal life, and passions work. I can manage an office, handle customer loans, and still have time for my family, quick family trips and golf and fishing on the weekends. I would say that I am very disciplined, and I have the support of my wife and children to help me through the hectic days.