HOW EXPERIENCE TRANSCENDS MARKET CHALLENGES

By Charles Peckman, Contributing Writer for Originate Report

Dana Georgiou, Senior Director of Business Development for Invigorate

Finance, is someone you may think was born into the lending field. With over three decades of experience and roles across all aspects of lending including sales, marketing, lending operations, credit, and compliance, Dana has worked in all channels of the mortgage business including Agency, non-Agency, Business Purpose, and Non-QM.

Dana Georgiou Senior Director of Business Development Invigorate Finance

But when asked about her beginnings in real estate and mortgage, Dana said she came into the field by accident and always envisioned herself as a college professor. Shortly after college in New York, she moved back home to Texas and was approached by someone she would not have expected to offer her a job – her old softball coach.

“He said ‘would you like to come work for me? I’ll teach you everything I know about the mortgage industry’. At the time, I thought it would be a temporary job, but it evolved into a career and lifelong journey of learning,” Georgiou said. “I had the opportunity to touch every facet of commercial and residential real estate in those first years, and those lessons have stuck with me to this day.”

By dealing directly with home buyers in those early days, Dana said she fell in love with the idea of helping people obtain the American dream of owning a home. While exploring these different realms, she also said it allowed her to gain a unique perspective on the market.

That unique perspective continues in her role as Senior Director of Business Development with Invigorate Finance. Invigorate is a closed loan mortgage conduit Aggregator and Asset Manager and a rating agency-approved due diligence company for AAA rated securitization. “The team has decades of experience in the full lifecycle of mortgage and real estate and these powerful combinations allow for us to offer an innovative suite of loan programs and strategies. I am excited to continue my journey at Invigorate,” noted Georgiou.

“I’m somewhat of a unicorn in the industry, because rarely do you find someone who hasn’t picked a lane,” she said. “Many have spent their careers in one space, say sales or operations, but throughout my career, I have been able to sit at many different tables and in many different seats. This has been invaluable as we navigate periods of economic uncertainty and markets that constantly change.”

By garnering a more holistic picture of the playing field, Georgiou said she has been able to weather the storm and see the bigger forces at play – a mindset that is limited by those who have spent their careers in one segment of the real estate or mortgage space.

“I would encourage anyone who is coming into the mortgage business, whether it’s private lending or mortgage lending as a whole, to try to find companies that will allow you to sit in different seats,” she said. “This allows you to be so much more well-rounded, especially if you can view transactions from different points of view. Often, staying in one lane can lead to having an overly narrow-minded view of the housing landscape, a borrower, or a particular transaction.”

One example of how this broader perspective has assisted her, she noted, has shown itself in the past few years – a period marked by significant real estate and mortgage demand but with a ‘cooling down’ in the past several months. Being able to approach supply corrections with a sense of positivity, she added, can make an enormous difference in how firms react to these external market conditions.

“The evaluation of real estate has become a key focal point in today’s conversation,” she said. “Appraisal data can be supported in several ways, but it doesn’t necessarily make it an accurate view of the property itself. The trends I’m seeing in the marketplace now are hypersensitive to making high-quality loans to experienced customers who have been put on the sidelines by a diminishing return on investment.” regulation in real estate. This is important, she added, because of the over-regulation that occurred after the 2008-9 financial and housing crisis. While keeping an eye on market trends is important, Dana added that she does not overlook the importance of mentorship, especially early in your career. She often finds herself returning to lessons learned during those early days with her softball coach and added that educating the next generation of lending talent is a ‘badge she wears with pride’.

“I feel proud when people feel comfortable enough to come to me with their concerns, and how we can create professional and personal relationships that transcend any market condition or specific deal,” she said. “Despite the paychecks I have received in this business, what is so much more valuable and fills my heart is seeing people get their start, grow in their roles, and helping them throughout the process and beyond.”

“I was raised by a Navy Veteran who told me I could be anything and do anything I put my mind to,” she said. “I worked with him from a young age, and I always believed that I was strong enough and capable enough to learn and keep growing, and never leave anything on the table. My journey hasn’t been without struggle, and I’ve watched a lot of women get passed by for promotions and a seat at the table, and that is something I continue to fight for in the industry and beyond.”

In addition to making sure women continue to have a voice in lending and real estate, Dana said she also advocates for those just entering the space to take on new opportunities and learn to work outside their comfort zones.

In addition to this diminishing return on investment, Dana said her team is keeping an eye on the landscape surrounding

Throughout her career, Dana admits that she has often seen women feel intimidated by the old attitudes that pepper practically every field. This can be counteracted, she said, by making sure that the voices of women are heard in every facet of the lending field.

“I think what we fail to realize is how young this private lending space is, and how much more we have to grow,” she said. “When I look towards the future, I think about how we can create more opportunities, more jobs, and help even more people secure the American dream through real estate investments or by building real estate legacy wealth. I feel proud to be part of that story.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.invigoratefinance.com/

By Originate Report

Writer

The team at Originate Report had the pleasure of sitting down with Valerie Hapner to discuss her career, leadership style, and years of experience in the private lending industry. In light of her experience rising up the corporate ladder, she offered advice for the women following in her footsteps.

that I can offer my clients. If you work for a bank, for example, you are limited by the number of loan products you can provide. If your clients don’t fit into that specific box or criteria, you cannot help them. With private money, there is more flexibility and creativity in relation to how financing can be structured.

Additionally, you don’t have to take every storm head on. Sometimes, it is wiser to steer around it – just don’t lose sight of the destination.

Q: What effect do you want to have on the industry as a whole?

Q: What was your first job and current role in the industry?

17 years ago, my first job was at a brokerage firm called UVF on the residential side where I received wonderful on-the-job training. Following that position, l joined a partner to manage another shop until the 2008 crisis. Today, I am the Vice President of Loan Origination for Forbix. I assess, analyze, and facilitate loans and financing options to meet my clients’ needs. I am also a regular attendee and speaker at industry events and conferences throughout the year.

Q: Why did you choose to work in private lending?

Private lending provides a higher level of freedom and relative service

Q: What is your favorite thing about this industry?

It’s a wonderful feeling to have built my career by helping others achieve their financial objectives through real estate. Not to sound cliché, but it’s a win-win situation. I also like the fact that no two deals are alike. Each one starts as a puzzle to solve. The process of piecing the financing plan together is extremely rewarding and the final result is a mini masterpiece. Then, on to the next one!

Q: What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in your career? Never let anyone define who you are or determine what you can achieve. You will face difficult situations and people along the way, but no one, and I mean no one, can make you a victim.

I believe I have been a positive contributor and advocate for the industry, and I want to continue along that path. As much as I stand on my own ground, I am also representing women in this industry, so I am probably under more scrutiny compared to men. By maintaining my integrity and professionalism, I hope that I can serve as a positive role model to other women who may be interested in this industry but are initially reluctant due to concerns about chauvinism.

Q: What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about my family, my friends, and of course helping my clients! The gestalt of my life is connecting with others. It starts with meditation, exercise, and a healthy diet. Those help fuel a constructive mental and spiritual state. From that positive core, I truly enjoy and thrive on connecting with others. I cultivate the good within and then look for it and nurture it in others.

Q: Have you seen a significant change in the makeup of the industry over the years?

I’ve definitely seen more women in the industry commensurate with more women in general entering into the finance, lending, and real estaterelated fields. However, the number of women is still disproportionate to men in the industry.

Q: How did you navigate power structures early in your career versus later when you held more formal leadership roles?

I’ve always maintained my professionalism and related to clients and colleagues from that place. I had to develop a thick skin, but at the end of the day, clients always want what is best for them. Initial negative preconceived notions or biases dissolved quickly when I was able to present opportunities and financial options that proved to be advantageous for my clients.

Q: Describe your leadership style and how you lead others. Is it different from your male counterparts?

I always strive to lead by example, working from a place of mutual respect, professionalism, and personability. I never ask someone to do something that either I have not done myself or was not willing to do. I am not afraid to roll up my sleeves and dive in, but as a leader, my main priority is empowering others to do their best – not only for the company but also for their own personal growth and fulfillment.

Men and women are equal, but not the same. I believe there are fundamental differences in the way men and women lead – and I celebrate those differences as well as the synergistic benefits. Having said that, I do believe that good leaders, men or women, share similar characteristics including leading by example, compassion, confidence, honesty, and empowering others through the process of collaboration.

Q: How can we calculate the positive impacts of having women in this industry?

Balance creates benefit. Men and women provide different perspectives, perceptions, and approaches to problem solving. Traditional female traits like nurturance, sensitivity, intuition, and cooperativeness readily translate in business in general and especially in our industry. Part of being a successful woman is finding the balance of feminine and masculine energies within. In business, when men and women work together, the potential for success is unlimited.

Q: How can women support other women in the workplace?

Make a point to connect, and not compete, with women coworkers. Going back to the idea that men and women are equal but not the same, women can support other women in navigating the unique challenges they face in the workplace.

Q: How important is it to have a mentor to grow and how do you find one?

If there is someone open and willing, it can be a tremendous benefit although not strictly necessary. In a time with remote workplaces and virtual interactions, the singular mentor relationship is much rarer than it used to be. However, I think multiple people can provide mentorship across different areas. Whether it is one or more people, it is important to realize the relationships should be mutually beneficial. If there is someone whom you respect, admire, and can learn from, think about what you can offer in return.

Q: What advice would you give to the next generation of leaders? Learn from the past, look to the future, but live in the present. Being a leader doesn’t mean always getting your way or having to be right. A good leader sometimes leads best by following. Know who you are and treat others as you would like to be treated. As a leader, your main job is to bring out the best in others. Be open to criticism. Never condemn yourself or others. Finally, it is better to be definitively wrong than tentatively right.

For more information, please visit: https://forbix.com/