Hector Amendola can sum up what his company does in a single breath. SimplyPMG, the Las Vegas-based national mortgage bank he leads as president, is among the best in the business at keeping down the cost of manufacturing a loan. Its tagline, “Simpler process, better price,” is a perfect distillation of an already simple idea.
“It’s a reminder to us every day,” Amendola says. “We’re trying to make sure that we’re serving the customer first.”
SimplyPMG, formerly Panorama Mortgage Group, adopted its new name to better reflect that promise to its customers. Don’t get Amendola wrong: what the company does is anything but simple, but the customer shouldn’t have to bear the complication.
“Our job is to make the process as simple as possible,” the president says. “That does not make it simple.”
With more than twenty-two years in mortgage lending, Amendola has processed loans, worked as a loan officer, managed branches, and overseen divisions on his way to the executive suite. Whatever the issue, chances are he has handled it before.
About a decade into his career, Amendola says, he went to a conference and walked out feeling like he didn’t understand anything about his industry.
“There’s still more for you to know,” Amendola says. “The minute you think you know everything, that’s probably when you’re in trouble.”
That mindset brings him to AVANCE Global every year. The conference, held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, drew more than 5,000 attendees and featured nearly 400 speakers over three days.
It’s an easy trip for Amendola, who is based in Las Vegas, but he would make it no matter where the conference was held. Early in his career, he says, he made a point of surrounding himself with people who were doing what he wanted to do. Now he has the opportunity to be that person for others.
After a few rough years for the mortgage business, the president says, loan officers whose spirits are low would be wise to find a community like the one at AVANCE Global.
One line from a session has stayed with Amendola. Executive coach and keynote speaker René Rodriguez told the crowd that if you don’t have a plan, you inevitably become part of someone else’s.
“That was so deep,” Amendola says. “You come here to be inspired, and, believe me, I was.”
