The 10 Most Influential Businesswomen to Follow in 2020

The 10 Most Influential Businesswomen to Follow in 2020
LAURA BRANDAO
An Influencer and Powerful
Mortgage Professional
Imagine being able to build a stronger book of
business than ever before, simultaneously working
more efficiently. Yes, it is possible, thanks to
Laura Brandao- President and Partner at AFR
Wholesale. For over 12 years, Laura has been the
driving force catapulting AFR Wholesale to the top of
Manufactured Home, One-Time Close, and
Renovation lending. Growing AFR into a national
leader in specialized programs, she stays connected to
the clients and families she serves, allowing her to
develop new products based on market demand,
including VA renovation, USDA repair escrow, and a
full suite of One-Time Close Construction-to-
Permanent programs. Under her leadership, AFR
remains on the cutting edge of technology with
mobile-friendly applications that cohesively integrate
AFR with the borrower, Realtor, and broker.
The biggest thing that Laura has learned is that if you
go into every situation with no preconceived notions or
expectations, you can do ANYTHING! She feels that
as humans, we often create our own fears or cause our
own let downs, because things don’t turn out exactly
the way we expected them to. But by realizing that you
are doing it to experience something new, there is no
possible way to be let down, because as long as she did
something for the first time -SHE WON!
Opportunity- Building Wholesale Business
When Laura was a young mom, she needed to find a
job she could do in the evening after her husband got
home from work. At that time, that meant
telemarketing. She was propelled into the industry
because her first job was making calls for Champion
Mortgage explaining to borrowers how to refinance.
You remember, “when your bank says no, Champion
says yes.” Turns out she had a knack for explaining the
benefits of refinancing, and moved up quickly to
management.
After a few years running the call center, her boys were out of
diapers and Laura was ready to make the leap to working
fulltime, during the day. Naturally, she went to work for a
mortgage company. She quickly recognized that the company
did not have a strong operations team, so Laura taught herself
everything she could about how to process loans. She climbed
to COO of People’s Mortgage, while still in her 20s.
Fast forward to the market crash of 2007. Laura Brandao had
worked for a few mortgage companies since her telemarketing
days and was looking for a new opportunity. AFR Chairman
Rich Dubno ffwas looking to start a wholesale division. He
provided Laura the opportunity to build the wholesale business
from the ground up, and at that time, there were a lot of great
mortgage professionals out of a job. So, she did exactly what
was needed to be done. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Striking the Working Balance
Laura Brandao is living proof of the adage, “if you love what
you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” She LOVE’s
what she does! She loves the people she works with, the
company’s clients, and the families they are helping to bring
home. When the company opened an office in Arizona was
when Laura recognized just how important it is to strike a
working balance between your personal and professional life.
She realized you do need to take time to recharge – everyone
does. Her husband and herself now spend winters in Arizona to
break habits and reset. Her motivation is renewed in the fresh
air and sunshine, and she can work out of AFR’s regional office
in Scottsdale.
Laura feels blessed by the life she has. She is grateful for what
she has built, and that at this point in her career, she needs less
time tied to a desk to be an effective leader.
Recent Accolades
Among her many recent accolades, Laura was named a “Best
50 Women in Business” by NJBIZ in 2019, a HousingWire
“Women of Influence” in 2018 and 2019, and one of
22 | JUNE 2020 www.insightssuccess.com