Setting You Up for Growth, Whichever Path You Desire

"If you’re looking for a company that genuinely cares about you and wants to make sure you have the tools to accomplish your career dreams, we’re here for you. Whether your goal is to be incredibly successful in your business or your quality of life, we’re in the business of giving you peace of mind in getting your deals done and growing your career.” - Emily Farley

Meet Emily Farley, our National Sales Manager, who has a passion for setting employees up for success. She has seen the company expand over her tenure but the fire she has for spreading the Atlantic Bay word runs deep. Having started her career back in 2002, she’s worked in many different areas of the mortgage industry.

Working her way up…

“I started as a processor, then I became an underwriter, a mortgage banker, then eventually a manager. I’ve done a lot of the different jobs within the mortgage business.”

Emily came to Atlantic Bay to help grow the sales team, ramp up the marketing department, and deepen builder and real estate agent relationships. She was a sales manager in a previous role at a large national bank, "so coming to ABMG in 2007 was a great culture fit for me,” she says.

“I love seeing the team grow and be successful, that is what’s so cool to me. Seeing people come up through the organization gets me excited. The level of talent that we have here at Atlantic Bay is awesome, the people just complement each other so well.

As the company has evolved, the people have evolved. Identifying the strengths and passions within each employee and connecting them with the roles that they will thrive best in is fun to see,” Emily says.

Enneagram 7 – the enthusiast, cheerleader for people.

“If you join Atlantic Bay, we’re going to give you the tools that you need to be as successful as you want to be. Your future success and level of growth is completely up to you. This business can be so rewarding, it can change lives. It is so magical to sit back and watch all the hard work of our team members result in seeing their dreams personally and professionally come true.”

On making it in the business, Emily says, it depends on what you put into it. "You’re going to bust your tail for two to five years minimum to break into this business. You’re going to have to work hard to build your business, but the rewards long term are going to be so great. If you stay a student of the business, studying your guidelines and keeping up to date, that will truly benefit you.”

“Being a mortgage banker is an interesting job because you have to possess different kinds of skillsets. You must prospect to get the business from REALTORS®, builders, your network, interact with the clients to build those relationships, have the mortgage IQ to close the loan and figure out the right product to fit the client’s needs, then you need the organization to manage all the pieces. If you can master all of these and have the passion and fire to do so, the rewards will come and it’s awesome to see.”

She thinks that having good people around you is the key to success.

She states, “You can’t do it alone and you can’t be threatened by working with a team. You have to build your team of strong people and that makes you better. At the beginning of your career, you’re money-driven, now to me, it’s about the success of our people.”

She says, “I’m a people person and I’m a very high-touch person so I’m very structured with my team and day. We meet frequently, and that time spent with the team is important. I listen to the good, the bad, or whatever they’re struggling with and strive to push them out of their comfort zone to new levels.

Emily also reflects about how at Atlantic Bay, we work for a company that’s able to make work fun and not just focused on projects and meetings. We’re able to help our people get where they want to go with their career.

"I give my team the flexibility to get their job done in whatever path they take to get there," she says. "I like giving them the freedom to grow and learn with coaching and help along the way."

Creating a different type of connection…

One of the ways that Atlantic Bay connects with our industry professionals and mortgage bankers is through volunteering together. 

"It is a level that’s different than just grabbing lunch," Emily says.

Atlantic Bay started AB Cares to create a way for employees to give back.

“We wanted to create a way for employees to request funds for what they are passionate about and give back. We provide them with the time to designate to the non-profit of their choice. When they give back it’s either time, treasures or talents. I love that because you don’t always need to have the treasures, you can give your time and we can help supply some treasures," Emily says.

"Our main focuses are to give back to the communities we’re in and give our people opportunities to be engaged to the level that they want. We have so many folks that are passionate about giving, it is great to see them get involved.”

Women in business…

Emily's advice for women in the mortgage industry is to work with people who respect you, although she recognizes that may not always be possible because inequality does exist.

"Here at Atlantic Bay, I love that of our top 20 mortgage bankers, 11 are women and our executive team is made up of four women, "Emily says. "It’s not like that at every company, but if you work for a company whose leadership inspires growth regardless of gender, and you're at a company that truly cares, just know that you're in a good place."

One thing Emily has learned: “You can only change you. One of my first business coaches taught me that you can’t change people, but to look at every situation and figure out what you can do to make it better. Talking to women in this industry, there’s just so much opportunity and growth. Stand up for yourself, don’t be scared and work for a company that respects you.”