In July, 1990
Debbie Thomas and her husband/ business partner Grant opened TMG. In the
ensuing 28 years, TMG has grown its presence in the marketplace from four
brokers in a small office, to more than 800 mortgage professionals across the
country.
Debbie has been the Broker of Record in British Columbia since 1993.
As the only
female to head up a successful national brokerage, Debbie credits her skills as
an educator that has contributed to her influence. She has been the
"Mortgage Expert" on Global BC TV for many years and worked hard to
get the industry message out to consumers that “Your best mortgage is through a
Broker”.
Not only is
Debbie committed to the success of TMG, she has shown passion and dedication
for the success of others and the industry at large. As part of a very
influential Western core group of broker advocates in the early 1990s, she was
instrumental in ensuring that Western brokers were properly recognized. Through
her efforts, mortgage lenders such as Scotia Bank and HSBC added the West to
their business market.
It’s not surprising that British Columbia
enjoys the highest level of mortgage broker activity in the country with more
than 35% of consumers seeking out a mortgage professional.
Within TMG,
Debbie is seen as a mentor, an expert and a leader. Within the mortgage
industry, she is seen as an entrepreneur, an industry advocate and a pioneer.
On Thursday, May
3, Debbie was recognized for her contribution to the mortgage industry by
receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Mortgage Awards of Excellence
in Toronto. Here is Debbie, in her own words.
“I was both honoured
and humbled to receive the inaugural 'Lifetime Achieve Award' at the Mortgage
Awards of Excellence. Thanks to the nominating committee for the privilege of
being the very first recipient of this award.
When I think
about Lifetime Achievement I start to look back and reflect on the past, as I
imagine all of us do, and I thought about the early days of TMG, and of the
mortgage industry, and how I got here.
TMG was founded
by myself and my husband Grant back in 1990. That same year the Berlin
Wall came down, the first episode of The Simpsons aired and there was this
launch of something called the World Wide Web. So, in retrospect, it was very
good year for beginnings.
Back in those
days, we had one huge, big-ass Fax machine, and we would line-up to send and
receive documents. It was almost a
full-time job just organizing and distributing those documents. Then in
2000, Expert came along and life got a whole lot easier.
We’ve seen a lot
of changes in the industry over the years. We’ve seen lenders come, and we’ve
seen lenders go. We’ve seen mortgage rates in the double digits, we’ve seen
market “corrections” and we’ve seen very hot markets. And we’re still here. Mortgage
brokers remain committed to the consumer and making sure they have a choice when
it comes to mortgages.
I’m proud to say
that we’ve seen more women enter the industry.
Each day I work with outstanding women in the industry – our brokers –
our lender BDMs – our underwriters -- and our support staff. Together we are
empowering thousands, breaking down barriers and demonstrating that there are
really no gender preferences in our industry. With each passing day there are
more, strong female leaders emerging. I am grateful to be a part of that.
I have learned
many lessons on this journey. One
particular lesson has sustained us -- I have learned about the importance of
partnering with the right people. By surrounding ourselves with people of
integrity, with people we can trust, it empowers us to be our best.
From the outset, Grant and I never wavered
from our values and our vision – it still sustains us today.”
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