Lamont Harris Jr. is one of only 24 US professionals on the Global 100 list
From an early age, Lamont Harris Jr. (pictured) had a preternatural drive to succeed. That trait is key to having risen to the top ranks of the industry – and being named one of the “Global 100” as vetted by Mortgage Professional America and its sister publications.
While enrolled at Morgan State University as a film and theater major, he came across his friend, mortgage broker Howard “Chuck” Johnson, and was immediately impressed by the man’s outward signs of success. “I would see Chuck all the time with all these nice cars,” he recalled. “Every time I’d see him he’d have a different car – the latest and the greatest.”
That’s when he decided to pursue a career in the mortgage industry. “At the time, I couldn’t fathom or understand what a mortgage broker was or did, but I was really intrigued by his lifestyle and the material things I saw. That was the draw for me. It wasn’t like I was making big money acting. And when I wasn’t doing that, I was a street vendor.”
That was in 2005. Eighteen (18) years later, he’s running his own firm as CEO of Harris Capital Mortgage Group founded in 2019.
Holding steady amid economic downturn
But the road hasn’t always been easy, having survived the Great Recession of 2008 and rough market cycles thereafter – including the current one beset with high interest rates, inflation and an erosion in housing affordability. And yet, he’s persevered – and is confident of doing so again in this economic climate.
“We’ve managed to stay really steady,” the Las Vegas-based CEO said. “Obviously, this past calendar year has been a challenge. But we’re actually seeing about 17% growth year-over-year. I’ve dialed back a bit on my personal production and tried to focus more on the growth and sustainability of the organization as a whole. But 17% year-over-year in a year when people have been shutting down shop or combining resources to stay afloat has been a huge blessing.”
Learning from past mistakes has also informed his path, he said. “When I started this organization, the idea was that it needs to have long-term sustainability because I understand what I went through 11 years prior,” he said, referencing the Great Recession. “I liken what I went through to just simply not being prepared,” he added. “I learned from my mistakes back then. I’m not saying I’ve perfected that, but I learned from them.”
The past storm yielded introspection: “I think the key is to learn so we can grow,” he said. “What I did this go-around in 2019 starting Harris Capital Mortgage Group is ask: what can I take from 2008, 2009? What can I take from those experiences, those lessons? What can I take to make it applicable today so whenever the storm comes – because it’s always going to come – to allow me to sustain myself through?”
Business relationships are key to his company’s growth
The key this time around is centered on business relationships, he noted. “I learned that the last time what I did not have enough of was relationships to sustain me in the industry to weather the storm,” he said. “This go-around when I look at how we’re weathering the storm we’ve gone through over the last 18 months, we’ve done it because of the relationships we have.”
That tactic has become central to Harris’s approach to business: “I’m a huge believer that he who has the most relationships wins. I’ve just tried to make sure that I’ve done my part at making sure I can weather the storm by cultivating as many relationships as I possibly can.”
As he forges ahead, he relies on lessons learned from the sporting arena. “A lot of times, I use a lot of analogies in referencing sports,” he said. “And I do it because it sort of aligns with my personality in the sense of having a willingness to win and a refuse-to-lose mindset. I’m just a huge believer that if we start something, we have to find a way to win and finish whatever it is we start.”
Extensive research went into the making of the “Global 100” list showcasing the most successful professionals in the mortgage industry. In entering those ranks, Harris is one of only 24 US professionals to make the cut. In hearing him speak of his career and what it’s taken to help him excel, it’s easy to understand his inclusion on the list of the best.
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