Donald Henig

Biography

Don Henig used his thirst for knowledge, his passion to be the best, and his entrepreneurial spirit to propel his career achievements to new heights multiple times. Don began his entrepreneurial career as a successful financial planner, which led to starting his own mortgage banking firm, which ultimately
grew to one of the largest in New York State in just a few years. Don was called to testify before both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate on behalf of the mortgage finance industry.

In 1986, Don founded the New York Association of Mortgage Brokers and was later elected as president of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. He was also on the Board of Governors of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America as well as their exclusive Executive Committee. After reaching this pinnacle, he sold his mortgage company and built a mortgage broker franchise—the first of its kind. He quickly built this to 760 franchise units nationwide and sold it within three years. He then started a publishing company, which created Youth Soccer, the official newspaper for NYS Junior Soccer. He built it to 167,000 copies per month with every edition earning a profit.

Don also built successful technology firms during the dot-com boom before re- entering the mortgage industry to build MortgageSelect.com to the 5th largest online only, Direct-to-Consumer mortgage company in the nation. Then, as president of Third Party Lending at American Home Mortgage (AHM:NYSE), he orchestrated the growth of American Brokers Conduit to the 6th largest wholesale mortgage lender in the nation originating over $44 billion in mortgages in just one year and earning a net profit in excess of $300 million! And although the volume and the rankings are impressive, Don is most fulfilled by the retention rate (the rate salespeople remained with the firm from year to year). ABC’s retention rate was over 93%, while its next closest competitor was only at 52%. This number speaks directly to the culture and the quality of the team he helped build.

In addition to reaching the top of the mortgage lending industry multiple times and the soccer publishing industry, Don also ventured into the entertainment industry by founding the predecessor to Corner Store Entertainment (CSE). In very short order, CSE produced six major motion pictures and the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, which is currently one of the longest-running plays on Broadway of all-time according to Playbill. Some of the actors in the films that CSE produced are: Natalie Portman, Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin, Mark Ruffalo, Joseph Gorden Levitt, Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Chloë Sevigny, Laura Linney, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Paul Giamatti, and Bryan Cranston.

Among other ventures, Don also created a firm to buy, fix and sell hundreds of foreclosed properties in less than two years – selling each one for a profit. Additionally, Don is the founder of various Internet applications as well as an eyelash growth company based in Vietnam.

Outside of building businesses, Don enjoys time with his family, helping others, playing racquetball, golf, boating, exercising, travel and eating healthy.