Josh Berger

I planned Dream Key while running a branch in one of the toughest rate environments in decades, and launched it in 2024. I built it the way I have built every team: recruit the right people, give them a proven system, hold daily and weekly performance meetings, and support them every day.

I own every client relationship and the client experience. Our outreach runs on AI-powered CRM systems with complex automations and multi-platform marketing, so a small team can reach and serve clients at scale.

• Recruited, hired, trained, and coached 12 loan officers
• Designed AI-powered CRM systems and automations
• Scaled client outreach, follow-up, and repeat business across multiple marketing platforms
• Full ownership of client experience, P&L, operations, and compliance

I believed the broker channel was the future because it lets consumers get lower rates, so I moved my existing branch to Lender Express. Same office, new name on the sign, no disruption for clients.

Rates were at their highest in years and the industry was contracting. The move kept us competitive, and it is where I began planning my own company.

• Kept the team performing through the toughest mortgage market since 2008
• No relocation or client disruption
• Laid the groundwork for Dream Key Lending

I created a branch with my own P&L, then recruited, trained, and coached a small team of loan officers during one of the most productive periods in mortgage history.

When the market reversed sharply in 2022, I adjusted staffing and strategy. Strong systems let a small team produce like a large one.

• $150M+ in mortgage volume produced by the team in 2021
• Recruited, trained, and coached the loan officer team
• Led the team through a record boom and a sharp market reversal

I came to mortgage after 22 years in automotive and grew quickly by doing what I have always done: building a weekly process that was repeatable and produced predictable results.

• Highest-performing rookie in company history
• Built a repeatable weekly playbook with predictable results
• Later built entire mortgage teams around the same system

Recruited by a 20-store auto group to run its BMW dealership, I was accountable for every department and facility.

I built success on management-driven systems instead of market-driven results, so performance stayed consistent whether the market was strong or soft. I was one of the first to pay department heads on net income rather than gross, which created real ownership in every leader and kept employee turnover low.

• Management-driven systems instead of market-driven results
• Department-head pay tied to net income, not gross
• A culture of ownership with low employee turnover

I ran every part of the dealership, including sales, finance, service, and parts, with full accountability for the P&L, inventory, and recruiting.

I was one of the first in the market to manage inventory with market data, pricing on condition and market turn, and the first dealership in the Seattle market to move all of its marketing online.

• Top dealership sales in the region
• First Seattle-market dealership with 100% internet-based marketing
• Early adopter of market-data inventory pricing

I started by running the finance department at one of the group's stores. My systems and processes delivered results quickly, and I was asked to take on more of the group's dealerships.

By 2004 I was the corporate finance director.

• Corporate finance director by 2004
• Oversaw finance for the entire group
• Promoted on the strength of repeatable systems and processes

I started my career on the sales floor, became the top salesperson, and was promoted into finance in 1998.

• Top salesperson
• Promoted to finance in 1998