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8 class, Brendan Hughes, is a 2015 graduate of Villanova University with a degree in math and a minor in economics. "It was a tough program," he says, adding that "radius definitely hit us with a lot of information every day. I liked that we were all new to this. It was a group effort, to learn together. And we had a lot of hands-on time with the leaders of the company." It takes time, commitment and dollars to create what is essentially a small university within a corporate culture. "This was a million dollar investment for our little company," notes Polaski, "but, we were committed to doing this. So much so that radius plans to hold four more Nex-Gen IMB sessions in the next four years and add more than 75 employees to our company." While radius does not guarantee a job in their company to everyone who graduates the program, they do work very hard to retain the talent they have. This has led to some creative initiatives, including yoga Wednesdays, employee-made breakfast in the radius café, planned gatherings around the office, flat screen TVs to watch the latest sporting events and even impromptu Nerf-Dart wars amongst colleagues. Quality work within the mortgage banking industry also has to include top-notch marketing communications with creative and innovative strategies. In an industry struggling to reach the new generation of consumers, radius financial group excels. Recently, radius financial group inc. took home a total of seven awards, including Best in Show. At the 2015 Financial Marketing Awards – New England's oldest and most prestigious competition for banks, credit unions and mortgage companies - we received unprecedented gold by an agency or in-house team. "We stayed focused to ensure our ongoing marketing efforts revolve around our five key drivers: build brand differentiation, retain and recruit world class talent, create an integrated lending experience, attract and service VIP partners, as well as our all-encompassing goal to collectively drive brand culture, both internally and externally," said DeMeritt. "These awards are a reflection of all of us; operations, sales and marketing. It's our company, our brand and our story. The awards are simply a validation that we are headed in the right direction." Gold awards in this year's ceremony included the Brand, Public Relations, Internal Marketing, Financial Education and Economic Development. NORWELL – A 33-year-old Marine returned from deployments in Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt and Cuba. Also included with very similar extreme situations is a 29-year-old grade-school teacher, a 24-year-old female Suffolk University graduate with experience in procurement and finance and a 33-year-old male, who is a decorated and enlisted aviation warfare specialist. This is not a list of stars of the next hit reality television show or a survey of the neighbors on your block. These are the independent mortgage bankers of your future. Recently, radius financial group inc. launched a revolutionary new training program to reshape the future of the mortgage banking industry. The program is called Nex-Gen IMB, which stands for Next Generation Independent Mortgage Banker, where their mantra is, "Utilizing the past, to build the future." "The Nex-Gen IMB program was the brainchild of our founders, Keith Polaski and Sarah Valentini," notes Dustin DeMeritt, Director of Marketing at radius. "The context was their assessment that the mortgage industry not only had an aging demographic problem, but a demographic that was predominantly Caucasian and speaks only English. The typical mortgage banker in the United States today is an older, white male. Meanwhile, the biggest pool of homebuyers coming up is the millennial generation." Thus, Nex-Gen IMB was born. The 12-week program starts with a group of 20-to-25 students who are recruited and subsequently chosen from a pool of more than 60 applicants. Even that was a bit unusual, as radius made a strong pitch to recruit millennial ex-military personnel, beginning with the Nex-Gen team leader, Ronald Blaze, who is a former Marine Corps captain. What sets them apart from other companies is that radius has looked at the industry from the client's perspective and targeted applicants who could resonate with the audience of the future: people with military experience, females, people with differing ethnic backgrounds and graduates from the top universities. Each student in the training program is paid and receives full benefits, including health insurance, throughout the 12 weeks. And, while the subject matter is admittedly tedious at times, DeMeritt explains that the proprietary curriculum is anything but boring. "It's the Navy SEALs concept of cross-training on every aspect of mortgage origination. You come out with a lot stronger candidate." Session topics range from dressing for success, to grammar, to the financial industry, to secondary markets, to training on the new technology and social media tactics. The valedictorian of the first radius financial group inc. by Emily J. Reynolds radius financial group inc. 600 Longwater Drive, Suite 107, Norwell • 781.742.6500 www.radiusgrp.com