Russell Petty entered the mortgage industry early in his career, starting by building out Encompass software for a small broker shop in Charlotte, NC as a teenager, where he was the 12th employee. From the beginning, he was highly driven and quickly saw the potential in becoming a loan officer during his first week on the job. However, the initial years were challenging, as he founded a mortgage brokerage with little knowledge and struggled financially in the first year. He faced tough times, even sleeping in his office to maximize working hours, but his determination never wavered. After 18 months, he successfully exited that company with over $2 million.
Following this, Russell transitioned from the broker side to the retail side with a lender, but after about a year, he realized he missed owning his own company. He then founded Grow Mortgage, applying lessons learned from his first venture. Today, Grow Mortgage is thriving with a team of over 30 people, growing rapidly despite one of the toughest markets in recent memory. The company's success is built on core values such as transparency, prioritizing the homebuyer, and maintaining open communication, even when it's difficult. In addition to his mortgage career, Russell is passionate about MMA and Jiu Jitsu and trains as frequently as possible.