Sunday, August 3

"Up North Classic" Golf Tournament

9:00 am shotgun start

Join the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association for the “Up North Classic” Golf Tournament, hosted by the Mid Chapter! This exciting event is open to anyone affiliated with the mortgage lending and home finance industry — no conference registration required to participate in golf!

Come enjoy a great day of networking, fun, and friendly competition on a beautiful course. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with industry peers and swing into summer!

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Registration begins in the outdoor patio, weather permiting.  Grab your namebadge and drink tickets and get ready for the festivities to begin!

Opening Reception and Dinner
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Stop in for a drink and a casual dinner to kick off the conference.  Enjoy the outdoors of a summer evening in Michigan and let the fun begin!  

This session is open to anyone who registered for the full conference ticket as well as tournament golfers, as we will distribute golf awards at this dinner.

Private Pool Party
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Join this exclusive event at Michigan's FIRST swim up bar!  The newly opened Bavarian Blast waterpark is Michigan's largest, and we have reserved the outdoor Bootlegger's Bar for this private "after hours" event.  

This session is open to anyone who registered for the conference.

Breakfast & Expo

8:30 am   

Meet with our Expo vendors and network before the busy day begins.  Pick up your registration materials and enjoy a full, hot buffet breakfast. 

Exhibitors will be set up through the last business session of the day.  Be sure to visit all to be eligible to win the big door prize.

View and bid on Silent Auction items - benefitting MORBANPAC!

Opening Welcome Announcements

9:00 am 

Brian McCown,                            Jen Peachman
CMB, AMP, CRU                           2025 Conference Chair
MMLA 2025 President                 GVC Mortgage
Michigan First Mortgage                                     

  Opening Speaker
  Captain Richard Phillips

   9:30 am 
   

Richard Phillips is an American merchant mariner best known for being the captain of the MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009. His experience was detailed in his book "A Captain's Duty," which was later adapted into the film "Captain Phillips," starring Tom Hanks.

You won't want to miss this captivating story!

 Industry Perspective 
 11:00 am  

Presented by:  Laura Escobar

In this session, Laura will discuss the state of the mortgage industry.  How we got where we are today, how to deal with current conditions, and what the future might look like.  She will also discuss the legislative issues that will impact the industry.

Laura's knowledge and expertise with all aspects of the mortgage process make this a MUST SEE session! 

Professional Designations and Involvement

11:45 am  

Hear from MMLA members who will talk about the different professional designations offered by the MBA. These include the 2 most popular - Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP) and the Certified Mortgage Bankers (CMB) programs. They will also discuss how getting involved in the industry will be beneficial to your career path.   

Lunch Break  

12:15 pm

Take this time to catch up with friends - old and new, and visit with the exhibitors 

Technology Panel

1:00 pm 

 Moderated by:  Robbie Chrisman

In this session, Robbie will be joined by key Technology providers to discuss current and future trends they are seeing.  This session will help business owners as well as individual LOs and Operations managers prepare thier technology needs for today and the future.

Robbie will be joined by tech company experts:  Brian Vieaux, CMB, FinLocker; Eric Kujala, ICE Mortgage Technology and Mike Brown, Gateless

Refreshment Break

2:00 pm

Grab a beverge and snack and last chance to visit with exhibitors.

Market Update

2:30 pm

Presented by:  Rob Chrisman & Chris Bennett

     
Join this engaging session as industry experts, Rob Chrisman and Chris Bennett, have a conversation on industry market trends. You won't want to miss their insight and projections on how the market has changed, what the current administration is doing to help/hurt, and predictions on what is to come for the mortgage industry!

Pretzel Making Class  
3:30 pm

You can't go to Frankenmuth, Michigan's "Little Bavaria", without learning how to make one of their famous soft pretzels.  Join this fun event for some networking and an afternoon adult beverage.

This  is open to anyone who registered for the full conference ticket

6:00 pm Meet-Up Reception

Meet-up with your friends, old and new, for a quick drink and a bite to eat before you take off to Main Street for the start of the Pub Crawl and explore downtown Frankenmuth. 

This  is open to anyone who registered for the full conference ticket

7:00 pm 

Check out some favorite spots we have sponsored along Main Street. Spend time as you visit the local pubs and bars in this enchanting town.

 Tuesday, August 5

Rise and Shine Workout

7:30 am

Start the day with a 30 minute class of stretching and core strength moves to get your body going. Bring your own mat and weights.  Class will be led by Joanne Misuraca and Steve Kik!

9:00 am   

 Breakfast opening announcements

Why you? 

9:15 am

Presented by: Steve Richman

In this opening session, Steve Richman will dive into the question "Why You? 6 Letters - 2 Words - 1 Question - The answer is everything."  Why You? is the question everyone asks of us everyday. Why should I choose you? Why should I hire you? Why should I buy from you? Why should I marry you? And it is imperative to have a powerful answer. By combining the right mindset, effective actions and habits, and presenting your unique gift, you can deliver an answer that will help you drive more success and distance yourself from the competition.

Steve has been called "the energizer bunny on steroids".  His enthusiasm and deliver will have you laughing and leave you enlightened!  

 AI - One Term, Many Truths: Aligning AI for Action Across Sales, Ops, and the C-Suite

11:00 am

Presented by: Brooke Anderson Tompkins

AI—just two letters, but a wide range of meaning depending on your lens. For sales, it's about speed and ease. For ops, accuracy and efficiency. For leadership, ROI and risk. And, without a shared understanding of what AI is (and isn’t), even the best intentions can lead to missteps.

In this session, we’ll reframe the AI conversation—grounded in real-world use cases, the importance of human-in-the-loop, and the reality that one-size-fits-all doesn’t apply. 

Expect insights, a few laughs, and a practical framework to help you and your teams Lean Into Possible so you're ready for what's next.

Lunch Break  

12:00 pm

Take this time to network and enjoy a lunch break.

1:00 - 3:00 pm

Join one of these "coffee talk" sessions to have open discussions from your peers about issues and topics that effect your day-to-day work.  Think of the SNL skits - start with a topic and "talk amongst yourselves". 

There will be 3 concurrent sessions appealing to: Operations/Risk management; Sales; and a C-Suite Lender Only session. 

Take advantage of this time to network with your colleagues and learn how we are all in this one, big, crazy industry together and can feed off the knowledge of others!

President's Reception and Dinner

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Don't miss this highlight of the event.  You will enjoy a lavish cocktail reception followed by a lovely strolling dinner. We will be announcing our Annual Awards at this event!  

Be sure to bid on our great auction items with all funds going to MORBANPAC.  We will also have our popular "bucket of booze/gift card" raffle!  Take time to visit with colleagues and make new connections.

This session is open to anyone who registered for the full conference ticket.

Wednesday, August 6

8:00 am

 Grab & Go Breakfast, final networking and business meet-ups