Fabulous People: Patrick Lamb

Patrick Lamb is the President of Homeowners Financial Group, an award winning full-service mortgage banker committed to serving its client’s lifetime lending needs, while maintaining a culture focused on family and giving back. Pat is truly the definition of resilient, overcoming alcoholism and the loss of a child. Pat founded The Care Fund, previously the Apollo Foundation (named after his late son), which helps families with a critically ill child pay their home mortgage or rent when medical expenses severely limit their ability to meet their monthly housing obligations. Learn more about Patrick Lamb…

Hometown: Fargo, North Dakota

First job: I sold candy and soda from my locker in junior high school in Tucson. It has low overhead and is very profitable. I think the proudest my father ever was of me was the day he got a call from the principal telling him I had been suspended. That is where I first learned that I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

Favorite AZ restaurant: Richardson’s. It’s great New Mexican food in a cool atmosphere with lots of character. I like going into the lounge downstairs to sit in front of the fireplace and relax after dinner, too.

Person who has impacted your life the most: My wife, Christa. Before she came into my life, I was focused and consumed by work. She has given me perspective, showed me how to have a passion for life and given me the family that I live for every day.

Your biggest accomplishment in your eyes: Raising my family. We have seven children who teach me every day that I need to constantly find new and creative ways to motivate, encourage, lead, negotiate and mediate. Playing a part in your children succeeding and growing is without a doubt the greatest accomplishment anyone can experience.

The biggest obstacle you have overcome: I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober since I was 19. I dug myself a pretty deep hole with family, school and the legal system. Fortunately, I was able to make some good decisions and slowly dig myself out over time. I think being in that hole and hitting bottom is actually what made me decide that I wanted to work hard enough to prove to myself and everyone else that I had value. I think alcoholism is a blessing and a curse, and I have been lucky to get to the point where being sober is an important and positive part of my life.

Someone who inspires you: Cal Ripken, Jr. A great athlete but legendary because he relentlessly and tirelessly just showed up to work every single day and worked hard.

Favorite quote: “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: To manage people, take courses in psychology and learn how deal with people and personalities. To manage a business, go to law school because you apply what you learn every single day. To lead, make a decision right now that you are going to work harder than anyone else in the room and follow through.

What makes someone fabulous: Doing what they say they are going to do every single time and doing things for others with no expectation of personal gain. I believe that a critical part of what makes us complete as individuals is to give back to the communities that we are a part of. My business partner, Bill Rogers, excels at that and has made it a hallmark of what we expect of our people at Homeowners Financial Group. Several years back, Bill and I started The Care Fund, an organization that makes housing related payments on behalf of families that have a sick or injured child in the hospital. I have seen so many people do so many great things through this charity. Seeing that selfless commitment from people is what I think makes them “fabulous.”