Dale's Story

Dale and his family | Early 2000s

Dale Vermillion grew up in Fox Lake, IL, a small suburb of Chicago. After graduating high-school, he chose to get into the construction business. After a few years as a carpenter, he felt like he had a knack for sales and decided to make a career shift.

In 1983, after managing a door-to-door pots and pans business in southern Chicago, Dale had the opportunity to become a mortgage loan officer. This would be the beginning of a long journey to become one of the foremost trainers in the entire mortgage industry.

Within 12 years, Dale found himself atop Sears Consumer Finance, managing 2300 employees across 5 states. From 1983, he quickly got promoted from a loan officer to a branch manager, where his unique style of selling and coaching caught the eye of his peers and bosses. His systematic selling style, paired with his highly-charismatic personality, fostered an environment of energy and success.

A series of promotions soon occurred, and Dale went from a district manager to a regional manager, then a Sr. Vice President, until finally landing the top spot at Sears. In his new position, Dale no longer had the time to do the sales training he enjoyed. He decided to look for an industry-specific sales training program which, to his surprise, was non-existent.

And one thing he learned through his years of managing: when an opportunity presents itself, it’s worth taking the shot…

Dale at one of his first corporate training engagements, showcasing his flagship offering: CretivEquity | 1997

Today, after 23 years, Dale is one of the most well-renowned mortgage trainers, speakers, and consultants in the country. He has trained over 1,000,000 loan originators representing over 500 lenders. His award-winning Mortgage Champions sales training is the industry standard and is the official training program of LendingTree University.

Dale training loan officers on the importance of being an advocate for their borrowers | 2018

In 2010, Dale wrote Navigating the Mortgage Maze, an in-depth guide for consumers on how to obtain the best mortgage financing possible.

Over the years, Dale has been a sought-after keynote speaker, having spoken at over 3000 conferences and events across the nation. He has been a regular guest on a number of radio programs, including MoneyWise, and has appeared multiple times on Fox Business.

Dale has been married 26 years to his wife, Laurel. Together, they have 4 grown children. Dale is an avid Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Cubs fan, and when he’s not rooting for his favorite teams, you can find him hidden somewhere in a duck blind…

The Vermillion family celebrating 4th of July | 2018