Meet Matt Melichar, a Mortgage Loan Officer at West Gate Bank (westgate.bank).
Tell us a little about your business. – West Gate Bank is a local, family-owned bank headquartered here in Lincoln. We have branches in town as well as in Omaha. On the Mortgage side specifically, we offer a wide array of loan products and options for our customers. We also service many of our loans by holding those in-house, so our customers are able to work directly with us on a local level for the life of their loan.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – The last year has proven to be a bit of a challenge due to the uptick in interest rates, especially after having several years of record low rates.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – As much of a cliché as it might sound, I am truly in my profession to help individuals and families alike to achieve the dream of home ownership. I feel a true sense of accomplishment every time I am able to get to that closing table!
Tell us a little about your family. – I have an amazing wife, Lindsey with whom we will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary soon. We have three boys who keep us on our toes daily as well as two dogs.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – Meeting my wife.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I love a good day at the golf course, followed up by the pool with my family.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I am a big fan of musicals.
Who inspires you? – My dad. He is simply someone that you want to be like. He leads by example, works hard and is well liked and respected by all that know him.
What descriptive word would you like to be remembered by? – Hard worker.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? – Super-sonic speed like Flash. I am always going 100 miles a minute in everything I do and so if I could do everything faster, that would help me accomplish things at a much faster pace – hopefully that would give me some more down time to relax and hang out with my family and friends.
Which talent would you most like to have? – I would love to be able to play the piano. I am super envious of those that can just sit at a piano and simply play amazing music.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – I would love to be a professional golfer. I am not great at golf by any stretch, but the thought of following all the beautiful weather throughout the year and playing some of the most amazing golf courses sounds like a lot of fun!
What is your favorite movie? – Gladiator.
What is your favorite local restaurant? – I have always enjoyed and had great experiences at Venue.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Tom Hanks. I think that he is by far the greatest actor of my lifetime and I just think he would be a cool guy to sit down and just get to know!
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 323-8900; mmelichar@westgate.bank; www.mobilemortgage.westgate.bank/borrower/signup/mmelichar@westgate.bank.