Don Maillho Memorial Award in Banking

Mark Orr – Lake Michigan Credit Union

Mark Orr wasn’t fortunate enough to have known Don Maillho personally. But he has been fortunate over the years to have known people like Don. People who light up a room just by walking into it. People who feel like lifelong friends minutes after you meet them. People who are respected for their honesty and integrity. People whose natural instinct is to help others. “When these people come into your circle, you never forget them,” said Mark. “I am honored to receive this award, especially after having learned about Don’s life and career.”

Mark is a senior mortgage loan originator at Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU). He joined the credit union in 2015, bringing to his position 15 years of mortgage experience, having served previously as a top-producing loan officer at Bank of America. At LMCU Mark interacts with builders and remodelers in all areas of finance, from personal finance to investment projects. “I strive to help builders and remodelers convert prospects into clients, and then I work hard to get the best financing for those clients,” said Mark. “My end goal is to help builders make more money. I grow my referral and customer base by doing business the right way and working to execute projects flawlessly.”

Mark is proud of the many ways LMCU does business as an organization. “For example, the credit union leadership knows that for business owners time is money, so our construction loan draws and dispersals are all handled in-house,” said Mark. “That means we can provide quick turnarounds on these draw loans. When builders and remodelers are able to quickly pay contractors and subcontractors, especially in this labor market, they are better able to retain quality tradespeople. We understand that dynamic. We also know that the faster you can get jobs done, the more projects you can do and the more money you can earn.” Mark was also proud that LMCU continued to lend early on in the pandemic when a lot of banks stopped lending. “We helped a lot of people through some tough months with mortgage forbearance, education and other programs and I am proud of our response to these challenging times.”

Mark and his wife of 20 years, Krista, have two boys – William who is a freshman at the University of Michigan, and Jacob, who is in high school. Mark enjoys golf, boating, and time spent with family at his vacation home in Leelanau County.