Forty Under 40: Jason Carter, 39

Jason Carter started learning the mortgage business from a friend in banking in 2003 and hasn’t looked back. It quickly became a gratifying challenge he equates to “working a puzzle.”
“You never see the same thing twice,” he said.
In 1995, after a year as a sales representative for Alltel Mobile, the University of Arkansas communications graduate took over his third-generation family business, managing nine Hancock Fabric stores in Arkansas until 2003.
Now owner of his own lending company, and armed with a real estate license as a bonus, Carter loves being able to seal the deal for first-time homebuyers. Being the owner cuts out middleman costs — savings he can pass along to customers, he said.
“The satisfaction of seeing people so excited with their first home is by far the greatest attribute,” he said.
So far in 2010, nearly 50 people have been able to purchase new homes and another 50 have been able to refinance with Carter’s help.
Carter is involved in the Pagnozzi Charity, which provides disadvantaged youth a chance to play sports, and he sits on the Kampaign for Kids committee, a support network for Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
His advice for getting a referral? “Never burn a bridge,” he said. “You never know when you may need help from someone you’ve met before.”