Hi, my name is… Brian Yampolsky.
I’ve lived in Scottsdale for 30 years and I love it because… This is where my family lives – my wife, kids, Bentley (my 3-year-old English bulldog), mom and sister. Wherever my family is and whatever they’re doing is where I want to be. After growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, the weather here is also huge plus.
A typical day in my life includes… Working out or going on a two-to-three-mile walk, a cup of MUD water (my alternative to coffee), a brief but consistent review of my goals for the week, and leading the finest team of mortgage pros at Orion Mortgage Corp. There is never a dull moment in the mortgage business, which is one of the reasons why I have loved it for 30 years.
My family is… My wife Stephanie (we have been married for 30 years in October), daughter Jordan (who lives in New York), Jeremy (who works on my team at the office), Jack (graduating from Desert Mountain High School this year), and Bentley – the best pup in the world!
One thing I cannot live without is… My family. Everything is better when I have my family around to share life with. Pizza and beer are close seconds.
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is… “Thunder Road,” or by anything Bruce Springsteen.
The one person who motivates me is… My grandmother. She passed away nine years ago. She showed me what unconditional love, support, a positive outlook, and kindness look like.
The last thing that made me laugh out loud was… My kids make me laugh every day. They are all performers, get along and love each other, and bring out the bonkers in all of us.
The perfect day… I get up at 5:30 a.m., take a three-mile walk with Steph and Bentley to AJ’s for an iced tea, and enjoy the sunshine for about an hour while letting people give love to Bentley. Then, I’d grab lunch at Chula Seafood (best in town), maybe a movie, and then dinner with my family.
My favorite local nonprofit is… The Giving Group AZ is a local nonprofit I started in 2017. What makes it special is the membership of 100 amazing people. They all donate $100 per quarter and then four members are randomly selected to nominate their favorite nonprofit to be in the running for the big donation. After the four nonprofits present their pitch, the group votes on which local nonprofit will receive our $10,000 donation. It’s been a fantastic experience over the last five years— we love learning about so many local nonprofits and the great work they do in our community. We want to grow the group to 150 members this year so that we can give more money to more local nonprofits. Those interested in joining us can find out more at tggaz.org.
My life is… Short. I try to remember this when I am getting stressed about the little things.
The best gift I’ve ever received was… In 2018, my wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with a trip to Italy. We had such a blast! Fantastic food, walking every day, we met some great friends from other parts of the world, and the pasta was amazing.
My dream vacation would be… Going back to Italy, visiting other cities, hopefully while I could catch Springsteen in concert there.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received… There is a solution to every problem. Even if you don’t know the solution right now, it’s out there, so go find it.
