“Whether that’s the way we set up the booth or attending all the various breakout sessions and functions that are happening this weekend, that’s what we do. We’re a friendly group when it comes to that – just getting in front of people. Nothing will ever beat that.”

It’s been a whirlwind year for Bridgewater, with the company named among the top lenders in Canada based on brokers’ views in CMP’s recent Brokers on Lenders survey.

Provencher said that strong positive feedback on its turnaround time was a testament to the work of Bridgewater’s close-knit team, with the bank great thought put into the file process and a tighter escalation process.

The company’s TYLF approach towards brokers – Treat You Like Family and Friends – also found favour in the eyes of brokers, who felt their support from business development managers at Bridgewater was of a particularly high quality. Equally essential is the fact that the company’s BDMs don’t “sugarcoat” approval and timelines for funding, something Provencher said helped serve as the foundation to strong relationships.

Meanwhile, he added that hard work behind the scenes had helped account for a very strong performance on overall service levels, with focuses on improving service including a move away from Calgary as the only hub for attracting new talent.