For its first two decades in business, First World Mortgage managed every mortgage, refinance and home improvement loan on paper, shunning even the thought of an e-signature.
But at the end of 2019, a loan officer who had been with First World just a little over a year, sat down with president and founder Frank Sidoti and operations chief Bob Neighbours, making the pitch that it was inefficient — if not a bit crazy — to be carrying around stacks of paper and not even offering an online application.
“Within two months we were fully paperless,” Neighbours said. “It saved us because were paperless at the beginning of COVID. Everybody could work remote, and this company just cruised. But that decision was made in five minutes. We don’t have a lot of red tape.”
A strong sense that employees across the board — regardless of job or time with the company — are valued by First World’s leadership is part of what made the company the top winner this year in The Hartford Courant Top Workplaces 2025 survey in the small employer division.
The West Hartford-based company has placed in the Top Workplaces list 11 times since 2014, and now, for a third consecutive year. But 2025 is the first year First World garnered the number one ranking in its division.
Employees gave the company high marks for flexibility and striking a balance with family; collaboration throughout the organization; and management keeping in contact with employees at all levels, despite the company’s growth.
“Every single person at this company has a voice, and there are people listening,” Neighbours said. “A lot of times, it’s not only the brain trust at the top that has the best ideas. Anybody can have an idea that moves this company forward, and we’re listening to those ideas.”
First World was founded in 1992 by Sidoti and moved to its current headquarters location — a former bottle redemption center — in 2000. Since then, the number of employees has grown to about 100. First World now has eight offices in Connecticut, one in Massachusetts and one in Florida. The mortgage company is licensed to lend in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida
Employees at First World Mortgage outside the company’s headquarters in West Hartford. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
On a recent visit to First World’s headquarters, the atmosphere is casual — Neighbours is wearing a button-down shirt — untucked — shorts and flip-flops.
“There are occasions where I need to put on a jacket and tie,” Neighbours said. “But this is how the owner dresses. This is how we all dress. We’re not stuffy here. We like to consider ourselves outside the lines of bureaucracy that just takes over the financial industry.”
But as relaxed as the headquarters might appear, the mortgage company prides itself on its competitiveness in an industry that is stressful and deadline-oriented. Those pressures have ramped up since the pandemic, particularly in Connecticut, where buyers are vying for a limited number of homes on the market.
Typically, First World approves about 1,500 loans annually, valued at about $500 million. Over half of the first-time homebuyers — a major market for the lender — was through the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. The loans are then sold to other companies or investors to free up funds to make new loans.
Employees say the company allows them to develop their careers from the ground up, often without a lot of previous experience.
Loan officer Chibuike Ukwuoma joined First World five years ago when he was still a student at the University of Connecticut majoring in economics. He didn’t know much about the mortgage business.
“One thing that stuck with me was when I first started working here is that they let me know if you ever have anything to talk about, any concerns, anything — you can walk right up to either Frank or Bob’s office and they will make time for you to actually do that,” Ukwuoma said. “With a lot of other companies getting to the top, up to the higher ups, it’s almost impossible sometimes. But for us, sometimes, it’s just a call, a text and I get my problem answered.”
Most employees in the company have the cell number of both Sidoti and Neighbours.
First World also recognizes that its employees may need to adjust schedules to meet personal responsibilities outside of work.
Gail Strong has worked as a loan underwriter since 1985, the last nine years at First World. Strong is raising her grandson, 13, and her work schedule is tailored to her need to be home when her grandson gets out of school.
The schedule flexibility in the mortgage business is unusual, Strong said.
“We do not find that in all places,” Strong said. “We have family. We have animals. Things come up in life. And there’s no guilt of ‘Ok, I need to go do this.’ as long as you get your work done.”
Building collegiality isn’t left to traditional watercooler conversation. Instead, the company sponsors events, including a recent summer barbecue, where employees can get to know each other better, connections that carry over back into the office. Those connections foster trust in sharing ideas and solving problems, the company says.
And the name, First World?
“It means we put people first in everything we do, inside and out,” Sidoti said. “We built this company to help people achieve big ‘firsts’ in their life like buying that first home and taking the first major steps toward their financial future. We believe everyone deserves a “first-class” mortgage experience.”
Sidoti said, “But it honestly means just as much to us on the inside of our company. We put our people first— we listen to people, support their growth, and work hard to create an environment where everyone feels valued.”
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
