Keith A. Luedeman.

• Author: Parry, Amanda
• Position: Financial Services

CEO, GOODMORTGAGE.COM, CHARLOTTE

With a bachelor's in math and computer science from Clemson, Keith Luedeman, 43, worked for IBM and several up-and-coming high-tech companies before starting Goodmortgage.com in 1999. With a staff of 45, it now operates in 16 states and lends more than $500 million a year.

Why mortgages: "I was looking for a business that would benefit from the Internet. And one that had a lot of inefficiencies was the mortgage business. If we created a company that helps consumers make better decisions, we would also have economies of scale by having only one centralized location."

Competition: Not LendingTree, the crosstown Internet mortgage brokerage started in 1998. "They were middlemen, making referrals. We started as a broker but soon became approved as a true...