Dustin Mauldin

Now the owner and founder of several successful companies, Dustin Mauldin perhaps never realized as a youth that his passion for wrestling would start him on such an auspicious path. After a number of years as a high-school wrestling champion, he received an athletic scholarship that would make it possible for him to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. During this time, he coached youth wrestling camps, worked with the YMCA, and took up a marketing internship. In 1996, Dustin Mauldin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies.

Immediately following his graduation, Dustin Mauldin moved to Dallas, Texas, where he began management training with a company called EZ Leasing. It was not long before Dustin Mauldin was hired to join Cottonwood Financial as Operations Manager. Within half a year, Dustin Mauldin had opened 18 branches, playing a role in every step of the process from initiating a human resources department, to developing the necessary operational procedures, to creating the operational manuals. Each of the 18 locations made a profit.

In 1997, with the help of eight investors, Dustin Mauldin started his first company, AmeriCash Loans, LLC. The business has spread to more than 50 locations and enjoys an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois.

Dustin Mauldin pursues other business ventures as well, investing in a number of lending businesses and operating Chicago Luxury Sales, which manages estate sales. His most recent project employs his interest in art and design. As a supporter of the arts, Dustin Mauldin sought to harness his creative energy into a jewelry design company. Thus, Gage Diamonds was founded. Focusing on exquisite antique and designer jewelry, Gage Diamonds is a new business with a Chicago flagship location.