Rising Stars Spotlight: William Salus

HousingWire’s Rising Stars awards recognize standout professionals ages 40 and under who are driving innovation, leadership and meaningful change across mortgage, real estate and homebuilding. Many past honorees continue to shape the industry long after earning the Rising Stars distinction, taking on expanded roles, leading major initiatives and helping modernize the housing ecosystem.

As nominations for the 2026 Rising Stars awards continue to roll in — nominations are open through Feb. 28 — we’re highlighting voices from last year’s honoree list to showcase what the next generation of housing leadership looks like in action.

HousingWire reached out to 2025 honoree William Salus, the vice president of product management and tech innovation at Opteon, who shares insights on his career growth and current priorities while offering advice for those looking to make an impact in the industry.

HousingWire: Since being named a 2025 Rising Star, how has your career evolved?

William Salus: Since being named a Rising Star, I’ve taken on a broader strategic role, gaining visibility across the organization and helping shape enterprise modernization efforts. I’m now more focused on leading cross‑functional innovation, mentoring emerging talent, and driving transformation in quality, automation and workflow design.

HW: What project are you most excited about right now?

WS: I’m especially excited about delivering UAD 3.6 and aligning JaroKit analytics, new forms and modernized workflows into a unified experience. I’m also energized by building scalable integrations and educational content that simplify adoption of next‑generation standards and create measurable performance improvements for inspectors and reviewers.

HW: What skills or experiences have been most critical to your growth in the housing industry?

WS: Data‑driven product strategy, paired with hands‑on understanding of valuation and QC, has been foundational to my growth. Equally important are translating complex regulatory requirements into intuitive workflows, collaborating across teams, and communicating clearly during periods of change and standard updates.

HW: What advice would you give to professionals early in their careers who aspire to make an impact in mortgage, real estate or homebuilding?

WS: Master the fundamentals of valuation and lending, and don’t shy away from the technical details. They’re powerful career accelerators. Build strong relationships, stay endlessly curious and look for problems others overlook, because that’s where real innovation happens.

HW: What qualities will define the next generation of Rising Stars?

WS: The next generation of leaders will blend technical fluency with deep operational empathy. They’ll understand both the demands of the housing ecosystem and the potential of modern technology. They’ll move quickly, communicate with clarity, elevate their teams and maintain the kind of curiosity that helps the industry anticipate what’s next, not just react to it.

Click here to nominate a 2026 Rising Star.