What You Need to Know Now

Your Guide to Getting Involved

What to get more involved in ELFA this year? We’ve updated our Governance and Committee Guide, highlighting various opportunities to volunteer with the association and give back to the industry. As a member-driven organization, we rely on your participation. View the guide at www.elfaonline.org/about/governance/governance-and-committee-guide. Please don’t hesitate to contact Director of Governance Ed Rosen ([email protected]) if you have any questions or you’d like to get involved. 

Membership Minute

Interested in learning more about what ELFA has to offer? Contact the ELFA Membership Department to schedule your conference call today. The call is designed to provide an overview of ELFA’s resources for new members or serve as a refresher for existing members. The invitation is open to anyone in your organization and should last approximately 20 minutes. If you are interested in setting up a call between ELFA membership and your staff, please contact [email protected].

Webinar Showcases Survey of Equipment Finance Activity

ELFA recently hosted a free webinar for members to showcase how equipment finance companies can use the Survey of Equipment Finance Activity (SEFA) to solve practical business problems and benchmark their businesses for success. The webinar included a demo of new SEFA digital resources, including:

• MySEFA, a personalized tool to track your operational and performance statistics and compare them against your peers
• Interactive SEFA Dashboard, a powerful online dashboard that showcases executive summary data from a decade of SEFA reports

The webinar also outlined the benefits that member respondents receive, including a free copy of the SEFA report (a $1,395 value). Learn more and listen to a recording of the webinar at www.elfaonline.org/SEFA.

Executive Roundtable Helps Executives Focus on What’s Important Now

The Executive Roundtable brought top equipment finance executives to Naples, Florida, in mid-March to discuss the latest trends impacting the industry today, to strategize about the future and to create lasting business relationships. At the event, thought leaders shared their insights into the economy, trends in technology disruption, political developments and talent development and inclusion strategies for a rapidly changing workforce. Featured speakers included Marci Rossell, Former CNBC Chief Economist & Co-Host of Squawk Box; Jody Michael, Founder and CEO of Jody Michael Associates; and Caroline Turner, Principal at DifferenceWORKS,LLC.

Funding Conference Set for April 9–11

The ELFA National Funding Conference is the most effective forum for connecting funding sources with some of the finest organizations in the leasing and finance industry looking to establish relationships to fulfill their funding needs. Scheduled for April 9-11 at the Swissotel Hotel in Chicago, this year promises to attract more funding source exhibitors than in previous years, reflecting the optimistic atmosphere surrounding the leasing and finance industry over the last several months. To learn more about the National Funding Conference and to register as a funding source exhibitor or attendee, please visit www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/NFC/.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2019 ELFA Legal Forum

The Legal Committee gathered at ELFA headquarters in January under the leadership of Mirna Cardona, Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo Equipment Finance. The group reviewed important committee and subcommittee activities for the year ahead and planned a packed agenda for the 2019 Legal Forum, April 28-30 at the Omni San Diego Hotel. When it comes to providing you with the timeliest information on legal issues impacting the equipment leasing and finance industry, there is no better place than the ELFA Legal Forum. Learn more and register at www.elfaonline.org/events/.

Join the Conversation at the Best Practices Roundtables

The Bank, Independent and Captive and Vendor Finance Best Practices Roundtables will be held at the Swissôtel in Chicago from noon-4:30pm on April 9, immediately preceding the National Funding Conference. The roundtables are designed to bring senior executives together for information sharing and critical thinking about industry issues. Attendees will enjoy a joint luncheon and general session, followed by the individual roundtables. To register for a roundtable, go to www.elfaonline.org/events. Bundled pricing is available for those who plan to attend both the roundtable and Funding Conference (a $200 savings) at www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/NFC/.

ELFA Chairman Shares Career Lessons

Check out the Emerging Talent Advisory Council’s latest “Ask a Leader” interview featuring ELFA Chairman Jud Snyder, President of BMO Equipment Finance at www.elfaonline.org/emerging-talent/ interviews. Discover the most rewarding risk of Jud’s career, his top three tips for those starting out in the industry and more.

Calling All Future Leaders: Emerging Talent Networking Events

Here’s your chance to hear from some of the industry’s best, followed by an opportunity to network with them and your peers. If you’re an ELFA member and will be in Chicago on April 9, we hope you’ll join us at this event from 6-8:30pm! There is no cost to attend, but space is limited. To register, go to www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/ETApr. Two more networking events will be held on July 18 in Washington, D.C. (www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/ETJul) and Sept. 17 in Philadelphia (www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/ETSep). For questions, contact Alexa Carnibella at [email protected]. 

Principles Workshop Off to a Strong Start

The first Principles of Leasing and Finance Workshop of 2019 will be held at the offices of BMO Harris Equipment Finance, April 24-26. Attendees will learn about the benefits of equipment finance, the types of lease and finance transactions, and fraud detection and prevention and receive an overview of lease accounting. Two additional workshops are scheduled for 2019: In Washington, D.C., June 17-19 and in Plano, Texas, Sept. 10-12. For more information and to register, go to www.elfaonline.org/POL. 

We Bring the Training to You

Join the growing number of ELFA member companies who bring ELFA training to them! Hosting a workshop at your own facility gives you the flexibility and convenience to address the specific learning needs of your employees, establish collective knowledge and a shared skill-set and achieve even your most challenging business goals. The Principles of Equipment Leasing and Finance Workshop can be delivered on-site and tailored to your organization’s needs. To schedule in-house training, please contact Alexa Carnibella at [email protected].

Nominations Open for Equipment Finance Hall of Fame

The Equipment Finance Hall of Fame annually recognizes individuals who have made unique, significant or lasting contributions to the industry and/or the association throughout their careers. Nominations for the 2019 Class of the Equipment Finance Hall of Fame are due April 1, 2019. Nominations will only be accepted via online submission at www.elfaonline.org/hof. Please contact Ed Rosen, Director of Governance, at [email protected] with any questions. 

Florida Welcomes Credit and Collections Execs

Start your summer off right in sunny Florida! Don’t miss the fantastic and informative 2019 Credit & Collections Management Conference and Exhibition in St. Petersburg, Florida, June 3–5 at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront. Learn more about the state of credit and collections in the feature story Risk Assessment and get conference details  www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/CC/.

 

ELFA Forecasts Industry Trends

What are the top trends driving capital acquisition this year? Find out in ELFA’s Top 10 Equipment Acquisition Trends for 2019. Designed to help businesses with their strategic equipment acquisition plans, you can find the trends list—along with an infographic and video summarizing the trends—on ELFA’s Equipment Finance Advantage website for end-users at www.EquipmentFinanceAdvantage.org/rsrcs/articles/10trends.cfm.

Everything Tax Pros Need to Know: June 11–12 Roundtable 

The Tax Best Practices Roundtable is a two-day forum offered exclusively to tax practitioners of ELFA member companies. The roundtable focuses on federal and state compliance and planning issues, recent developments and sharing of internal best practices. This year’s roundtable will be held at the offices of CoBank in Greenwood, Colorado (a Denver suburb) in the afternoon of June 11 and the morning of June 12. For more information and to register, go to www.elfaonline.org/events/2019/TPR.