What You Need to Know Now

Principles Workshops Off to a Strong Start

The first Principles of Leasing and Finance Workshop of 2018 was held at the offices of BMO Harris Equipment Finance Company in Milwaukee April 17–19. Attendees learned about the benefits of leasing, the types of lease and finance transactions and fraud detection and prevention and received an overview of lease accounting. The next workshop will take place in Philadelphia June 5–7. An additional workshop is scheduled to be held in Dallas Sept. 24–26. For more information and to register, go to www.elfaonline.org/POL.

“Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!”

Let the good times roll as the 2018 Credit & Collections Management Conference and Exhibition takes you to New Orleans, June 4–6 at the Omni Royal Orleans hotel! Save the date and don’t miss this fantastic conference and the “joie de vivre” of New Orleans. See details at ­www.elfaonline.org/events/2018/CC/.

Everything Tax Pros Need to Know

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 PwC in Minneapolis June 19–20. For more information and to register, please visit www.elfaonline.org/events/2018/TPR.

Membership Minute

Share your news! Members may submit press releases to the ELFA website, which are also included in QuickBrief, ELFA’s weekly newsletter distributed to approximately 13,000 equipment finance professionals. Press releases may be submitted online at www.elfaonline.org/news/add. Please contact Amy Vogt, VP of Communications and Marketing, at [email protected] with questions.

Ops & Tech Conference in the Works

The Operations & Technology Committee met at ELFA headquarters in April, under the leadership of Chair Andrew Cotter of Somerset Capital Group, to plan the 2018 Operations & Technology Conference, to be held Sept. 17–19 in Philadelphia. This hard-working group took a moment to pose for a fun photo showcasing some of their tech tools and devices.

We Bring the Training to You

Join a growing number of ELFA member companies and bring ELFA training to your offices! 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. Both the Principles of Equipment Leasing and Finance course and the Beyond the Basics course can be delivered on-site and tailored to your organization’s needs. To schedule in-house training, please contact Alexa Carnibella at [email protected].

ELFA and Foundation Welcome New Staffers

Sarah Cormier has joined ELFA as Membership Coordinator. In this position she will assist the ELFA membership department with programs, projects and activities dedicated to member recruitment and retention. Sarah has held administrative and marketing positions at a variety of organizations including the Optical Society of America and Phillips Publishing. She has a B.A. in political science from Villanova University and an M.S. in computer systems management from the University of Maryland University College. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and four children.

Stephanie Fisher has joined the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation as Program Manager. In this position she will oversee committee meetings; manage volunteer engagement for special projects, including academic programs and research grants; and assist with the fundraising campaign and donor recognition programs. She has a background in program management and volunteer engagement through her experiences at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the American Veterinary Medical Association. She has a B.A. in public communication and political science from American University.

Chelsea Neil has joined ELFA as Manager of Federal Government Relations. In this role she will engage members in grassroots activities at the federal level, including managing ELFA’s political action committee, LeasePAC, and the Capitol Connections program, as well as providing support on various legislative and regulatory matters. Most recently she was the Program Manager at the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, managing the academic programming and outreach for the Foundation. She has a B.S. in political science from Appalachian State University and is pursuing a master’s in public administration from Virginia Tech.

Emily Winkler has joined ELFA as Meeting Systems Coordinator. In this position she will manage the business development conference management system, association management software, speaker management system, mobile application and conference websites. She will also assist with preconference logistic functions. She has a background in technical writing and editing through her experience as a contractor at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations unit in the Requirements and Acquisitions departments. She has a B.A. in English literature from Christopher Newport University.

Technology Award Nominations Due in June

Operational creativity, customer centricity and innovative efficient business processes—these are the differences between highly successful organizations and those that simply survive. The Operations & Technology Excellence Award recognizes equipment finance companies that demonstrate these characteristics in developing and implementing innovative uses of technology or creative business processes. Nominations are due June 4. Learn more at www.elfaonline.org/about/awards/ote/.

Annual Report Highlights ELFA’s Value Proposition

The theme of the 2017 ELFA Annual Report, “Building the Next Generation Business,” celebrates how equipment finance companies are positioning for success in the face of new policy, new people and new technology. Learn about the ELFA value proposition, the association’s accomplishments of 2017 and what’s ahead for 2018 in the report at  www.elfaonline.org/About.

Executives Prepare for the Future

The Executive Roundtable brought top equipment finance executives to Miami in mid-March to discuss the latest industry trends, to strategize about the future and to create lasting business relationships. At the event, thought leaders shared their insights into the economy, using data to create value and talent development and inclusion strategies for a rapidly changing workforce. Featured speakers included futurist Vivek Wadhwa; Seth Mattison, expert on workforce trends and generational dynamics; and economist Rob Wescott, Ph.D.

Conference Draws Industry Professionals and Institutional Investors

The Investors’ Conference on Equipment Finance in New York City in March, hosted by ELFA and IMN, drew some 275 equipment finance professionals, institutional investors and service providers who support the industry. The packed agenda included a review of legislative and regulatory developments, the capital markets and the new lease accounting rules. A session on technology examined blockchain implementation, electronic documents and marketplace lending. Gus Faucher, Chief Economist for PNC Financial Services Group, delved into the state of the economy in his presentation “The Current U.S. Expansion Is Eight Years Old. Can It Set a Record?”