What You Need to Know Now

Executive Committee Sets Agenda 

The ELFA Executive Committee met virtually in mid-March under the leadership of Board Chair Kris Snow. The Committee, which is the association’s primary management body, meets throughout the year to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the association and make decisions regarding programming, policy and budget priorities covering the near and long term. 

The leaders discussed a number of high-priority items focusing on the strategic direction of the association with the ultimate goal of ensuring that ELFA programs, products and services are responsive and continue to deliver value to members—despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis. 

ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta reported that the association is off to a strong start in 2021 with solid membership renewal/recruitment and virtual event attendance and an active federal and state advocacy agenda. The committee reviewed and approved program updates in the areas of membership, business and professional development, public policy, research and industry information, and communications. In addition, they discussed diversity and inclusion initiatives and early plans for the 2021 ELFA Annual Convention, which is scheduled to take place in-person on Oct. 24-26 in San Antonio, Texas.

Announcing the Mobile App Contest Winners!  

Congrats to Jenaleigh Lathrop, CLFP, Sales Support Specialist at Arvest Equipment Finance, and Bruce Winter, CLFP, President of FSG Capital, Inc., winners of the February and March ELFA Engage mobile app contests. Both picked up some fun ELFA swag—and became members of the #ELFAmugclub! Download the app today and join our latest contest at www.elfaonline.org/app. 

Conversations You Don’t Want to Miss

Make sure you subscribe to ELFA’s Equipment Finance Matters podcast to tap into valuable discussions with leaders in the equipment finance industry. New conversations in 2021 include:
• Stoking the Fire of Women’s Leadership – Find out what the ELFA Women’s Council has planned for this year from Deb Baker, Jen Fanz and Lexie Dressman. 
• Sales Talk - Jeff Dicosola and Jesse Johnson discuss how the pandemic has impacted sales and how to stay “top of mind” with clients when you can’t visit them. 
• No Fear of Failure – Kris Snow shares the biggest challenge and rewarding risk in her career, her priorities as ELFA Board Chair and more. 

Nominate a Leader

The Michael J. Fleming Distinguished Service Award honors the accomplishments of an outstanding ELFA volunteer who has made a significant contribution to the association and the industry, and who also encourages others to contribute to the development and growth of the industry. Submit your nomination by June 24 at https://www.elfaonline.org/about/awards. 

Membership Minute

Subscribe to ELFA’s online, members-only communities (LeaseTalk, AcctgTalk, LegalTalk and TaxTalk) within ELFAConnect to share and exchange information with your peers. Members have the option to communicate with the community they are subscribed to by posting questions and responses via email or through the online community portal. Members may now upload and share files within each community. To connect and get started, please visit https://connect.elfaonline.org. Questions?  Please email [email protected].

Learn and Network at ELFA Events  

Check out the 2021 ELFA Annual Calendar of Conferences, Workshops and e-Learning Opportunities at www.elfaonline.org/events. Check back often as the association adds new business and professional development options for you and your team. 

Best Practices Roundtables: Problem Solve. Share Best Practices. Network. 

The Bank, Captive and Vendor Finance, Independent and Small Ticket and Best Practices Roundtables are designed to bring senior equipment finance executives together for information sharing and critical thinking about the issues facing leaders today. These virtual roundtables are free events available exclusively to ELFA members. The Independent Roundtable took place April 29 and focused on “Building Your Technology Roadmap.” Upcoming roundtables include:

• May 27: Bank Best Practices Roundtable 
• June 3: Small-Ticket Best Practices Roundtable 
• June 17: Captive and Vendor Finance Best Practices Roundtable 

Learn more and register at www.elfaonline.org/events. 

Calling All Credit & Collections Pros 

Save the date for 2021 Credit & Collections Management LIVE! Managing Risk in a New World on June 7-8. This virtual event will include sessions on the state of the economy, human capital issues, the legal and regulatory environment, risk and other relevant topics. Register at: www.elfaonline.org/events/2021/CC

Think, Act and Empower Like a Leader at Emergence2021 LIVE! on July 14 

Emergence2021 LIVE! is a one-day virtual event that will focus on leadership development for aspiring leaders across equipment finance.  If you have the desire to lead, grow and make a positive impact, Emergence2021 Live! is for you! This year’s program features two outstanding guest speakers:

• Pierre Quinn: Back by popular demand, Pierre will empower participants to activate the courage that leads to personal transformation and organization growth.
• Terry Grim: Author of the Foresight Maturity Model, Terry will lead a discussion on moving from “knowing” to “doing.”

Emergence2021 Live! is open to anyone who would like to attend. The cost is $395 members/$795 non-members. Register at: www.elfaonline.org/events/2021/Emergence21

 

Virtual Principles Workshop Coming Sept. 21-23

Your people are still your best assets—make sure you’ve given them the skills and knowledge needed to compete effectively in the marketplace. For over 25 years, the Principles Workshop has helped attendees become more confident and given them a greater understanding of how the equipment finance industry works—and the virtual workshop is no different! The workshop will feature three interactive sessions and class size will be kept small to maximize student-instructor interaction and attention. For more information and to register, go to: www.elfaonline.org/events/2021/POLSEPT. 

Tech Team Preps for Fall Conference

The Operations & Technology Committee met virtually in April 2021 under the leadership of Chair Jennifer Martin of Key Equipment Finance to plan the 2021 Operations & Technology Conference. Thank you to the Operations & Technology Planning Committee, including Chad Carlson; Tina Cartwright, CLFP; Allison Conley; Andrew Cotter; Theresa Eichten; Jeffrey Emrich; Keelie Fitzgerald; Keith Goepfert; Peter Haug; John Hurt; Jennifer Martin, Chair; Ron Meyer; Steven Nelson; Lisa Nowak; Sheila Oliver; Candace Reinhart, CLFP; Tawnya Stone, CLFP, Award Sub-Committee Chair; and Denis Stypulkoski.

Save the Date: Innovator Roundtables

ELFA is pleased to announce two new virtual events on Aug 26 and Nov 18 hosted by ELFA’s Technology Innovation Working Group and Deb Reuben of TomorrowZone. Don’t miss this opportunity to examine how technology and innovation are shaping the future of equipment finance and prepare for what’s next. This is your opportunity to engage with diverse voices and build your action plan for the future. Watch for details at www.elfaonline.org/events.

Annual Report Highlights ELFA’s Value Proposition 

The theme of the ELFA Annual Report, “We Are ELFA,” celebrates the association’s community of professionals who come together to engage with each other, learn from each other and advocate for the equipment finance industry and its important role in our economy. Learn more at www.elfaonline.org/about/.

Executive Roundtable LIVE! Draws a Crowd

The Executive Roundtable LIVE! brought 100 top equipment finance executives together virtually on April 6 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, the future of work, digitalization and its evolution, and consumption-based leasing. Featured speakers included Mike Faulkender, Former Assistant Treasury Secretary for Economic Policy, and Rita McGrath, Expert on Business Strategy in Uncertain Environments, Acclaimed Thinkers50. 

Listen to Candid Conversations in Diversity

In case you missed it, listen to the recording of the ELFA Wednesday Webinar “Candid Conversations in Diversity” moderated by Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi. ELFA members discussed candid stories of personal and professional growth in their diversity experiences and perceptions due to environment, region and social standing. Members shared positive feedback, with one attendee writing: 

“Thank you for all that was done to allow me to be a part of the audience for the Candid Conversations in Diversity. I had a dozen reasons, excuses and biases that I pushed through to attend. I thought I was wearing the good guy hat in this conversation already. I was wrong and I learned so much about my environment and myself attending these. The events and participants overdelivered in candor and transparency. Hats off to the entire team involved.” 

Catch Up on Wednesday Webinars

Recent ELFA Wednesday Webinars include the ELFA CFO Roundtable, featuring a panel of industry experts who discussed important and hot topics for CFOs in 2021. The panelists based their discussions on topics submitted by attendees during registration, covering accounting and financial reporting, business footprints, income taxes, business economics, risk assumptions and more. In addition, “eSigning and eLeasing: What Do You Want to Know?” answered a wide range of attendee questions. Recordings and session materials for these webinars are available on the Web Seminars page of the ELFA website. 

Equipment Management LIVE! Kicks Off 2021 Virtual Events 

The ELFA 2021 Equipment Management LIVE! virtual event took place Feb. 23-24. With over 180 attendees, 49+ speakers, 15 concurrent sessions, 12 exhibitors and 9 sponsors, this first ELFA virtual conference of 2021 was a success! For more than 30 years, the Equipment Management Conference and Exhibition has stood strong as a powerful voice and content-rich event serving equipment management professionals. 

Virtual Conference Draws Industry Pros, Institutional Investors

The Virtual Investors’ Conference on Equipment Finance held on March 11, hosted by ELFA and the Information of Management Network, drew some 225+ equipment finance professionals, institutional investors and service providers who support the 
industry. Thank you to all who attended!