ELFA Executive Committee Holds Summer Meeting
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE ELFA BOARD met in August in Amelia Island, Florida, under the leadership of Board Chair Mike DiCecco. The committee, which is the association’s primary management body, meets twice a year to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the association and make strategic decisions regarding programming, policy and budget priorities covering the near and long term.
A key focus of this year’s meeting was ELFA’s five-year strategic planning process. The Association has engaged the services of McKinley Advisors, a nationally known strategic planning firm. Looking ahead, the association’s five key strategic goals will address: Advocacy, Business Intelligence, Industry Awareness and Impact, Member Engagement, and Training and Education. In addition, there will be an increased focus on DE&I and providing greater access to ELFA programs, products and services by early- and mid-career employees in member companies.
The Executive Committee gave tentative approval to a work plan and budget for 2023, which will be addressed by the Board in October for formal adoption.
ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta reported that the association is in good standing in 2022, with solid membership renewal/recruitment and event participation. The committee reviewed program updates in the areas of membership, business and professional development, public policy, research and industry information, and communications. In addition, they discussed plans for the 2022 ELFA Annual Convention, which is scheduled to take place in Marco Island, Florida, on October 9-11.
Members Speak Out: ELFA Career Pathways
WHERE ARE YOU IN YOUR EQUIPMENT FINANCE JOURNEY? Whether you’re just starting out, a seasoned traveler or somewhere in-between, ELFA’s new Career Pathways will help you navigate each phase of your career. Members share their thoughts on this new leadership development program in a new video at www.elfaonline.org/CareerPathways.
Tech Innovation Winner Announced
CONGRATULATIONS to Meridian OneCap Credit Corp., winner of ELFA’s 2022 Operations and Technology Excellence Award. Their winning project, Project BOOST, drove an operational transformation and modernized how OneCap employees work. Learn more at www.elfaonline.org/about/awards/ote.
Ogden to Receive Distinguished Service Award
ELFA HAS SELECTED BRITTANY S. OGDEN to receive its 2022 Michael J. Fleming Distinguished Service Award, which honors the association’s top volunteers. Ogden, who is a Partner at Quarles & Brady LLP, will be formally recognized during a ceremony at the 61st ELFA Annual Convention in Marco Island, Florida, in October.“Each year, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes an ELFA member who goes above and beyond to advance our mission as an association,” said ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta. “Brittany’s many contributions—from lending her expertise on industry legal matters to supporting the association’s advocacy program—are a perfect example of the kind of volunteer member engagement this award was established to recognize. We are thrilled to present this award to Brittany.”
Learn more about Brittany’s contributions at www.elfaonline.org/awards/dsa.
Enter the October Mobile App Challenge!
HEADING TO THE ANNUAL CONVENTION IN MARCO ISLAND? Post a photo of what you enjoyed the most during the event in the Engage Wall of the ELFA Engage mobile app. Submissions posted from Oct 9-16 will be eligible to win a $25 Amazon Prime gift card and ELFA swag. Click the plus sign (+) in the top-right corner to post and get started and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ELFAConvention in your post! One winner will be chosen at random! Learn more at www.elfaonline.org/app. Contact Julie Benson at [email protected] with questions.
MEMBERSHIP MINUTE
Communications Preferences in Your ELFA Profile
DESIGNATE YOUR COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES within your ELFA profile to customize the type of information you would like to receive. Communications including announcements for ELFA conferences, the ELFA Engage mobile app, advocacy newsletters and ELFA business intelligence may be selected within each individual profile. You may do this by logging on to the ELFA website at www.elfaonline.org, clicking on Account Tools in the upper right corner, and selecting Update Communication Preferences. Please verify that Exclude All Email is not selected to ensure delivery of timely information in your inbox. Contact [email protected] with questions.
Announcing the Winners of the BCSC Recruitment Contest
CONGRATULATIONS to the 2022 Small Ticket Business Council Steering Committee for winning ELFA’s spring membership recruitment contest. This committee recruited more members on a percentage basis than any other BCSC in the spring timeframe and we thank you for your efforts.
Dues Renewal Season is Around the Corner!
KEY DATES TO REMEMBER….- Nov. 7, 2022 – 2023 ELFA membership dues invoices emailed to Key Contacts
- Dec. 31, 2022 – Deadline to pay 2023 dues
- Throughout 2023 – Take advantage of ELFA’s many benefits! Contact [email protected] to learn more about the resources available to all ELFA members.
New from the Emerging Talent Advisory Council
• Podcast: Ask a Leader
The Equipment Finance Matters Podcast brings you up close and personal with leaders in the equipment finance industry. The latest episode features Katie Crawford, CLFP, Regional Sales Manager at Arvest Equipment Finance. Join host Alexa Carnibella as Katie discusses her career path, the biggest (and most rewarding) risk she has taken in her career and more. Learn more.
• Ask a Leader: Agility Is Key
Check out the latest “Ask a Leader” interview featuring Rose Reynolds, Senior VP of Operations at ENGS Commercial Finance. Discover her top three pieces of advice for those entering the equipment finance industry (hint: it involves being able to pivot). Learn more.
And the Winner Is…
CONGRATULATIONS to Brian Kestenbaum of LEAF Commercial Capital Inc. on winning ELFA’s Q2 mobile app contest! Brian picked up some fun ELFA swag—and became a member of the #ELFAmugclub! Thanks to the 200+ members who participated and answered questions about ELFA’s Knowledge Hub! Download the app today and join our latest contest at www.elfaonline.org/app.
ELFA submits comment letter on sustainability proposal
ON JULY 18, ELFA submitted a comment letter to the International Sustainability Standards Board, which is working to develop a comprehensive global baseline of sustainability disclosures for the capital markets. ELFA’s letter offers feedback on two proposals: IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information and IFRS 2 Climate-related Disclosures. Read the letter.
ELFA Joins Women Lawmakers in Boston
IN JUNE ELFA’s Scott Riehl attended the NOBEL Women (National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women) Board of Directors and Corporate Advisory Council Meeting in Boston. Riehl (pictured back row) is a Corporate Advisor to the group and ELFA is a supporter of NOBEL Women’s “Girls, Gigabytes and Gadgets” program, a day-long series of workshops designed to get young women and girls engaged in careers in science, technology, engineering, arts/design and mathematics.
Inaugural Equity Forum Coming Nov. 6-7
THE ELFA EQUITY COMMITTEE will host the association’s first Equity Forum this fall, and you don’t want to miss it! See all the details in the feature story in this issue, and visit www.elfaonline.org/events for more information.
Join the Innovation Roundtable on Nov. 10
IN A WORLD OF CONTINUOUS AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE, it’s easy to get so caught up in the day-to-day that we don’t make time to think long-term. How are customer needs and preferences evolving? What are we missing if we don’t depart from conventional thinking? Join Deb Reuben and ELFA’s Tech Innovation Working Group to explore “Bold Questions & Bringing Innovations to Life.” Learn more.
Innovation Roundtable Focuses on DX Realities
HOW ARE INDUSTRY LEADERS THINKING about innovation in equipment finance? That was the topic of the ELFA Innovation Roundtable, “Digital Transformation [DX] Realities: How to Survive, Thrive and Succeed,” on Aug. 4. Facilitated by TomorrowZone Founder and CEO Deborah Reuben, this virtual event featured panelists from the ELFA Technology Innovation Working Group, including Tawnya Stone, Tina Cartwright, Jillian Munson and Denis Stypulkoski. Deb Reuben shared key takeaways after the session, including:
- It takes strong leadership to create roadmaps.
- The entire eco-system is important to consider when innovating—customers, employees, partners.
- Step back and challenge long-held assumptions when thinking about digital transformation and experiences.
- We can digitalize tasks. We can digitalize activities. We cannot digitalize humanity. Free your employees from tasks to spend time building relationships.
