ELFA - Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Equipping Business for Success

Independent Best Practices Roundtable

April 12, 2022
The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL

Independent Best Practices Roundtable

April 12, 2022
The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL

Independent Best Practices Roundtable

April 12, 2022

The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL



The Independent Best Practices Roundtable is a small, highly-interactive half-day program designed to bring senior independent equipment finance executives together for information sharing and critical thinking about issues facing them every day as leaders of their organizations.

ELFA Members: Get a $200 discount when you register for both National Funding Conference and a roundtable. For questions contact Janet Fianko at jfianko@elfaonline.org. Choose a Package

Who Should Attend?

The roundtable is open to senior executives of ELFA member Independent leasing companies.


Registration Fees

Price Description Amount
Additional Funding Exhibitor & Independent Rtble $410.00
Committee Member package $410.00
Double Booth Exhibitor and Independent Roundtable $410.00
ELFA Member $410.00
Funding 2nd person Booth Exhib and Captives Rtble $210.00
Funding Booth Exhibitor and Independent Rtble $410.00
Funding Conf & Independents Rtble Attendee $410.00
Funding Conf& Independets Rtbl Additional Attendee $410.00
Suite Only Exhibitor and Independents Rtble $410.00
Suite with Booth Exhibitor and Independent Rtble $410.00

View cancellation and other policies

11:00am-Noon
Roundtable registration

Noon-1:30pm
Joint luncheon and General Session

Welcome
     
Ralph Petta, ELFA President & CEO

Top 10 Equipment Acquisition Trends for 2022
     
Mike DiCecco, Chair, ELFA Board of Directors
Executive Managing Director, Huntington Asset Finance

U.S. Economic Outlook
     
Barry Ripes, SVP, Financial Services Leader, Equifax

1:30-1:45pm
Break

1:45-4:30pm
     
Independent Best Practices Roundtable

1:45-2:00pm Introduction


JONATHAN ALBIN
COO, Nexseer Capital
Chair, Independent Business Council Steering Committee      
       
2:00-3:00pm Leadership and Engaging Emerging Talent
In 2021, more than 45 million people, or 33% of the total workforce, voluntarily left their jobs. Millennials and Generation Z led this wave with 2x the resignation rate versus Boomers.  Is the Great Resignation a result of a leadership crisis? Are companies adapting to the needs of younger talent?  The Independent Business Council has brought together a panel of executives and emerging leaders to discuss how Independents can recruit, train, motivate and retain young talent through innovative and authentic leadership concepts and by adapting their business models to meet the unique needs and wants of emerging talent. This session will be an open discussion covering how both large and small Independents are adjusting their approach to attracting and retaining top talent from the viewpoint of the C-suite and younger managers.

MODERATOR:

HARRISON SMITH
Vice President, Stonebriar Commercial Finance
Member, Independent Business Council Steering Committee

PANELISTS:  
JACOB FAHL
Vice President, Mitsubishi HC Capital America, Inc.

STEVEN HOLBEN, CLFP
Director of Digital Sales Strategy, ENGS Commercial Finance Co.

RICHARD MATTE
President, Chief Executive Officer, Encina Equipment Finance, LLC
Member, Independent Business Council Steering Committee

NANCY ROBLES
Chief Operating Officer/Compliance Officer, Eastern Funding LLC  

3:00-3:15pm Break

3:15-4:25pm Mining the SEFA Data for Independents
There's a wealth of data available in ELFA's Survey of Equipment Finance Activity. It's the most important source of statistical information available on the nearly $1 trillion equipment finance industry. At this session you'll:
  • Discover key survey findings of interest to Independents, from volume growth to equipment types to residuals.
  • See a demo of the cutting-edge resources and benefits-including new digital tools-available to you.
  • Learn how to put the data to work for you as an Independent: benchmark your company, discover which sectors are most profitable and stay on top of industry trends.
This will be an interactive session with plenty of time for attendee participation and conversation.

MODERATOR:

ROMAN GAJDA
Director of Financial Technology Solutions, ENGS Commercial Finance Co.
Member, Independent Business Council Steering Committee

PRESENTERS:

RAY JAMES
Chair, ELFA Research Committee
Senior Consultant, Ivory Consulting Corporation

JESSICA O'BRIEN
Member, ELFA Research Committee
Vice President, Citizens Asset Finance, Inc

BILL CHOI
VP, Research & Industry Services, ELFA

4:25-4:30pm Wrap-up          

Available Functions

  Women in Leasing Reception

Speakers

Jonathan Albin

COO
Nexseer Capital


Jon is the Chief Operating Officer of Nexseer Capital, a middle market lessor capitalized by Atalaya Capital private equity funds.  He is responsible for all aspects of the company’s operations including capital markets, risk, fulfillment, marketing, operations and systems.  Jon is a 25 year industry veteran with experience across small, middle and large ticket in both direct and indirect origination models.  Prior to Nexseer, he’s held roles at Balboa Capital, eLease, 3M and AT&T.  He holds a BS in Business from University of Southern California and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Bill Choi

VP, Research & Industry Services
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association


Bill Choi is the Vice President of Research & Industry Services for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 575+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector.

Mr. Choi manages research, economic analysis and industry benchmarking metrics. He has been with the association since 2002. He has liaison responsibilities for the ELFA Research committee, Technology Innovation Workgroup, and the Captive & Vendor Finance Business Council Steering Committee.

Prior to joining ELFA, Mr. Choi served as a product manager in the telecommunications and banking industries. He developed and managed products through their product life cycle from development to maturity. He also worked for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as the director of marketing, with the task of increasing sales of software, increasing attendance to events and membership, market analysis and marketing publications.

Mr. Choi holds the Certification Association Executive (CAE) designation from the American Society of Association Executives. He holds a B.S. in Industrial/Organization Psychology and a Masters in Business Administration.


Jacob Fahl

Director of Capital Markets
KLC Financial LLC


Jacob is responsible for managing and leading MHCA’s 3rd-party syndications division. Involved in all aspects of serving the independent market, Jacob thrives in the energetic and reliable environment at MHCA. Jacob’s contributions range not only in sales and customer service but all the way through legal and contract negotiation, sales and managing Division P&L.

For the past four years, Jacob has been on the ELFA’s Emerging Talent Advisory Council, contributing to the growing need to involve energetic talent at all levels of the industry. Within MHCA, Jacob also leads their Diversity & Inclusion Committee, focused on bringing awareness and action to workplace engagement.

Jacob holds a Bachelor’s degree and MBA from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN. Jacobs still resides in Marshall with his wife, Angie and four children.

Roman Gajda

Director of Financial Technology Solutions
Mitsubishi HC Capital America, Inc.


Roman Gajda is the Director of Financial Technology Solutions for ENGS Commercial Finance Co. (“ENGS”), an industry-leading finance company that has provided specialized lease/loan financing solutions to the equipment industry since 1952.  He is responsible for managing the digital brands and leading the fintech strategy to both new and existing business relationships.  Roman has over 25 years of experience in the equipment finance industry and has held various leadership roles developing organizations, handling all aspects of transactions and national programs, from origination through funding.  Previously, he held various leadership positions at Forsythe Technology, Relational Funding, and Comdisco, always with a focus on people, process and profitability.

Steven Holben CLFP

Sr. Director, Digital Sales Strategy & Originations
Mitsubishi HC Capital America, Inc.


Steven is the Director of Digital Sales Strategy at ENGS Commercial Finance Co. where he is responsible for continuing to develop the digital sales strategy and building additional sales analytics for the company. He brings an analytical mindset to the sales team after spending his previous career in a breadth of finance and accounting roles (including five years as ENGS’ Finance Manager). Prior to joining ENGS, Steven was most recently a Sr. Financial Systems Analyst with Mondelez International after starting his career in a variety of finance and accounting roles at Navistar, Inc.

Steven was recently selected to join the ELFA Emerging Talent Advisory Council and was identified by the Monitor as a member of the Next Gen 40 under 40 in 2021.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the Michigan State University, and a Masters in Business Administration from DePaul University (Chicago) in Strategy and Decision Making.

Raymond James

Senior Consultant
Ivory Consulting Corporation


Ray James has been a major contributor to ELFA’s research and data collection efforts for 25 years. He has served as an active member of the ELFA Research Committee since 1991 and has led the Committee as Chair since the fall of 2012.

Ray was first exposed to leasing in the 1970’s when he worked in the Treasury Departments of two large corporations doing after-tax Lease versus Buy analysis – as a Lessee. Ray’s Lessor leasing experience began in 1989 when he served as Vice President at Senstar Capital Corporation, a private leasing firm, where he oversaw Finance, Accounting, IT, Syndication, Pricing and Strategic Planning. The company was sold to John Deere Financial in 1999 and for the next six years Ray worked at John Deere Financial as a Director of various areas, including Strategic Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Development, Corporate Pricing and Syndication. He retired from John Deere Financial in 2005. Since retirement from full time work, Ray has worked for Ivory Consulting where he has developed SuperTRUMP training and led classes in both Public and On-Site locations.

Ray graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BS in Mathematics and Economics and from Wayne State University with a MA in Econometrics. He is the recipient of ELFA's 2016 Michael J. Fleming Distinguished Service Award.

Richard Matte

President, Chief Executive Officer
Post Road Equipment Finance



Jessica O'Brien

Vice President
Citizens Asset Finance, a division of Citizens Bank, N.A.


Jessica O’Brien has been with Citizens Asset Finance for 10 years. She is currently serving as Business Analyst with her primary focus on data analytics. She works directly with the Sales team and Senior Management helping drive strategic initiatives, tracking the success and results of the business and focuses on data integrity and efficiencies. She is also involved in Salesforce.com implementation and product integration and alignment within the overall bank.

In addition to her role at Citizens, Jessica volunteers her time as a member of the ELFA’s Research Committee and serves on the Executive Board for a local Community Organization.

Jessica graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater with a BS in Advertising.


Nancy Robles

President
Eastern Funding LLC


Nancy Robles is Chief Operating Officer of Eastern Funding LLC where she is responsible for all of the company’s day-to-day operational and administrative functions.

Nancy joined Eastern Funding in 2005 from Fleet Healthcare Capital Leasing/Bank of America. During her tenure at Eastern Funding, she has managed the company’s operations functions including credit, compliance, documentation, funding, loan servicing, legal and work-out, and human resources.

Outside of Eastern Funding, she serves on the board of the Berkeley College Scholarship Foundation, The Coin Laundry Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Berkeley College MBA and Legal Studies Committees.

Nancy has been recognized by Monitor Magazine as a Top Woman in Equipment Finance for 2020. She has also been featured in Hispanic Executive Magazine.

Harrison Smith

Managing Director
Stonebriar Commercial Finance


Harrison Smith serves as Vice President for Stonebriar Commercial Finance, where he primarily focuses on structuring, underwriting, negotiating, and closing large-ticket loans and leases across manufacturing, maritime, energy, and technology industries. In addition to his role at Stonebriar, Harrison volunteers his time as a member of the ELFA’s Emerging Talent Advisory Council, where he leads the Education & Professional Development Taskforce and serves as a liaison to the Independent Business Council. Harrison earned his BA form Rollins College and his MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

Sponsors

Hotel Reservations at Hilton Palmer House  
 
A block of rooms is being held for attendees of the Best Practices Roundtables at the Hilton Palmer House in Chicago, located at 17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL. A special conference rate of $235 plus tax, single/double occupancy, is offered to attendees. Check in time is 3:00pm, and check-out time is 11:00am. Please call Reservations at (312) 726-7500, provide your arrival and departure dates and mention ELFA Room Block in order to receive the ELFA group rate.

Make Hotel Reservations Online: We strongly encourage you to make your hotel reservations online. Please use this link:
https://book.passkey.com/go/AnnualNationalFunding22.
 
 
Getting There
The Hilton Palmer House is located in the popular theatre and financial district of Chicagoland. Approximately 18 miles from Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, 11 miles from Chicago Midway Airport. If renting a car, the Hilton Palmer House has valet parking and self-parking from $47 per day. Visiting by Metro -When taking public trans­portation from O'Hare International Airport, take the Blue Line train to Monroe/Dearborn stop. Take Monroe east to the hotel. The Palmer House is on the south side of the street. From Midway Airport, take the Orange Line from Midway to downtown. Get off at the Adams/Wabash stop. The Palmer House is located on the west side of Wabash Avenue.
 
For additional transportation information, please visit the hotel website at https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/chiphhh-palmer-house/hotel-location/.    

The Palmer House Hilton
17 East Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603

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