Posted on November 18, 2021 by Brett
The holiday season is a natural time for thankfulness and reflection. Family, friends, co-workers, and customers are always at the top of my gratitude list but this year I’m also thankful for experiences that might have been taken for granted before the pandemic. One is the ability to attend industry events in person again. Another is moving into our new corporate headquarters.
Real meetings
This fall I traveled to several commercial lending and leasing events for the first time since 2019. These included the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) funding symposium in Charlotte, NC, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) convention in San Antonio, TX, and Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas. We have friends, colleagues, and customers at these meetings as we buy non-performing commercial loans and leases from equipment finance businesses, banks, and fintech lenders. Over the years we have also become active in key industry groups, joining with other members to advance our profession and mutual interests.
It was great seeing people again in-person this fall, and in the top photo, a group shot of the ELFA membership committee, we are actually jumping for joy. The next photo, a selfie, captures some of the excitement at Money20/20.
And now for some overall observations about the fall conferences:
NEFA’s funding symposium has refreshed its format and the changes are terrific. For example, they offered a time where you would go to a breakout room and experts from different fields would come in to briefly share their insights with you. Then you could sign up to meet with that expert one-on-one later in the day for help regarding your specific business. Overall attendance was impressive, with lots of exhibitors and, I have to add, good barbecue.
The symposium also did a nice job blending in-person and virtual presentations. I sat in a session where two of the presenters were there by Zoom while the others were in-person. It’s interesting to think how this blended approach could benefit the association and its members even after the pandemic, allowing more professionals to be present while saving on costs. This enables organizations to include more of their executives at little additional cost and will help to bring the next generation into participation.
The ELFA convention was top notch per the usual and celebrated the association’s 60th anniversary. Most regular attendees were back, though some were unable to be there due to company policy. This was a topic of some discussion. For those who still have closed offices due to COVID, corporate would not allow them to attend. Otherwise, it felt like it was only yesterday since we last saw each other, thanks to Zoom meetings, emails, and phone conversations that helped keep us connected during the interim.
I sadly missed the ELFA community service project I was hoping to attend – build a wheelchair – due to a missed flight connection, but I was able to make the new-member reception, women in leasing reception, and opening reception before flying to Money20/20 USA. There, the focus seemed more on consumer lending and cryptocurrency than in years past. But Money20/20 was still huge with a constant rush to network at the event and after hours at the Journey concert and craps table.
New headquarters
Earlier this fall we moved our headquarters from Deerfield, Illinois, to Highwood – also on Chicago’s North Shore. We have found that in-office networking and fellowship are still important to many of our workers and to the success of our business. We have also equipped our new offices with features that enhance the comfort and safety of staff.
While an office move is always notable, it’s a true milestone in a pandemic when so many professionals are working remotely. And for that I’m grateful.
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Brett Boehm is CEO for TBF Financial. He can be reached at bboehm@tbfgroup.com, phone 847-267-0660 or via LinkedIn. |
