NEFA’s 2021 Funding Symposium- Back In-Person After Two Years
Northbrook, IL (October 21, 2021) – The National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) is pleased to announce the 2021 Funding Symposium held in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, October 13 through Friday, October 15 was the first conference to be held in-person in over two years!
Attendees enjoyed NEFA’s trademark networking events – providing funding sources, lessors, brokers, and service providers multiple opportunities to meet, conduct business and create new relationships. This year’s keynote speaker, Raja Rajamannar, CMO of Mastercard addressed the group about his book, Quantum Marketing and shared breakthrough, frontier strategies to navigate the challenges faced by companies to thrive in a modern business world.
The 2021 National Equipment Funding Symposium Co-Chairs, Jacklynn Manning, CLFP of AMUR and Mae Philpott, CLFP of Quality Leasing Co., Inc. assembled a schedule of highly informative and very well-attended educational sessions for conference attendees. “The 2021 NEFA Funding Symposium truly lived up to our goals and expectations of challenging attendees to Reimagine Everything. The event was extremely successful with a high turnout rate, including one of our largest first-time attendee numbers, proving that even through a pandemic, the value that NEFA brings is simply “priceless”. From our introduction of the Practical Innovation Lab to thought-provoking thought leadership sessions, the mind-blowing magic, and the best charitable networking event that provided spectacular views of Charlotte, I am proud to say the NEFA Funding Symposium delivered! I am thrilled to have been asked to Co-Chair this important industry event, and I look forward to contributing to the evolution of NEFA as a board member.” Said Jacklynn Manning
Mae Philpott added, “I am thrilled with how the conference came together. We truly reimagined everything--from session formats to education topics to charity fundraising--and overall feedback has been very positive. I am so grateful to the NEFA planning staff, volunteers, and members who help make the 2021 Funding Symposium the best ever!”
NEFA’s Executive Director & CEO, Chad Sluss said, “The 2021 NEFA Funding Symposium marked the first in-person conference in over two years due to the pandemic. The planning committee developed the theme “Reimagine Everything” which was fitting given what was offered to attendees. This conference provided more networking opportunities, new and inventive education, keynote speakers who provided fresh ideas for the attendees to apply to their businesses, and a new Innovation Lab allowing attendees to discuss tangible business issues with subject matter experts. The conference concluded with an extraordinary reception and dinner at Fahrenheit Charlotte featuring fantastic food, a cigar bar, karaoke, a fundraiser for the Chris Walker Education Fund and jaw-dropping views of the city. We thank all our sponsors, exhibitors, session speakers and attendees for their contributions to the success of this conference and look forward to seeing everyone at the March 23-25, 2022, Annual Finance Summit in Newport Beach, CA.”
NEFA’s Board President, Jim Jackson, of The Alta Group said, “We just completed a very successful conference in Charlotte, N.C., that was the first live national event for NEFA in two years. The program content, educational sessions, keynote speakers and activities were well received, and it was great to connect with friends and colleagues once again and share ideas about our businesses and what has changed in the industry. I am honored to serve as the NEFA President and along with the support of a talented board of directors, Chad, and the NEFA staff, we will work diligently to ensure the association continues to provide valuable programs and content designed to help our members grow their businesses and industry relationships.”
NEFA’s outgoing Board President Laura Carini, CLFP - Financial Pacific Leasing, is joined on the Executive Committee by incoming Board President, James Jackson-The Alta Group; Scott Wheeler, CLFP-Wheeler Business Consulting as Vice President; Adam Peterson -Channel Partners Capital as Treasurer; and Robert Hornby -Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC as Secretary.
New Directors of the association were also announced and include Don Cosenza - North Mill Equipment Finance; Kim King, CLFP -Navitas Credit Corp; Shervin Rashti -SLIM Capital Services; and Bob Rinaldi – Rinaldi Advisory Services. They are joined by the other tenured Board Members including Paul Fogle, CLFP-Quality Leasing Co., Inc; Jacklynn Manning, CLFP-AMUR Equipment Finance; and Beth McLean, CLFP-Northland Capital Equipment Finance; and Shawn Smith-Dedicated Commercial Recovery Inc.
During the Annual Meeting portion of the conference, Scott Wheeler, CLFP -Wheeler Consulting offered a financial update; Stephanie Hall, CLFP-BankFinancial Equipment Finance offered an update on the Chris Walker Education Fund; and Reid Raykovich, CLFP -Certified Lease & Finance Professional Foundation offered an update on the Certified Lease & Finance Professional Foundation.
Also, during the Annual Meeting, the Executive Committee awarded Kristian Dolan - Northteq, the Chris Walker Memorial Member of the Year Award. Kristian Dolan was the Chair of the 2021 Virtual Finance Summit. Kristian worked tirelessly with the NEFA Team and Planning Committee to create a unique, educational, and accommodating experience for all attendees. Additionally, he has spent countless hours working with the NEFA team to spearhead their systems change. NEFA is thankful for all the support Kristian has showed the Association and we are honored to have him as the 2021 Chris Walker Volunteer of the Year.
Outgoing Board President, Laura Carini, CLFP said, " Kristian Dolan has always been a strong supporter of NEFA and was a past board member. Once volunteers have served they have the opportunity to step away from the time commitment but he didn’t hesitate when called upon once again! When we found out pretty late in the process that we were going to have to cancel our in person event we felt strongly that we needed to provide our members a value offering. Even though we hadn’t done a full virtual conference prior, we immediately contacted Kristian and asked him if he could help chair a virtual conference – and in short order, he was able to put on a great conference! He has never wavered from his commitment and dedication to our organization and he is greatly deserving of the honor!"
About National Equipment Finance Association
The National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) is a national association serving small to mid-sized independent equipment finance companies, lessors, and brokers. NEFA is a strong association offering educational programs and premium networking opportunities with broad geographic and industry segment diversity. The mission of NEFA is to provide a forum for members to pursue personal and professional growth and promote ethical business practices through advocacy, networking, and industry involvement. For more information, visit: www.NEFAssociation.org .
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