Ralph Petta 2016-11-14 23:30:49
Maximizing Your Investment in ELFA
In this issue of Equipment Leasing & Finance Magazine, we celebrate membership. ELFA is truly a member-driven organization that depends on committed, active and involved volunteers. That’s what makes us go. You—our members—are why we are successful as an organization.
We’re pleased to report that 2016 has been a very strong year for ELFA membership retention and recruitment. We met or exceeded all of our membership goals and we are on track to welcome 60 new members by year-end.
In our cover story on p. 14, we introduce you to some of our newest members. You’ll notice that they are a diverse group, but they share a passion for our industry and a desire to be actively engaged in our association. We also recognize companies celebrating milestone membership anniversaries. On p. 56, the leader of one of those companies—Larry Stevens of Med One Capital—reflects on his company’s 25 years of membership.
You—our members— are why we are successful as an organization.
I often hear members say that the more they put into their involvement with ELFA, the more they get out of it. In our feature story on Volunteerism on p. 20, you’ll meet some of our active volunteers and learn how they are reaping the rewards of engagement. If you’re interested in getting more involved with the association, check out the tips to get started on p. 23.
Member Impact Study
As I said at our Annual Convention last month, ELFA exists to respond to our members’ needs; to provide programs, products and services designed to help you make and keep your businesses successful. Ultimately, our goal is to maximize your investment in ELFA.
To ensure we are on the right track, we are conducting a comprehensive Member Impact Assessment. More than a survey that simply asks how you like what your association is doing, this project will ask you to think about what keeps you up at night, what business challenges occupy your days and nights and whether and to what extent your association is helping you to deal with these pressures. What we learn from this exercise will be invaluable to the Board and staff as we make critical decisions designed to deliver value to you and your organizations.
For example, one of the things we will be seeking insight into is the potential disruptor of online lending.Fin- Tech.so we will be better equipped to make strategic decisions about how and to what extent this phenomenon impacts our members and what the association's response should be. This is just one of many issues we will be examining.
We have selected a top-notch market research firm to conduct this critical assessment for the association. Through a number of techniques.in-person and phone interviews and an email survey, for example.we hope to identify those things that your association can do in 2017 and beyond that will continue to make us relevant.and you a satisfied member. So, when we reach out to you seeking your input in the coming months, we appreciate your participation.
Annual Convention
We were thrilled to see so many members at our very successful Annual Convention last month. Don't miss highlights and photos from the event on p.36. We congratulate Sudhir Amembal, who was inducted to the 2016 Equipment Finance Hall of Fame (see p. 6).
As 2016 draws to a close, I would like to thank our hardworking professional staff, outgoing Chairman Bill Stephenson, the Board of Directors and all of our member volunteers for a successful year. I'd also like to recognize Dennis Brown, VP of State Government Relations, who is retiring from ELFA after 23 years of service. We wish the best for Dennis in retirement.
Ralph Petta is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association and the publishing director of Equipment Leasing & Finance. To submit letters to the editor, email EL&F@elfaonline.org.
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