ELFA 60th Annual Convention
ELFA 60th Annual Convention

Schedule of Events

All agenda items are in Central Time (CT).

Room names are in orange except breakout session rooms which are in pink.

Sunday, October 24

7:00 am Breakfast for Golfers
RIVER BEND PAVILION
7:00 -
8:00 am
Breakfast for Bike Riders
EXHIBIT HALL DRIVE
8:00 am Golf Tournament (Shotgun Start)
JW MARRIOTT HILL COUNTRY AT&T CANYONS COURSE
8:00 am -
1:00 pm
Jim McGrane Charity Bike Ride
(pre-registration required; additional fee for bike and other equipment)
EXHIBIT HALL DRIVE
10:00 am -
8:00 pm
Convention Registration
(Attendees & Exhibitors)
REGISTRATION DESK, BALLROOM LEVEL
1:00 pm -
2:00 pm
Luncheon for Golf Players
RIVER BEND PAVILION
1:00 pm -
5:00 pm
Exhibitor Set Up
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
2:00 pm -
4:00 pm
Community Service Project - Build-a-Wheelchair®
(on property; pre-registration required)
EVENT LAWN 1
4:30 pm -
5:30 pm
New Members and leadership Reception
SUNFLOWER/WISTERIA LAWN
5:00 pm -
6:00 pm
Women's Council Reception—All Welcome
SUNDAY HOUSE PATIO
6:00 pm -
8:30 pm
Welcoming Reception
Exhibits Open
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11


Monday, October 25

7:00 am -
4:30 pm
Convention Registration
REGISTRATION DESK, BALLROOM LEVEL
7:00 am -
8:15 am
Group Breakfast
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
7:00 am -
4:30 pm
Exhibits Open
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
8:30 -
10:00 am
General Session

President’s Report and Keynote Addresses

GRAND OAKS G-S
Speakers:

Ralph Petta RALPH PETTA
President and CEO, ELFA

Dede Halfhill DEDE HALFHILL
Renowned Leadership Expert and Colonel, USAF (Ret.)

Michael DiCecco MICHAEL DICECCO
Incoming ELFA Board Chair
Executive Managing Director
Huntington Asset Finance

10:00 -
Noon
Refreshment Break in Exhibit Area
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
10:30 -
12:00 pm
Issue Breakout Sessions

CIBOLO CANYON 1-2

Supported by: Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation

This timely presentation will include a lively discussion of the current and future state of the Capital Markets featuring acquisition and syndication professionals and will cover best practices in equipment finance funding based on the initial findings from an ongoing study by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation.

Bill Bullock
Capital Markets
ATEL Capital

Dave Wiener
Managing Director
The Alta Group

Dan Michalek
CEO & Founder
Syndifi

Mike Hube
SVP, Syndications Team Lead
Fifth Third Bank

Tom Ficca
Managing Director - Capital Markets
CIT

Steven Spivey
Managing Director, Capital Markets
Truist Equipment Finance Corp.

SOLIFI ROOM - CIBOLO CANYON 3-4

Customers' expectations are changing, and the equipment finance organizations that address these changing customer requirements will lead this industry moving forward. Servitization is in your future: the question is, what do you need to know today to determine your best path forward?

Listen as equipment finance experts share as-a-service insights, including:

  1. Market trends and why thinking about servitization now is a strategic decision
  2. The 4 models of servitization to choose from
  3. Points to ponder before selecting your model and our recommended approach once you choose

Participants will explore how to choose a model to meet expectations and make money while learning key questions to ask themselves before embarking on their service model transformation.

Speakers:

Cameron Krueger, Moderator
Managing Director
Accenture

Brian Bjella
SVP and General Manager
GreatAmerica Financial Services

James Cress
Vice President and General Manager
Stryker, Flex Financial

Diane Croessmann
Director
The Alta Group

Joseph Pulicano
Managing Director Specialty Finance
Accenture

GRAND OAKS A-C

Supported by: ELFA Women's Council

In today’s uncertain world, leaders face many challenges. Creating and maintaining a culture of high engagement and high performance has never been more important, and frankly, more difficult. In this engaging, high energy, interactive session sponsored by the ELFA Women’s Council, workplace expert and best-selling author Mary Abbajay will explore key skills, strategies and tools that leaders at all levels can utilize immediately to create the conditions for superior performance. Rooted in research and neuropsychology, this session will unveil a new playbook for how leaders think about, approach and execute leadership activities. All Convention attendees are invited to participate.

Keynote Speaker:

Mary Abbajay
President
Careerstone Group

WESTERN ALLIANCE BANK ROOM - GRAND OAKS D-F

What is possible with AI, and what are the practical steps to begin in your company? This session is a facilitated exploration of the ins and outs of artificial intelligence applications in equipment finance. There is a lot of buzz about the possibilities for leveraging artificial intelligence in the equipment finance lifecycle. Still, we are left with so many practical questions:

  1. What are equipment finance companies doing and what tools are they using?
  2. What can we gain, and more importantly, what are the "gotchas" to avoid?
  3. How should you think about this and where do you begin?

By the end of this session, you will:

  1. Hear what is on the minds of industry peers when it comes to implementing AI capabilities in equipment finance.
  2. Identify not only what is possible for AI leasing use cases but find out what peers are using to enhance both internal productivity and customer experience.
  3. Recognize the benefits and pitfalls of intelligent automation and learn practical approaches to successfully implement game changing automation in your company.

Speakers:

Deb Reuben, Moderator
CEO & Founder
TomorrowZone

Rafe Rosato
Chief Innovation Officer
DLL

Shankar Subramanian
Lead Strategist and Business Development
NETSOL Technologies

Beckham Thomas
Co-Founder and CEO
DCR Technologies

Motofumi Tohda
Vice President-Information Systems
Tokyo Century (USA) Inc.

11:00 am -
3:00 pm
Spouse/Companion Event

Texas Outfitters at the JW Marriott

(pre-registration required)
IRIS & LILY LAWN
12:15 -
2:00 pm
Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Luncheon
GRAND OAKS G-S
Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation
Speaker:

Robert Wescott, Ph.D. ROBERT WESCOTT, Ph.D.
President, Keybridge Research LLC

2:00 -
4:00 pm
Refreshment Break in Exhibit Area
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
2:30 -
4:00 pm
Issue Breakout Sessions

CIBOLO CANYON 1-2

Supported by: ELFA Equality Committee

This engaging session will feature industry leaders and experts who will discuss their corporate diversity and inclusion strategies, provide insight into market trends and the increasing demand for data transparency, analyze how furthering diversity and inclusion efforts is a driving force for corporate profitability, examine the legal implications that may result from a lack of commitment to diversity, and highlight best practices to further an organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts. The session will also overview the work of ELFA Equality.

Speakers:

Julia Gavrilov, Moderator
Counsel
Moritt Hock & Hamroff, LLP

Scott Thacker, CPA, CLFP
CEO
Ivory Consulting Corporation

Christopher Johnson
SVP & President
Pitney Bowes Financial Services

Melissa Donaldson
SVP & Chief Diversity Officer
Wintrust Bank

Jennifer Brown
CEO & Founder
Jennifer Brown Consulting

SOLIFI ROOM - CIBOLO CANYON 3-4

What’s coming up now that we’ll still be talking about in 15 years? Mandatory contract disclosures; UCC rules, regs, and blockchain; mandatory lessee data collection; new BK rules and issues; and, of course, financing for the cannabis industry.

Speakers:

Paul Bent, Moderator
Senior Managing Director
The Alta Group, LLC

Robert S. Cohen
Partner
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP

Debra Devassy Babu
Shareholder
Darcy & Devassy, PC (formerly Askounis & Darcy PC)

Edward K. Gross
Shareholder
Vedder Price

Whitney Hodges, Esq.
Partner
Sheppard Mullin

Moorari K. Shah
Partner
Sheppard Mullin

Steve Whelan
Partner
Blank Rome LLP

GRAND OAKS A-C

The transportation industry is paying closer attention to their truck’s Life Cycles to understand where they can save money by optimizing replacement cycles and remarketing strategies. Rather than extending the truck’s use for several years, companies are leveraging fleet studies that scrutinize performance data and economic factors to determine an optimum procurement and disposal strategy. A fleet study is conducted by extracting the fuel and mileage data directly from the tractor’s OBC or ELD and includes depreciation and finance, maintenance and repair (M&R), and used truck values in addition to other metrics.

Through a comprehensive fleet analysis, organizations can discover key performance indicators and identify an optimum fleet life cycle and utilization, operational cost savings strategy, and procurement and disposal strategy based on their Total Cost of Ownership. Additionally, insight into the recent past, current, and future trends, from organizations that generate sale values used to evaluate the overall market for transportation equipment will provide creative strategies to maximize remarketing values and assess risk to complete the asset management strategy. This data and analysis allow fleets to make profit-saving decisions and will be helpful to anyone who manages transportation assets.

Speakers:

Jackie Jacobs
Senior Fleet Transaction Analyst and Project Manager
Fleet Advantage

Jennifer Sablowski
SVP, Truck & Equipment Business
LeasePlan U.S.A., Inc.

Andy Vering
Director of Appraisals
Taylor and Martin

Steve Oliver
National Director of Sales
Taylor and Martin

WESTERN ALLIANCE BANK ROOM - GRAND OAKS D-F

The word "digital" used to be about technology. Today "digital" is a way of being for a business. Business Leaders must start thinking and operating like a digital company to remain relevant. Learn how to make the shift to being a digital products company from the industry's forward leaning technology providers.

Panelists will explore questions and topics that all Equipment Finance companies should be asking as they think about how to continuously deliver digital experiences to their customers and employees. Learn how to pivot from an ‘occasional IT project approach’ to operate as a constantly innovating company that continuously evolves digital-first experiences by harnessing ideas from employees and customers. Understand the strategic mindset shift, leadership skills and organizational competencies that every Equipment Finance company must implement to compete in an increasingly digital world.

Speakers:

Denis Stypulkoski, Moderator
Founder and Principal
Reimagine Advisors, LLC

Leonard Lane
SVP, Product Management
Odessa

Katie Emmel
COO
Solifi (formerly IDS)

Jeffrey Bilbrey
CEO
Leasepath

Greg Clark
Director of Business Development
NorthTeq

Michael Baez
Leasepath

Dr. Scott Nelson
Chief Digital Officer
Tamarack

4:30 -
5:30 pm
Equality Committee and Emerging Talent Advisory Council Reception—All Welcome
SUNDAY HOUSE PATIO
5:30 pm Individual Company-Sponsored Receptions and Events


Tuesday, October 26

7:00 -
8:15 am
Group Breakfast
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
7:00 am -
3:00 pm
Convention Registration
REGISTRATION DESK, BALLROOM LEVEL
7:00 am -
3:00 pm
Exhibits Open
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
8:30 -
10:30 am
General Session

Chair’s Address and Keynote Address

GRAND OAKS G-S
Speakers:

Kris Snow KRIS SNOW
Chair, ELFA
President, Cisco Systems Capital Corporation

Erik Qualman ERIK QUALMAN
#1 bestselling author and motivational speaker Erik Qualman has performed in 55 countries and reached 50 million people


Michael DiCecco MICHAEL DICECCO
Incoming ELFA Board Chair
Executive Managing Director
Huntington Asset Finance

10:30 -
Noon
Refreshment Break in exhibit area
CIBOLO CANYON 5-11
11:00 am -
12:30 pm
Issue Breakout Sessions

CIBOLO CANYON 1-2

As we emerge from the pandemic, the Main Street rebound continues and the economy begins to normalize. The latest Equifax Small Business Lending Index data saw its second highest reading in series history and is nearly 28% above its year-ago level—the latest evidence that the small business sector is on the mend. Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, and their return to growth will be integral to the health of the post-pandemic economy.

The post-pandemic period presents an opportunity to explore key questions regarding the state of small businesses: How can we provide access to capital to ensure a thriving small business economy which results in a thriving American economy? Building on our ongoing monthly publication of small business loan originations, delinquencies, and defaults data by industry and by geography. In this presentation, we will present our findings on the state of small businesses post pandemic.

Speakers:

Barry Ripes, Moderator
SVP, Financial Services
Equifax

Quentin Cote
Executive Vice President
Orion First Financial, LLC

Dr. Robert Wescott
President
Keybridge Research, LLC

SOLIFI ROOM - CIBOLO CANYON 3-4

An independent 2018 survey indicated that less 10% of equipment sellers were proactively promoting financing options at the beginning of the customer journey, and a significant percentage stated they never mentioned financing unless the customer initiated the conversation. Among the main reasons sellers gave for their unwillingness to promote financing proactively was a cumbersome and long manual process that often resulted in lost opportunities. That’s a major market gap - and a major market opportunity.

While the challenge of leveraging technology innovation to improve financing workflows and reverse negative perceptions is not a new one, it has been difficult to execute profitably while remaining focused on full scale growth.

In this session, 4 companies with solutions that span the deal lifecycle will detail how they provided a vastly transformed client experience, recognized tangible ROI and widened their opportunity for sustainable growth. Participants will leave with a better understanding of these transformative solutions as well as the needed guidance to execute change within their own organizations.

Speakers:

Jennifer Martin, Moderator
SVP, Sales Enablement and Initiative Support
Key Equipment Finance

Ray Ellingsen
Vice-President, Syndication Operations
Corcentric Capital Equipment Solutions, LLC

Robb Zurek
Associate Marketing Director
Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions

Ryan Pereira
President
TAO Solutions

Robert Preville
CEO
KWIPPED, Inc.

GRAND OAKS A-C

Supported by: ELFA Emerging Talent Advisory Committee

Equipment finance companies face immense competition from both FinTechs and Big Tech companies like Google, Walmart, Apple and Amazon. These companies are rapidly progressing in building financial products and services that are easy-to-use, intuitive, fast and smart. At the rate that the business and technological landscape is changing, lessors that do not foster a culture of innovation, encourage their employees to think outside the box, and take calculated risks will be left behind.

Embracing innovation and adopting a technology-oriented mindset to mitigate the threat of outside competition is a recurring discussion among ELFA members. What more can equipment finance companies do to remain competitive and achieve continued success?

Intrapreneurship is a corporate management practice that encourages employees to act like entrepreneurs within a company or organization. Employees are given the autonomy to work on special projects and explore policies, technologies or applications that will improve their company’s performance. Encouraging intrapreneurship is a way to develop the emerging talent in your organization by challenging them to think differently, creatively and critically. Emerging talent who want to accelerate their professional development and better stand out in their organization should strive to become intrapreneurs.

Our panel is comprised of leaders who support intrapreneurship and intrapreneurs who have created a new financial product, set up a division within an organization, implemented new technologies, and taken ideas from outside the industry and applied them internally. We will discuss why you should aim to become an intrapreneur, what it takes to become a successful intrapreneur, and how leaders can build a culture of intrapreneurship through shifting risk perception, promoting creativity, and embracing failure and change.

Please join a candid conversation with equipment finance intrapreneurs and the leaders who have embraced this management practice.

Speakers:

Martin Klotzman, CLFP
Incoming Chair, Emerging Talent Advisory Council
Senior Manager Marketing and Product Management
Ivory Consulting Corporation

Alexandra “Lexie” Dressman
Chair, Emerging Talent Advisory Council
Counsel, Huntington Equipment Finance

Jacob Fahl
VP-Funding and Portfolio Services
Mitsubishi HC Capital America, Inc.

RJ Grimshaw
President, CEO
UniFi Equipment Finance

Kara Miyasato
Marketing Director
Stryker, Flex Financial

WESTERN ALLIANCE BANK ROOM - GRAND OAKS D-F

This panel will discuss the recent increase in ransomware and data theft attacks, and what companies should think about in terms of risks and being prepared to assess and respond to incidents involving information technology or operational technology systems.

Speakers:

Jeanette Dannenfelser, Moderator
Vice President and General Counsel
Summit Funding Group, Inc.

Bart Huffman
Partner
Reed Smith LLP

11:00 am -
4:00 pm
Spouse/Companion Event

San Antonio Missions Tour and Luncheon

(pre-registration required)(bus departs at 11:15 am)
EXHIBIT HALL DRIVE
12:45 -
2:30 pm
Community Luncheon for all Attendees
EVENT LAWN 1
3:00 -
4:30 pm
Issue Breakout Sessions

CIBOLO CANYON 1-2

The circular economy solution is defined as a closed loop system wherein the focus is on eliminating waste by reusing, recycling and refurbishment of equipment, products, machinery and infrastructure for a longer duration. According to the 2021 Circularity Gap Report, circular economy strategies can cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 39 percent, keep the planet well below a 2 degrees Celsius trajectory and increase the proportion of materials /equipment that are reused from 8.6 to 17 percent. The equipment leasing industry has always been at the forefront of managing assets efficiently. Increased customer demand for solutions that deliver efficient equipment usage while minimizing negative environmental impact has given rise to new finance models powered by Industry 4.0 technology solutions, (such as IoT, AI).

The post-pandemic focus on ESG-related impact, issues and investment has created a flourish of new capital flows, measurement frameworks and end user demand for solutions. This panel will unpack circular economy equipment solutions, what they are, how they are similar/different than managed solutions or pay-per-use offerings and discuss how such solutions are impacting financing and the need for technology enabled asset management solutions. In this session, industry-specific examples in healthcare and renewable energy projects will be explored and the longer-term effects these trends may have to our industry will be discussed.

Speakers:

Patricia Voorhees, Moderator
Director, Fintech Strategy
The Alta Group

Cortland Brady
CEO
Aspen Field Services

Cristina Dolan
CEO
insideCHAINs and author of ESG and the Circular Economy

Michael Dow
Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Brett Reed
EVP Partnerships
Mirah

SOLIFI ROOM - CIBOLO CANYON 3-4

Supported by: ELFA Operations & Technology Committee, Operations & Technology Excellence Award

The winners of the ELFA Operations and Technology Excellence Award highlight the importance of strong leadership and the holistic approach that is vital to positioning a company with the right process and technology for the future. Hear from the 2021 Award winner regarding their project story which is sure to resonate with both business and technology leaders who are considering significant process and technology change.

This session is sure to inspire all business and technology leaders in Leasing and Equipment Finance who are seeking insight into application of technology in order to rapidly go to market with solutions that will not only deliver critical business value but enable sustainable and scalable long-term growth while mitigating risk and managing costs.

Speakers:

Tawnya Stone, Moderator
Vice President, Strategic Technology
GreatAmerica Financial Services

Brock Morrison
Chief Information Officer
Sasser Family Companies

Angie Branch
Business Information Technology Manager
Sasser Family Companies

Josh Chesser
Interim General Manager
Chicago Freight Car Leasing Co.

Award Winner: Chicago Freight Car Leasing Co. (CFCL), a Sasser Family Company

GRAND OAKS A-C

The transition off of LIBOR as a generally accepted interest rate will be a significant change for many lessors. It will involve trillions of dollars in transactions, it will be complex to execute impacting multiple systems, it will change the economic value transfer equation, and there are structural differences in the various replacement interest rates. This session will explore all of the aspects of transitioning away from LIBOR - the timetable, pros and cons of various alternative rates, regulatory concerns, effective fallbacks, accounting issues, and transition planning.

Speakers:

Scott Thacker, CPA, CLFP, Moderator
CEO
Ivory Consulting Corporation

Adam Schneider
Partner
Oliver Wyman

Jeff Elliott, CLFP
President
Huntington Equipment Finance

John Bober
Director
The Alta Group LLC

Ric Andersen
Senior Vice President, Specialty Finance Lending
Key Corporate Bank

WESTERN ALLIANCE BANK ROOM - GRAND OAKS D-F

Vertical market definition and segmentation is the life blood of business strategy. Nowhere is this truer than equipment finance where markets are defined by region, by equipment class, and by NAICS codes. Typically, the people making up these segments are treated as common types. But Gen Y, the Millennials, will change that. Millennials live The Experience Economy. They have grown up in a usage-based economy - cell phone data plans, on-demand streaming media accounts and transportation via car, bike, and scooter sharing. Gen Y believes “pay for what I use” is the standard regardless of whether they work in construction, healthcare, or transportation. As the largest generation to date - 88 million in the US, 10 million more than the Boomer generation they will be the largest vertical market in the industry – ever. In this session, we’ll explore generational design and how the numbers of people in Gen Y will drive both economics and the offerings of every market.

Speakers:

Dr. Scott Nelson, Moderator
Chief Digital Officer
Tamarack Technology, Inc.

Shea Huston
Co-Founder, Partner
Honour Capital

Zachary K. Kimball
Founder & CEO
Hardfin

Jena Morgan, CLFP
Vice President of Operations
KLC Financial, Inc.

6:30 -
9:30 pm
Closing Reception & Dinner Outside

Deep in the Heart of Texas!

OUTSIDE RIVER BEND PAVILION