FROM THE PUBLISHER William G. Sutton, CAE Connect, Engage, Grow! T unique opportunities to connect and share information and best practices with your fellow industry executives. When you tap into our community of leaders, you establish connections that enable you to engage in new opportunities and grow both professionally and personally. See what’s planned for the Annual Convention, Oct. 25–27 in San Antonio, at www.elfaonline.org/AC . HE THEME FOR OUR 54TH ELFA ANNUAL CONVENTION IS CONNECT, ENGAGE, GROW! As a member of ELFA, you have Speaking of unique opportunities to get together, our cover photograph was taken at the National Funding Conference in Chicago last month. Th e annual event, which connects ELFA members seeking funding with lending sources looking for investment opportunities, attracted the largest turnout since before the Great Recession. See photos on page 12. Immediately preceding the Funding Conference, the Best Practices Roundtables convened bank, independent and captive and vendor fi nance executives to discuss hot topics in their respective sectors. See highlights on page 14. When members get together, they exchange valuable insights. At the Executive Roundtable in March, industry leaders discussed the latest trends impacting the industry and strategized about the future. Read six takeaways from the event on page 10. Also, don’t miss the thought-provoking predictions from the Equipment Leasing & Finance Founda-tion’s Industry Future Council meeting on page 30. Distinguished Service Award The ELFA Distinguished Service Award honors ELFA members who have made a signifi cant contribution to our association and our industry and who encourage others to contribute to the development and growth of the industry. We encourage you to nominate yourself or a colleague for the award this year. Find out the eligibility requirements and fi ll out the online nomination form at www.elfaonline. org/Events/DSA/ . Th e award recipient will be formally rec-ognized at the 2015 ELFA Annual Convention. See you in San Antonio! ■ Have an idea for a session at the ELFA Annual Convention? See page 11. Lease Accounting With a new lease-accounting standard expected in 2015, with a likely transition date of 2018, now is the time to engage your customers regarding the new rules. Many lessees may not know or understand the potential impact of the pro-posed rules. Th e good news is that the proposed changes are expected to have a positive impact on customers and their propensity to lease. Watch a video of the Executive Round-table session “Strategies for Success in the New Lease Ac-counting World” and access additional tools for educating your customers about the lease accounting changes at www. elfaonline.org/Issues/Accounting/ . William G. Sutton, CAE, 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. Check out photos from ELFA events on our Facebook page at www.facebook. com/ELFApage . SHUTTERSTOCK What’s on tap for the 2015 Annual Convention in San Antonio? Find out at www.elfaonline.org/events/2015/AC/video.cfm . EQUIPMENT LEASING & FINANCE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2015 3