FROM THE PUBLISHER By Ralph Petta An Exciting Year Ahead W ELCOME TO 2016! I’m honored to be serving as ELFA’s new President and CEO and look forward to working with our member companies in support of our great industry in the year ahead. In this issue of Equipment Leasing & Finance , we look at what’s on the horizon for 2016 to help you anticipate industry trends and position your company for success. Here’s a preview: EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT : We’ll kick INDUSTRY ISSUES : This is a critical time for the equipment finance industry. We are facing new challenges and opportuni-ties, from new lease accounting rules to rising interest rates to the growth of alter-native finance, just to name a few. ELFA and our member volunteers are executing on a number of initiatives to meet these developments. Get a snapshot look at some of the priorities our association will be tackling in the year ahead on p. 40 and stay tuned more information. FUTURE FORECAST : What does the future hold for the equipment finance industry? In “State of the Industry 2016: 12 Factors Driving Equipment Finance,” Jeff Jenson of Keybridge Research reports that the equipment finance industry will navigate a changing market and adapt to economic and policy shifts this year. Read what Jenson and your fellow industry leaders have to say on p. 16. TOP TRENDS : For more predictions, check out ELFA’s “Top 10 Equipment Acquisition Trends for 2016” at www.Equipment FinanceAdvantage.org/rsrcs/articles/10trends.cfm and consult the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s “2016 Equip-ment Leasing & Finance U.S. Eco-nomic Outlook Report” at www.Lease Foundation.org. Speaking of the Foun-dation, we are grateful to the donors listed on p. 54–55 whose contribu-tions make the Foundation’s valuable research possible. EDUCATION : We have a stellar lineup of business and professional devel-opment events planned for this year. Check out the education supplement on p. 25 and register yourself and your staff for learning and network-ing opportunities. off our 2016 event lineup with the Equip-ment Management Conference, Feb. 21-23 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Before you attend, get a look at the state of asset management on p. 34. LEASE ACCOUNTING : Helping members prepare for the new lease accounting standard will be a major area of focus for the association this year. On p. 48, we kick off a three-part series on imple-mentation. Watch for more resources, including a free web seminar, a one-day workshop, new tip sheets and more on ELFA’s Lease Accounting webpage at www.elfaonline.org/Issues/Accounting/. LEADERSHIP : We are very fortunate to have engaged volun-teers and a strong leadership team in place for 2016. Read about Chairman Bill Stephenson’s priorities for the coming year on p. 12 and see how our Business Council Steering Committees are ramping up on p. 10. We have a lot to accomplish this year, and we can’t do it without you. Thank you in advance for your participa-tion! Please don’t hesitate to contact us at ELFA headquarters if you have any questions or you’d like to get in-volved. ■ We have a lot to accomplish this year, and we can’t do it without you. 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. EQUIPMENT LEASING & FINANCE MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 3