BUSINESS COUNCIL UPDATES Sector Committees to Meet in D.C. W represent ELFA’s fi ve key business segments, are actively engaged in representing members’ interests. Th e BCSCs are an integral part of ELFA operations, providing critical input on the direction of the association, meeting the needs of members in their respective areas and serving as a bridge between the members and the Board of Directors and staff . Th e following are highlights of the activities under way by the committees, which will meet in Washington, D.C., as part of the Capitol Connections program, May 18–19. HAT’S HAPPENING with the Business Council Steering Committees (BCSCs) this year? Th e fi ve committees, which Captive and Vendor Finance BCSC Th is committee represents the constituency group within ELFA that provides vendor fi nancing, either as a subsidiary of a manufacturer or on an independent, third-party basis, or a hybrid of the two. A major initiative for the committee is planning the Captive and Vendor Finance Best Practices Roundtable for senior executives, to be held April 19 preceding the National Funding Conference in Chicago. To learn more, visit www. elfaonline.org/CaptiveVendorBP/. Th e committee is in the process of trying to assess and understand the needs of its constituents through an elec-tronic survey distributed in January to all members of this Business Council. Th e response period recently concluded, and a subgroup within the committee is busy analyzing the results and determining how to translate those needs into actionable programs or initiatives benefi ting captives and vendor-based member organizations. Th e committee is also focused on meeting its membership targets for 2016; continuing its leadership in contributing to LeasePAC, ELFA’s political action committee; achieving 100% participation in ELFA’s Beige Book; recruiting colleges and universities who may be willing to expose their students to the equipment fi nance industry as a career choice through the Guest Lecture Program; and supporting the Foundation and its targeted research initiatives. For more information, contact Committee Chair Mike Sweeney (Michael.Sweeney@EverBank.com) or staff liaison Bill Choi (BChoi@elfaonline.org). A subcommittee of this BCSC has been formed to plan the April 19 Bank Best Practices Roundtable. Th is event is designed to bring like-minded executives together to dis-cuss trends aff ecting their companies, market segments and areas of responsibility. Th is year’s roundtable, facilitated by Charles Wendel, President of Financial Institutions Consult-ing, Inc., is limited to senior executives of member bank leas-ing companies. Topics planned for this event include: ● ● Benchmarking trends ● ● Th e changing workforce ● ● Technology trends in equipment fi nance Th is roundtable is being held at the Swissôtel Chicago immediately preceding the ELFA National Funding Con-ference, April 19–21 in Chicago. To learn more, visit www. elfaonline.org/events/2016/BBPR or contact Alexa Carnibella at acarnibella@elfaonline.org. For more information, contact Committee Chair Alan Sikora (alan.sikora@faef.com) or staff liaison Julie Benson (jbenson@elfaonline.org). Independent Middle Market BCSC Th is committee engages independent fi nance and multi-line fi nance companies involved in transactions between $250,000 and $5 million, either individually or through lines. A subcommittee is planning the April 19 Independent Best Practices Roundtable for senior executives from independent leasing companies. Th e event will feature focused sessions on planning for the future, including (1) current events, (2) growth obstacles and opportunities and (3) the next gen-eration of leasing. To learn more and register, visit www.elfa online.org/events/2016/IR . In addition, the committee is focused on meeting its membership targets for 2016; continuing its leadership in contributing to LeasePAC, ELFA’s political action commit-tee; achieving 100% participation in ELFA’s Beige Book; Financial Institutions BCSC Th is committee represents bank-related organizations and other fi nancial institutions involved in single transactions over $5 million. 16 MARCH/APRIL 2016 EQUIPMENT LEASING & FINANCE MAGAZINE