NEFA’s 2013 National Equipment Finance Summit, held in Albuquerque, NM, March 14-16 brought together equipment finance business originators, funding sources and other service providers for a fast paced combination of educational breakout sessions, table-top exhibits and lots of networking and socializing.
Chairperson for the event was Jesse Johnson, of LeaseTeam. “This was a great event to plan and put on,” said Johnson. “I enjoyed getting to work with some good friends and make some new friends as we put together the content for our conference attendees.”
NEFA President, John Rosenlund, of Portfolio Financial Servicing Co., said, “Long time members of the former UAEL have good memories of prior conferences in Albuquerque and it was good to see some of them who have not been as active at conferences in recent years attending this one. We’re also very pleased that we continue to attract first time attendees to our events.”
While thanking the largest number of sponsors NEFA’s had for a conference, John Rosenlund also announced that the Chairperson for NEFA’s 2013 Funding Symposium, to be held October 10-12, in Nashville, Tennessee, will be Stephanie Hall, of Bryn Mawr Funding.
Gerry Egan, NEFA Executive Director, said, “I’m very pleased with the conference. Our turnout hit exactly what we budgeted and planned for and the hotel was very nice. About a hundred of our attendees signed up for one of our add-on events on Friday night. I wondered, while we were putting them on the busses, if I was out of my mind sending a bunch of equipment finance people to an event that included a tequila tasting and a casino visit, but everyone made it back —and with most of their money still in their pockets!”
Egan also said, “Some of our attendees took advantage of discounts we arranged for hot air balloon rides. Among the adventurers were, Barry Marks, of Marks & Weinberg, PC; Bob Cohen, of Moritt Hock & Hamroff, LLP; Kami Stehman, of Quiktrak, Inc; and Matt Padden, of Padco Financial Services, Inc., and his wife, Stacy.
The conference wrapped up Saturday afternoon with two of the highest rated sessions of the conference. Following the final sessions were some prize drawings. Among the winners was Gabe Jarnot, of Northland Capital Financial Services, LLC, who was presented with an Apple iPad Mini and accessory package by prize sponsor Michael Smith, of RTR Services, Inc.
The National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) is a national association serving small to mid-sized independent equipment finance companies, lessors and brokers and banks. NEFA is a strong, close-knit association offering enhanced educational programs and premium networking opportunities with broad geographic and industry segment diversity. The mission of NEFA is to provide a forum for members to pursue personal and professional growth and promote ethical business practices through advocacy, networking and industry involvement.