Welcome to a new regular feature on AccountsRecovery.net. The collections and debt-buying industries are tight-knit communities, but there is a lot that we do not know about each other. To rectify that, we will be posting profiles of members on a regular basis. If you are interested in being profiled, please contact me via email.
Name
Peter Duffey
Company
Length of time at current company
Launched earlier this year.
Length of time in industry
17 years.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I got a job as an entry level collector in 1998.
What is your career highlight so far?
Starting my own company. Thirteen years ago, I left my position with the agency I worked with to start my own company providing civil investigation support to agencies and attorneys.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
All entry-level collectors. Collections is a very hard and thankless job with a bad reputation. I admire anyone who comes into it and sticks it out to learn what the industry is actually about and why it’s important.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Find people.
What do you like most about this industry?
The portions of the industry I’m most involved in, investigations and skiptracing, are like working on puzzles and I enjoy that very much.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
How undervalued it is by society as a whole.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I have no idea. I’ve been in and around this industry almost my entire adult life.
Describe a typical work day
I have three offices, one in my home and the others off-site. I also do a lot of field work. Every single day is a work day for me. I check my email before I even get out of bed. I’m working pretty much all day either coordinating surveillance, making phone calls, responding to emails, skiptracing (my favorite thing to do), conducting investigations, serving papers or a plethora of other things. Every day is different. Which is another thing I love about my job.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Playing video games.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t spend more time or effort on the account than it’s worth. There’s always another account.
What are you currently reading?
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan; and Crucial Conversations by Ron McMillan.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
Just that I’m a hard worker and if I say I’ll do something, I will do it.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Jack Gordon
