Member Profile: Getting to Know Tim Collins

Tim Collins is one of the most respected compliance experts in the ARM industry. Frequently sought after by anyone with a compliance-related question, Collins has a way of talking about compliance that makes it seem less complicated than it really is. It’s because he knows the subject matter so well, backwards and forwards, that he can explain in layman’s terms, and for the least sophisticated of us, even use stick figure diagrams when we really don’t understand something. So when he says he’s here to help, he really means it. Please read below for more details about Tim.

Name: Tim Collins

Company: Convergent Outsourcing, Inc.

Length of time at current company: 3 years

Length of time in industry: 22 years

How did you get your start in the industry? 

I worked as an attorney for the commercial collections law firm Muller, Muller, Richmond, Harms, & Myers, PC in Birmingham, Mich.

 

What is your career highlight so far? 

That I have worked for collection law firms both commercial and retail, a debt buyer, multiple collection agencies, and a creditor. This has given me a comprehensive perspective of our industry.

 

Which industry profession do you admire most? 

Nursing, their dedication to those they care for is amazing.

 

What is one thing you do better than everyone else?

Remain calm in extremely stressful and chaotic situations.

 

When or how are you most productive?

I am most productive early in the morning before the rest of the world gets going.

 

What do you like most about this industry?

That it is always changing and everyday there are new challenges and opportunities.

 

What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?

The desire for all plaintiff lawyers to truly want to help their clients.

 

If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?

Flying airplanes for a major airline.

 

Describe a typical work day.

I start the day by 5:30 a.m., if not earlier. The first thing I do is respond to email and review what has to get done that day. Then, I try and get a workout in before making breakfast for my family. After that I am usually on the phone from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. I finish the day by responding to email and getting ready for the next day. After 6 p.m. I stop to make dinner and spend time with my girls before checking email one last time or finish a contract review.

 

What is your guilty pleasure?

Reading. I still buy books made out of paper even though I have a Kindle and multiple devices that have the Kindle, Nook, and iBook apps.

 

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Time is the only thing that matters. Once it is gone, so are you.

 

What are you currently reading?

How to Make a Spaceship by Julian Guthrie. Tire Treads Up My Back, by Peter Collins. Elsewhere by John Tagholm. The High Frontier by Gerard O’Neil, and The Little Book of Mindful Travel.

 

What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?

I am here to help.

 

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Mike Frost and Michael Strachan.