Getting to Know Jeff Chambers of Alliance Collection Service

There are a lot of people who are afraid to hire people who are smarter than they are because they are afraid those people will take their job. As an indication of the type of person that Jeff Chambers is, not only does he not have a problem with hiring smart people, he points it out as one of the best things he does. That takes a special kind of security and devotion to doing the best work possible. Read on to learn more about Jeff and how the ARM industry’s gain is the boxing world’s loss.

 

Name: Jeff Chambers

Company: Alliance Collection Service, Inc.

Length of time at current company: 23 years

Length of time in industry: 30 years

How did you get your start in the industry?

I was working in finance, and was put in charge of the company’s recovery operation. I found a talent in collecting and I pursued it.

 

What is your career highlight so far?

Last year, we moved into a new facility we built. It’s a brand new 6,400-square-foot facility in a great location in downtown Tupelo, Miss.

 

When or how are you most productive?

When I have project deadlines.

 

Which industry professional do you admire most?

There are too many to list.

 

What is one thing you do better than everyone else?

I’m not sure I do anything better than anyone else but I have found that I have been really good at hiring people that are more qualified and smarter than myself in their respective field.

 

What do you like most about this industry?

The support of our association and colleagues.

 

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

The stereotype of collection agencies as “bad guys,” and regulation, specifically the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

 

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

I owned/coached a boxing/mixed martial arts gym, so probably something in that area.

 

Describe a typical work day.

Yard work, office work, exercise, and family time.

 

What is your guilty pleasure?

Cinnamon rolls

 

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!

 

What are you currently reading?

“Unforgivable Blackness, The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson” by Geoffrey Ward

 

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

I’m available if I can help.

 

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Bob Camp or Dick Williams