It’s that time of year again; time for individuals to make promises — known as resolutions — to be better in the coming year. AccountsRecovery.net reached out to a number of industry professionals during the holidays and asked for their resolutions. Some of them were kind enough to take time from their enjoying the revelry to share their hopes and dreams for 2019. Here is what they shared:
LaDonna Bohling, Vice President – Special Operations, Contract Callers
For 2019, I thought about improvements that are important to me and have resolved my self to do the following:
Industry – Take every opportunity to share the value of our industry; if an opportunity doesn’t arise, create one.
Personal – Focus on my martial arts training to prepare myself for testing for 4th degree black belt. Stop procrastinating — I’ll work on this one tomorrow.
Michael Lamm, Managing Partner, Corporate Advisory Solutions
1. Engage More with Up and Coming Industry Executives. We, as an industry, are not doing enough to find and develop the next generation of leaders for this industry. With all of the M&A activity, we have seen a “brain drain” in the industry and it is time to put our engagement efforts to supporting the younger executives who are interested in stepping up and helping to guide the future of our industry. The technology transformation is in full swing with the expectation that the CFPB will come out with new, proposed “tech friendly” rules, the timing couldn’t be better to start helping the next generation of leaders build and/or reposition ARM companies to be set up to interact with a consumer population that is shifting to more non-voice communication.
2. Stop and Take it All In. It is so easy to get consumed by daily life, both personally and professionally, where you forget to stop and take that “deep breath” and absorb your triumphs, failures or opportunities to simply get better at whatever it is. Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and my goal in 2019 is to take in more of what life has to offer one step at a time.
Rick Perr, Partner, Fineman Krekstein & Harris
My New Year’s Resolution for the ARM Industry is to double-down on our advocacy to both Democrats and Republicans, lawmakers and regulators, to help modernize outdated statutes and restore some semblance of sanity to the random enforcement by the judiciary.
David Kaminski, Partner, Carlson & Messer
My New Year’s resolution is to continue to work on behalf of the credit and collection industries towards achieving balance from courts and regulatory agencies regarding the interpretation of the consumer protection laws that have plagued the credit and collection industries for years. Balance in life, business, and the law creates a win-win situation for all. Let’s toast to a great 2019!!
Scott Brownlee, Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer, Dorado Systems
In 2019 I look to be more diligent in raising the flag of cyber–awareness in the ARM industry. Not all that noteworthy or likely sharable but small/mid-size agencies, especially those collecting healthcare debt, are going to have significant issues in obtaining/keeping their healthcare business if they don’t raise the bar significantly on their cyber-security defenses.
Leslie Bender, Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel, BCA Financial Services
For myself: I ran or hiked 3,700 kilometers in 2018. I’m hoping to get to 4,000 in 2019.
For the industry: I am optimistic that the industry will continue to innovate ways to communicate with consumers in the manner in which they prefer (without running afoul of CFPB, FTC or FCC expectations).
Jan Steiger, Executive Director, Receivables Management Association International
Endeavor to continue the rebirth of a more professional and ethical debt collection industry via CFPB rules and the promotion of certification for all stakeholders.
Judd Peak, Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel, Frost-Arnett
My New Year’s resolution is to take a more adversarial/combative approach to frivolous consumer litigation. Enough is enough!
Ed Saleh, CEO, Acer Capital Recovery
Industry: I’d like to see regulators allow the debt collection industry to embrace established and emerging communication technology.
Personal: To grow as a husband, father and business owner. Acknowledge the difficulties, but chose a thoughtful path forward.
