I am thrilled to announce that the “Getting to Know” series is now being sponsored by Arbeit Software. Arbeit is a powerful, and easy to use communications platform that empowers businesses to reach more consumers. Innovative by nature, we are constantly listening to and understanding the businesses we partner with and developing long term industry relationships that allow us to be proactive in anticipating industry needs.
Derrik Garhart sounds like he would be a lot of fun to hang out with. Just make sure not to bother him when he’s watching football on Sunday, especially his beloved Raiders. Like many in the industry, Derrik has worked his way up the ladder in the industry and has no plans on stopping anytime soon. Read on to learn more about Derrik and how the Dodgers’ loss is the ARM industry’s gain.
Name: Derrik Garhart
Company: Professional Finance Company
Length of time at current position: 13 years.
Length of time in industry: 19 years.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I started off my collection career doing first-party subprime credit card collections for PREMIER Bankcard in Sioux Falls, S.D. I worked there for about six years as a collector, dialer analyst, management associate and collections supervisor.
What is your career highlight so far?
Being hired as director of collections for a highly respected collection agency and winning “Employee of the Year” for that company in 2018. Honestly, it’s a highlight every day I get to be a part of Professional Finance Company. This is truly a great place to work!
When or how are you most productive?
Loaded up with coffee! I enjoy collaborative efforts with my team. Get us in a room and let the ideas and strategies fly. I must have the opinions of others. I enjoy taking in everyone’s thoughts and making a decision. Also, some of the best ideas and strategies come to us when we’re actually team-building outside the office.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
I admire the senior vice president of operations, Jerry Peer, here at Professional Finance Company. Jerry has it all. He’s extremely knowledgeable and has a great personality. Jerry is a huge part of the award-winning culture at PFC.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Fantasy baseball and football! I’ve been playing some sort of fantasy sports since I was 12 years old. I still have fantasy football magazines from the early 90’s!
What do you like most about this industry?
I enjoy all of it. The challenges of communicating effectively with consumers and employees, managing dialing strategies, and designing processes and workflows to manage inventory.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
I’d love to change the overall perception of debt collectors. There are so many legitimate, honest agencies out there and we tend to get lumped into the solicitation, telemarketing, even scamming crowd. I wish people understood why debt collection is a necessity for our economy. We are good people who do the right thing!
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I always dreamed of playing Major League Baseball so I’m sure if I hadn’t pursued this debt collection thing, I’d be playing shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers!
Describe a typical work day.
I try to get to the office early to start going through my inbox and look over my calendar for the day. Most days there are things like meetings, demos, trainings or one on ones are scheduled. I like to write out my schedule for the day, identifying the most crucial tasks to complete. I speak to my floor supervisors and trainer several times a day to get the latest happenings and see how I can help support them. I spend a lot of time designing new processes or changing processes to gain efficiencies. I manage inventory, come up with campaign strategies and find ways to make the employment experience better for staff.
What is your guilty pleasure?
NFL Football Sundays. I can’t get enough NFL. I’m usually watching multiple games at once!
The Getting to Know Series is Sponsored By:
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Learn how to truly listen to people. Listen with intent to understand, not with intent to reply. Very rarely do we practice listening. It’s a skill that many people don’t spend much time on, but it’s so important to effective communication.
What are you currently reading?
Right now, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell. I’m and Audible subscriber and love self-improvement/communication audio books like the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Steven Covey and “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I’m a huge Oakland Raiders fan! Just Win Baby!
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Jerry Peer, senior vice president of operations here at PFC.
The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Arbeit Software. Arbeit is a powerful, and easy to use communications platform that empowers businesses to reach more consumers. Innovative by nature, we are constantly listening to and understanding the businesses we partner with and developing long term industry relationships that allow us to be proactive in anticipating industry needs.
