I am thrilled to announce that the Getting to Know series will be sponsored by TEC Services Group in 2024. TEC Services Group is the leading technology and professional services firm in the credit collections industry offering both leading industry solutions along with unrivaled, unbiased, and experienced support. TEC is now extending its services by offering proven, industry-leading technology solutions alongside of our Professional Services to help Clients feel confident in their technology decisions. Learn more at ww.tecsg.com.
If it wasn’t dollar drink night at the bar that Friday, Amanda Gazos would likely be a corrections officer right now, and not someone who has spent more than two decades learning, growing, and becoming a respected leader in the ARM industry. Read on to learn more about Amanda, including why you should never bother her when her kids aren’t around and why she doesn’t have to worry about her kids not being proud of her.
Name: Amanda Gazos
Job Title: Director of Operations and Compliance
Company: Bayview Solutions
Length of time at current company: 3 & 1/2 Years
Length of time in industry: 24 Years
How did you get your start in the industry?
Funny story, I was hired in a bar on dollar drink night with zero collections experience and it was only up from there. I instantly fell in love with the hustle, grind, and repeat mentality that was being a collector.
What is your career highlight so far?
I would say making a big pivot going from a large corporate company that I was with for 14 years solely focused on collections, operations, client relations, and portfolio management to a smaller, but mighty, team at Bayview while not really know much about the debt buying side of things. It has been the best move I have made to date and the learning continues daily which is something that fuels me.
When or how are you most productive?
I am most productive when I have lots of coffee HAHA but outside of that I am most productive when I am organized and have a clear, laid-out plan how to tackle what’s on the days agenda. Don’t get me wrong, I can fly by the seat of my pants and multitask like no other, but doing that doesn’t necessarily equate to quality production or results.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
I admire so many amazing professionals in our industry but Stephanie Eidelman – I admire most. Her vision, her commitment, her passion, and her dedication to Women in Consumer Finance, connecting with everyone on a personal level to make sure everyone feels seen, heard and appreciated is so above and beyond any other person I have experienced in this industry. The immense amount of time, effort, and care to ensure everyone has a voice and an opportunity to be heard that goes into her organization, her team, and the annual conference is so completely admirable to me and I commend her for being such an incredible inspiration to so many.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
UMM I really dont think there is anything I do better than anyone else because I do not see people as competition or hold myself to the standards of what other people are doing. I will tell you what I believe my strengths are and some of those are being a strong leader who leads with empathy, compassion and I have a strong will to ensure all of my employees feel heard, valued, have the tools they need to be set up to succeed in their role and I always, always have an open door policy. I do not believe there is anything I cannot accomplish if I set my mind to it and I never give up. I am a single mom of two, I am an executive and a leader and I want to be someone my children can be proud of and know that giving up or throwing in the towel on anything in life that you make a commitment to is not an option.
What do you like most about this industry?
The amazing people in our industry make this job that much more amazing. It’s incredible how much togetherness there is when you put yourself out there, network and cultivate relationships. I love my network, I love that we can be supportive of each other, cheerlead each other but also share successes and failures and growth and strategies. Conferences are a must. Talking to other people in the industry about what works and doesn’t work is a must. What vendors work or do not work, what strategies work or do not work. This is a MUST for successful growth and I am grateful for everyone I encounter who loves to just have a genuine chat.
The Getting to Know Series is Sponsored By:
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
10000% the negative outlook many people have on the collections industry.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
Corrections officer (that was my plan for a very long time)
Describe a typical work day.
HA no day is ever the same and honestly that is what I love most about my job besides my team. Compliance and Operations never gives the same situations day in and day out and I love that. I love problem solving, simplifying processes and learning more each day to make me more effective as a leader, a person and a mom. Typically, the days are packed with meetings and agent coaching. We have a lot of fun at Bayview, we laugh, we work together as a team way more often than most teams probably do and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Oh man this is a great question and my answer is probably going to sound so boring but its heaven to me LOL. I have a 4-year-old and a 13-year-old and work often so my guilty pleasure is one of two things:
- Ordering take-out when I have the house to myself and being able to put the TV on whatever it is I WANT to watch which doesn’t happen often LOL.
- Sometimes I legit just sit in my car before going into mom mode from work mode and listen to music or a Ted Talk or simply enjoy the quiet, me-time for a moment and it sounds so boring and basic but that time is EVERYTHING, even if it’s just five minutes HAHA
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Man this was hard because I have received so many sage pieces of advice that I keep a notepad of ones that I do not want to forget but the best piece of advice I would say has to be: “Do not let your misguided loyalty keep you rooted in a situation you are not valued in or has no growth potential’ and that remains my motto in personal and professional life to this day.
What are you currently reading?
I read or listen to audible just about every day but currently I am listening on audible while in car or doing work that doesn’t require me to be talking to someone to “Your Next Five Moves” by Patrick Bet-David and I am reading on Kindle a book my boss just purchased for each our team members recommended to us by our executive coach called “The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande. So far both are INCREDIBLE. My all-time favorite book that I have read several times and get something new out of it each time is “I Am That Girl” by Alexis Jones. I think every woman should read this at least once.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I am extremely committed to personal and professional growth and I am equally committed to being the best mother and example I can be for my children. I do not spend much time worrying about the mistakes or failures. I spend my time after a failure or mistake ensuring there is a solution in place so it doesn’t get repeated again in the future. There is no time for the sitting in your feelings, that accomplishes nothing. Accept it, find a solution for it and keep it moving.
The Getting to Know series is sponsored by TEC Services Group. TEC Services Group is the leading technology and professional services firm in the credit collections industry offering both leading industry solutions along with unrivaled, unbiased, and experienced support. TEC is now extending its services by offering proven, industry-leading technology solutions alongside of our Professional Services to help Clients feel confident in their technology decisions. Learn more at ww.tecsg.com.