Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Don Hansen, CEO at Regents Capital Corporation, to explore how an independent lender keeps its flexibility while scaling into an institutional platform. Don founded Regents in 2013 around a simple idea: customers bring their business reality, and Regents' job is to turn it into the right...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Brett Rondeau, Executive Vice President of Sales and Syndication at Universal Finance Corp., to explore how a construction-focused equity lender builds its syndication desk, broker network, and underwriting approach around customers who fall outside the traditional lending box. Universal...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Kareem Jernigan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at LAI Fleet, to explore how a 68 year old fleet management company is modernizing its entire technology platform without losing the culture and service model that built its reputation. For a company built on relationsh...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Dan Levin, Co-Founder and CEO at Liventus, to explore how equipment finance leaders can cut through AI and technology hype to find what actually drives operational improvement. Every lender and lessor today is hearing the same pitch: AI will transform your business, automation  will fix y...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Mark Lacek, a nearly five-decade veteran of the recovery industry and one of the most frequently retained expert witnesses in wrongful repossession litigation, to explore what actually goes wrong in the field and how much of it traces back to decisions made at the lender level. Mark perfo...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Mike Toglia, founder and publisher of Equipment Finance Advisor and ABL Advisor, to explore how three decades inside the industry, from credit analyst to national sales leader to capital markets executive, now shape how he covers it from the outside. Mike walks through the arc of his care...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Daryn Lecy, CLFP, MBA, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at Oakmont Capital Services, to explore what it actually takes to scale an equipment finance company the right way. Oakmont's growth story is not typical. In 2018, Daryn and his team joined Oakmont's Minnesota office...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Bruce Brandon, Vice President of Indirect Business Development and Training at TCS Equipment Finance, to explore how trust, credit discipline, and vendor relationships shape deal flow in the middle market broker channel. Most brokers spend their careers in small ticket, app-only territory...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Chad Sluss, CEO of the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA), to get an honest read on where the industry stands and where one of its most important associations is headed next. Chad came into the NEFA role in September 2020, stepping into a job where the core value propositio...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Erik Anderson, Chief Credit Officer at Northland Capital, to explore how disciplined credit strategy, strong relationships, and continuous evolution have fueled long-term growth. Erik shares his unconventional path into equipment finance, starting as a credit analyst during the 2008 finan...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace sits down with Jeffry Elliott, CEO of Elevex Capital, to explore the structural shifts reshaping the equipment finance industry. After decades inside large bank environments, Jeffry shares why regional banks are increasingly focused on deposit-driven lending and how that shift is forcing them to pull back from transactional finance, includ...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace sits down with Erik Eddington, COO of CH Brown Equipment Finance, to discuss how operational discipline, culture, and speed can drive meaningful performance gains. Coming from a background in commercial and agricultural banking, Erik shares what it was like stepping into equipment finance with a fresh perspective and how that outsider lens...

In this special one-year anniversary episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace steps out of the host seat and into the guest role to reflect on what the podcast has uncovered over its first year. Drawing from more than 20 conversations with lenders, lessors, and industry leaders, Andrew shares the common challenges that surfaced across the industry, including portfolio stress, misalignmen...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace sits down with Deborah Reuben, CLFP, innovation strategist, CEO and Founder of TomorrowZone®, and author of Enter the TomorrowZone , to explore how leaders can move beyond reactive decision-making and design future-ready organizations. Deborah shares how the conversation around innovation has shifted from why it matters to how to actually...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace sits down with Mark Musumeci, Director of Risk Operations at Volvo Financial Services USA, to explore how captive finance organizations navigate risk, relationships, and performance through challenging market cycles. Mark shares how Volvo Financial Services balances supporting OEM partners with maintaining a healthy portfolio, and why rela...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace sits down with Reid Raykovich, CEO of the Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) Foundation, to explore how education, ethics, and professional standards are shaping the future of equipment finance. Reid shares the remarkable story of how the CLFP Foundation evolved from a struggling organization with limited resources into the...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace sits down with Ron Elwood, Senior Vice President at Navitas Credit, to explore what it takes to build and sustain a leading third-party origination platform in today’s competitive equipment finance market. With more than 25 years of industry experience — starting in credit underwriting and rising to executive leadership — Ron shares how Na...

In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective, Andrew Pace sits down with Paul Fogle, Managing Director of Quality Equipment Finance and Immediate Past President of NEFA, to unpack the real work behind building and rebuilding an independent equipment finance platform. Paul shares how Quality scaled from $20M to $240M, what the prolonged over-the-road trucking downturn taught the industry, and how “...

Dan Krajewski has helped scale some of the largest platforms in equipment finance. In this episode, he joins ACS’s Andrew Pace to share the playbook for building sustainable growth — including MAZO Capital’s transformation from a discounter to a full-service, balance sheet lender. With more than 40 years in the industry, Dan breaks down what it takes to raise capital, build infrastructure, and gro...

In this episode, Saurin Shah shares his entrepreneurial journey from GE Capital to building and scaling two successful equipment finance platforms — Nations Equipment Finance and now MidCap Equipment Finance. Hosted by Andrew Pace, Chief Client Experience Officer at ACS, the conversation covers risk management, platform growth, team-building, credit discipline, and lessons from past cycles. Saurin...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Hollis Bufferd, CEO of Star Hill Financial, for a dynamic conversation about growth, resilience, and inclusion in the equipment finance space. From building a minority-certified business to navigating market headwinds with adaptability and discipline, Hollis shares what it takes to scale...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , host Andrew Pace welcomes Kip Amstutz, President of 360 Equipment Finance. From launching his first business with a promissory note from his father to building a nationwide finance company with a disciplined approach to subprime lending, Kip shares the real-world strategies that have shaped his success. They explor...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity , Andrew Pace sits down with Rob Ceribelli of Channel to unpack what it takes to scale a financial services company—from leading through a private equity exit to building out infrastructure that supports sustainable growth. Rob shares candid insights into strategic leadership, risk modeling, portfolio expansion, and...

In this episode of Portfolio Perspective , Andrew Pace welcomes Jim Ryan, Sales Manager at Sandhills Global, to unpack the current realities of equipment valuation, auction trends, and retail-first remarketing strategies. With oversight of all auction products and financial customer relationships at Sandhills, Jim brings an unmatched view into market cycles, recovery tactics, and the role of AI an...

John Gougeon didn’t just step into leadership at Unifi—he opened the gates for a high-performance team to run. In this episode, John joins Andrew Pace for a candid conversation about leading through transition, building a growth engine without sacrificing credit quality, and navigating today’s market with clarity, caution, and consistency. From transitioning away from tranche business to tightenin...