Foundation Kicks off with Aggressive Initiatives A

Foundation Kicks off
with Aggressive
Initiatives
By Thomas C. Wajnert
s noted in ELT in recent months, the
Equipment Leasing and Finance
Foundation has been refocused and
retooled with an ambitious, sharply
defined mission benefiting the future of
the leasing industry. The Foundation develops and
promotes the body of knowledge to enhance recognition and understanding of lease financing. Its
strategic objectives are:
• To maximize the role that equipment leasing
plays in the world economy.
• To be the prime developer and disseminator of
a body of knowledge of the leasing industry.
In its inaugural meeting, the Foundation’s Board
of Trustees adopted new, grand scale initiatives in
research and product development stemming
With new direction and directly from these objectives, and
include producing and funding the folleadership, the
lowing projects:
Industry Future Council (IFC)—
Foundation is moving
Each January, some of the most influenquickly to benefit leasing. tial executives of the equipment leasing
industry gather to deliberate on the
future of the industry and identify
emerging issues.
In keeping with its refocused mission, the
Foundation has taken responsibility for the IFC
(previously an ELA endeavor). By raising important
questions and encouraging future-oriented knowledge development, the IFC lends direction to subse-
A
quent Foundation research conducted throughout
the year. The IFC report is widely distributed and is
valued by stakeholders of the industry. ELT will feature an article summarizing the 2000 IFC report in
coming months.
The State of the Industry Report—The premier
overview of the leasing and finance industry’s
health and welfare, this report provides a competitive analysis of the market segments comprising the
equipment leasing and finance industry. This new
market research study (introduced in 1999), digests
results from ELA’s Survey of Industry Activity and
from other sources to present an in-depth analysis
of the equipment leasing and finance industry. The
comprehensive report answers the question, “What
is the current condition and the critical success
factors of the major segments of the businessLarge Ticket, Middle Market, Small Ticket and
Vendor Finance?”
Complementing the Survey of Industry Activity
and the Industry Future Council Report, the State
of the Industry Report is a road map for lessors to
follow to take advantage of market opportunities
and to avoid pitfalls.
E-Commerce Research—the Foundation will
commission a research study on the impact of the
Internet and e-commerce on the leasing industry. In
undertaking this research, the foundation hopes to
provide the information necessary to chart your
company’s technological future in the leasing indus-
try. Results from this research will be presented at
ELA’s annual convention in the fall.
The Journal of Equipment Lease Financing—
The biennial Journal continues to spotlight
research, case studies and practical information
useful to industry executives. It is a scholarly publication, providing in-depth articles covering industry trends; accounting, legal,
tax and regulatory issues; current lease
research and industry growth opportunities. You can obtain an index of published Journal articles through the
Foundation website, and the
Foundation Board of Trustees is
considering increasing its circulation
through electronic publication.
Grant Programs—the Foundation
has budgeted to fund forward-thinking
research grants conducted by university academia to continue to increase the
body of knowledge in the leasing industry. One grant underway, NonAppropriation Risk of Small Ticket
Municipal Leases, focuses on documenting the loss practice in small ticket municipal lease market and
identifying methods of pricing this
important risk. Visit the Foundation
website at http://elaonline.com/
foundatn.htm for information on completed research projects.
Internship Programs—Employing
interns is more than charity and more
than a contribution to the educational
development of our next generation.
It is a smart business practice because
it augments your company’s full time
professional staff and can advance
specific corporate objectives. The
Foundation is developing material to
assist members set up internship programs in their corporations and help
identify universities from which to
draw students.
Events—The Foundation is providing exciting opportunities for industry
leaders to get together in social settings, while supporting the mission of
the Foundation. Plans for golf outings and media
receptions are underway. The first is the Foundation
Golf Outing on June 6, 2000 at the Ridgewood
Country Club in Paramus, NJ. (Space to play golf is
limited to 40 industry members, however, all are
welcome to the reception following the outing that
Wajnert Assumes Foundation Chair
After eleven years of service, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation’s creator, founder and largest contributor stepped
down as Chairman. Through Paul Gass’ ingenuous creativity, the Foundation was founded eleven years ago to educate and conduct
research that would increase the body of knowledge of the equipment leasing and finance industry. Gass was recognized for his
ongoing contributions to the industry through the Foundation when incoming Chairman Tom Wajnert presented him with a crystal
gavel at the Foundation Board of Trustees meeting in January. Gass will continue serving as a Foundation Trustee.
Under the direction of new Foundation Chairman, Thomas Wajnert, the Foundation strives to meet its aggressive goals for 2000.
Wajnert, no new comer to the industry, served as ELA Chairman from 1995 to 1997 and was Chairman and CEO of AT &T Capital
Corporation from 1985 to 1997. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees are:
Vice Chair
Mr. John H. Beville
Mr. Michael A. Leichtling, Esq.
Mr. Steven F. Groth
SVP
Partner
Managing Director
Wachovia Leasing Corporation
Parker Chapin Flattau & Klimpl, Llp
Fleetboston
Mr. Donald P. Campbell
Mr. Salvatore Maglietta
Treasurer
President & CEO
Managing Director/Business Head
Ms. Deborah J. Monosson
De Lage Landen Financial Services
Citicorp
SVP
Boston Financial & Equity Corporation
Mr. David H. Frankel
Mr. Donal R. Ratigan
EVP
EVP/Equipment Financing
President
European American Bank
The Cit Group
Mr. Michael Fleming
President
Mr. Paul S. Gass
Mr. James S. Schallheim
Equipment Leasing Association
President
Professor of Finance
Help & Profit Company Inc.
University Of Utah
Secretary
Mr. Edward A. Groobert
Mr. David E. Harmon
Mr. David S. Wiener
Partner
President & CEO
SVP, Capital Markets Services
Dykema & Gossett
El Camino Resources, Ltd.
Ge Capital Markets Services, Inc.
Mr. A.J. Batt
President & CEO
Atel Capital Group
Mr. Larry Hartmann
EVP
American Express Business Finance
Mr. Mark S. Bazrod
President
Lpi Software Funding Group, Inc.
Mr. James M. Johnson
University Of Northern Illinois
Mr. Robert Young
VP Senior Credit Officer
Moody’s Investors Service
Equipment Leasing
and Finance
Foundation Founder
and outgoing
Chairman Paul Gass
(left) receives the
congratulations and
thanks of incoming
Chairman Thomas
Wajnert at the
revamped
Foundation’s inaugural meeting.
evening beginning at 6:00 p.m.) The Foundation
web site will have the most up to date information
on this and other important events.
You are the Key
With so many aggressive projects underway, it is
imperative that the Foundation achieve its Fund
Raising Goal of $200,000! To do this we need your
support! Mailings will be sent to all ELA member
companies and Foundation Trustees will be
contacting you to make a pledge. Contribution
forms are also available by visiting the Foundation
website. Contributions to the Foundation are tax
deductible as allowed under the IRS rules for 501
c3 organizations.
By contributing to the Foundation, you support
the industry, your customers and your company’s
future. So please consider a generous contribution
this year. For information on any project mentioned
in this article, contact Foundation Executive
Director Lisa Levine at llevine@elamail.com or
(703) 516-8363. L
Thomas C. Wajnert is president of Thomas C. Wajnert
& Associates, Naples, Florida, and is former
Chairman of ELA.