Lucy Csizmas

Managing Director, SLR Business Credit

Lucy Csizmas, a 25+ year veteran of asset-based lending, has been a managing director at SLR Business Credit for over three years and is based in Southern California.  As part of Solar Capital Partners, with over $7.5BB of investable capital, SLR Business Credit provides asset-based and factoring facilities secured by accounts receivable, inventory and equipment, ranging from $500,000 to $50MM.

Prior to joining SLR Business Credit, Lucy spent 10 years at a national bank-owned asset-based lender. Lucy was responsible for West Coast origination for asset-based lending transactions and factoring transactions for sister company. In addition, Lucy has held senior positions with investment banking firms as well as asset/business valuation and turnaround firms.  Lucy’s expertise is in providing value-added financing solutions to lower/middle-market companies that are in the manufacturing, distribution and service industries. Lucy is a member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), The Secured Finance Network (SFNet), and the Opus Connect.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

I would advise them to be flexible and willing to learn and find a mentor(s) who is aligned with their personal and professional goals whether they are male or female.  I believe that the wider and more diverse the support system when first starting out in our industry, the more knowledge and opportunities will present themselves and oftentimes, from the least expected people/resources.

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?  

Please see above!  Along with “negotiate like a man” when asking for a promotion, which I believe should now be termed “negotiate like an empowered woman.”

What role has mentoring played in your career? 

My mentor helped to form my career as a teacher and more importantly an inspirational advisor leading by example.  As a woman entering the field of finance in the late ‘80s, he not only sponsored me for my Series 7,63 and 24 securities licenses, but instilled in me the confidence that there was no “glass ceiling” that I could not break through with the right amount of focus, knowledge, perseverance and tenacity. An interesting related story is that, when I was taking my securities exam in 1986, one of the questions was “Which two states still require a married woman to have her husband’s signature in order to open a stock trading account?” and the answer was Texas and Utah!  In 1986!

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

I enjoy being a value-added resource to our borrowers and referral sources, making a difference to companies that might otherwise not be able to obtain sufficient working capital to sustain and grow their business.  Least? The challenges associated with not being able to ultimately align our solution with the current market environment, which is highly competitive and expectations at times unrealistic.  

How do you balance work/personal time? 

I have my personal senior office administrator – my adopted Chihuahua Terrier, to help me on both fronts! 

What effect, if any, has working remotely had on your career and/or your industry? What have been the challenges and how have you worked to overcome them?

I believe that everyone has had their own personal challenges/experiences with the dynamics around working remotely.  I think that our industry has adapted very efficiently and creatively with virtual conferences, zoom meetings and even drone-facilitated inventory test counts!  In my role as managing director for business development on the West Coast, it has been challenging not being able to meet in-person with my colleagues and referral sources, but I believe that most everyone has adapted for now.  It is more difficult without meeting in-person with prospective borrowers, but we have thankfully been able to arrange management calls/Zoom meetings and companies recognize that we are all experiencing an extremely unusual dynamic (hopefully NEVER to be repeated). This dynamic has not created a negative impact with our ability to fund new borrowers. In fact, I had the unexpected benefit of funding a rapidly growing paper towel/products manufacturer and a hand sanitizing products company early last year so there were certainly opportunities created by rapid demand if the lending institution was nimble enough to react accordingly.

What do you think work will look like in the post-pandemic world? 

I believe it will be more individualistic than perhaps anticipated.  Time will tell!