Joshua Ceccarelli

Senior Vice President, Rosenthal & Rosenthal Inc.

40 Under 40 Category: Portfolio Management/ Risk

Biography: 

Josh Ceccarelli is a senior vice president with Rosenthal & Rosenthal Inc. and responsible for managing a portfolio with total loans in excess of $200 million.  Josh started at Rosenthal 15 years ago as a new business underwriter in their Factoring division.  Shortly into his career, Josh started to manage accounts and was selected from the front office to join a committee representing the various factoring departments to test and customize Rosenthal’s new computer system and client web portal.  As a senior account executive, Josh continues to manage existing client relationships while developing new client relationships.

Josh graduated University of Delaware with a BA in Computer and Information Sciences. Today, Josh lives in New Jersey with his wife, Sylvia, twin 5-year-old sons, Andrew & Landon, their dog and two bunnies.  Josh and his family enjoy traveling and have a great love for animals.  Their favorite place to visit is Vermont in the fall.  They were married at Hildene in Manchester, VT with their dog, Josie, as part of their wedding party.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it?

At the start of my career at Rosenthal, one of the first things that I was told was to listen to everyone and absorb as much as possible.  Take the best pieces of information from each person and formulate my own technique on the best possible way to achieve my goals and strengthen my job performance.

At Rosenthal, the senior lenders are always open to training and explaining the business to the junior-level executives.  I was able to spend time with senior business development officers and observe the process of sourcing, following up, and closing a deal.  The senior credit officers taught me how to analyze financials, cash flows, and look out for potential issues when reviewing the sales and collections.  I was able to utilize what I learned, in addition to my own experience, to develop my skills and knowledge. I am now pleased to share this knowledge with the newer account executives, under writers, and BDOs.

How do you think the commercial finance industry can attract more young professionals?

A young professional coming in to the industry needs to know that there are opportunities to grow, develop, and progress at an acceptable pace.  By providing an environment where interaction is welcomed and appreciated, young talent is able to take the initiative to express their ideas and be creative.  It also inspires them to be more productive and enhance their skills and understanding of the business.

Companies should also sponsor team-building events that bring the employees together.  At Rosenthal, we started two coed softball teams that play in a league against other corporate teams.  This is a great way to get to know each other and promote teamwork.

What advice do you normally give to the junior talent you mentor?

Our job in portfolio management requires us to make numerous decisions each day.  In addition to making credit decisions on our loans, we need to address requests from the credit, AR, and legal departments when they need guidance on certain situations.  I advise the junior account executives that they need to be pro-active, make educated decisions on their own, and be ready to provide information to support their decision and recommendations.

It’s important to network and build relationships with other industry professionals.  When you are young and starting out, you need to build relationships with others at your level.  As you advance in your career, they will advance as well and you essentially become very valuable to each other. 

In this day of emails and text messages, we stress to the junior account executives the importance of picking up the phone and having a conversation.  We also promote client visits, whether it be a visit to their office, showroom or meeting for lunch.  If you build a rapport with the principals and CFOs of the companies you work with, they are likely to endorse you and complement your strong reputation.

Always be professional and take the time to treat people with respect and consideration as you would expect in return.  These are basic tools for a successful career.