Lorena Bolivar

Senior Vice President, Far West Capital

Biography:

Lorena is a senior vice president at Far West Capital. In her role, she is responsible for working with clients in the trucking and transportation industry and managing business development and client relationships at the El Paso office. (Editor’s Note: See page 15 for a profile of Far West’s El Paso office.)

Prior to joining Far West Capital in 2008 as a senior account manager, Lorena was the senior account manager at Sierra Finance for three years. At Sierra Finance, she was responsible for a variety of services including creating factoring schedules and managing QuickBooks. She served as Far West Capital’s area manager for five years, and managed new client contracts, collections, deposits and sales. Lorena immigrated with her family to the United States when she was 14 years old. Not knowing the language or culture, Lorena quickly adapted to her new surroundings. It was this change that taught Lorena how to continuously overcome life’s challenges.

Lorena is passionate about providing superb customer service, which can be seen through Far West Capital’s long-term client relationships. Lorena is fluent in Spanish and uses this skill to connect with new and existing clients in the El Paso area. Lorena is also a member of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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

Number one, do not get impatient! If you don’t know something, you will learn it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Knowledge is power. However, the most crucial factor is having a positive attitude. This behavior will help you accomplish your goals. I speak from my own experience. Managing an office with 15 employees never crossed my mind. At the beginning, I didn’t have a clue of what factoring was or how it worked; besides the fact that English is not my first language, I saw it as a disadvantage. However, I never let that stop me from pursuing what I thought was the best for the company. It was this principle that grew my success and the company’s.

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

It is normal to be afraid. No one ever explains that feeling fear is normal. It is essential to understand that it is a very common response to anything new. The important aspect is to embrace your fears, instead of running away and stressing out. Every day you will find obstacles in your personal and professional life. Do not avoid them, get through them and see in every challenge an opportunity to grow and get better and stronger.

Focus only on what you can control and have a direct input. Wasting energy on issues that you have no control over is futile. Instead, evaluate the issues that you can control and affect them to create success. If I knew that before, my journey wouldn’t be so painful.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

Mentoring and sponsorship has played a key role in my career, I can attribute a big part of my success to three persons who have been an influence in my life.

1.  My husband, Jorge Bolivar, who has always been by my side pushing and encouraging me to get the best out of me; he is my rock.

2.     Brian Center, CCO of FWC. He has been my mentor and my lead example all these years. I could not be in this position without his knowledge and guidance.

3.  Cole Harmonson, CEO of FWC. He gave me his trust when he named me El Paso office manager, and believed in me way before I believed in myself.  One time during a visit to El Paso he told me, “Here is a blank paper. Write down how much money you want to make, do whatever it takes to accomplish it, having the well-being of the company always in mind.”

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

The industry is male-driven. Open the doors to more women. Provide equal opportunities to develop women in the financing industry. We have the potential to learn, lead, adapt and grow in this and any industry, all the way up to the executive positions. If you increase the opportunities, companies will get rewarded with our talent and discipline. We are loyal and determined to walk the journey until we deliver success.

Provide the employees a great environment to work, giving them the freedom to express their own ideas, make them feel that they really matter. Having a strong team is the best structure that any company can have to reach all their goals. We all like to feel that we are part of something amazing and feeling the support of the team is a great drive to unleash your potential.