Sandy Newman

Senior Operations Manager, Riviera Finance

Biography:

Sandy Newman is an operations manager at Riviera Finance in Los Angeles, CA, an accounts receivable (“factoring”) company.  She started her career at Riviera in October 1985 while attending high school. Sandy found a job posting on the board at school for a file/mail clerk and applied. She worked three hours each afternoon after school and earned $4 per hour.  During the next 10 years, Sandy was very motivated and involved herself in nearly every position (account executive, senior account executive, administrative assistant) in the office and soon after was promoted to operations manager in March 1995.  When she became ops manager, the office outstanding was approx. $2.3m and throughout years has grown to over 200 active clients.    The territory Sandy manages is Southern California and Western Canada.  Her office staff of 18 is also very tenured with at least half of the employees having over 15 years of experience.

Fast forward 32 years later: Sandy is still enjoying her career at Riviera Finance while continuing to manage a very successful office.  Outside of the Riviera world, Sandy loves to travel and shop.

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

Be persistent and stick with it.  Keep your ears open and listen to the people around you. Never be satisfied with your position.  Continue to strive for growth.  Continue to make contacts with others in the industry so that you expand your knowledge base.  Take pride in yourself.

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

With each success there will be a challenge around the corner.  And with each challenge you will gain more knowledge and get stronger. The importance of networking within the industry.  There are hundreds of companies that do the same thing and we are all basically competing against each other in the same market.  But that doesn’t mean there can’t be cooperation. I’ve often reached out to others in my position or had others come to me with advice or questions about client circumstances experienced, good or bad.  If I can help someone else avoid a pothole that got me, then it’s better all around. On a personal note, some of us would like a peek into the future. In my case, it would have been wonderful insight to know that 32 years later I would still be working at a great company called Riviera while managing a very successful office. 

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

It’s been very important. The ownership, VPs, HR, IT, Legal and my fellow managers are a very active and supportive group.  The majority of us have grown up together at Riviera.  To be able to have access to people whom you can go to for advice, who are willing to listen and engage in a conversation that allows you to explore your thoughts and concerns while receiving valuable feedback that allows you to grow in your decision-making has been very beneficial in my career.  And I am now in the position to reciprocate and provide that same type of mentorship with others within my company. 

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

I think that expanding beyond the known walls of the finance world through trade shows, job fairs, social media, etc. will help to introduce our industry to those who are unfamiliar with it.  I think more education and communication needs to be forthcoming, striving to prove the factoring industry is an industry that helps businesses to grow and achieve their full potential.   If people knew more about the client interaction and the satisfaction you get in seeing a company succeed and how fulfilling it can be, more people may be interested.  It’s more than just a job with numbers; it’s about the owners, the employees, and all the other people you get to help and the relationships you form.