SFNet’s Emerging Leaders Summit (formerly YoPro Leadership Summit) will be held in Florida for the first time since its inception in 2018. This year, SFNet is adding Mid-Year Member Roundtables, a CEO Roundtable (invitation only), and a Chapter Presidents meeting held in conjunction with the Summit, May 22-23, 2023 at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, FL.

SFNet’s Mid-Year Member Roundtables will offer the opportunity to come together with colleagues who are experiencing similar challenges within specific disciplines. An extension of SFNet’s successful virtual Member Forums, these concurrent in-person roundtables will consist of dynamic discussions and shared insights for professionals in the fields of: Business Development, Credit & Operations and Legal.

Holding multiple events in conjunction with the Emerging Leaders Summit will give attendees more opportunity to build meaningful connections with colleagues, industry leaders and secured finance's next generation of decision makers. Professionals within each community of interest with experience ranging from early career to experienced leaders will benefit from the interactive program design.

“Our younger members have told us they want to build relationships with cohorts at all levels of experience and influence as well as with their peers,” said Rich Gumbrecht, CEO, SFNet. “So, we tried something new this year by coupling our Mid-Year Member Roundtables and Chapter Presidents meeting with the Emerging Leader Summit. We programmed lots of interconnectivity through social events and shared programming to create a contact-rich environment.”

“This conference provides great learning opportunities, networking with our peers and senior leadership, and professional development (plus the opportunity to set a new course low at Innisbrook Resort),” said Will Kemp, senior vice president, business development, Republic Business Credit, who is attending the Mid-Year Roundtables and Emerging Leaders Summit. “I think the timing of this conference is perfect with the uncertainty of the economy as well as the difficulties facing the commercial finance and banking industry. A good portion of the SFNet's YoPros have not experienced a challenging environment like this, which may or may not be down the road, so any advice or lessons from industry leaders will be greatly appreciated and insightful.”

The event will kick off Monday morning with an optional golf outing at The Copperhead Course, home of the PGA Tour Valspar Championship. For those who are not yet avid golfers, an hour-long golf lesson will be offered at the Copperhead Driving Range with two PGA pros.

The Mid-Year Member Roundtables, focusing on Legal, Business Development and Credit & Operations will be held from 2:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on May 22.

Following the roundtables, attendees will sink their teeth into the sweet success story of Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar, the innovative dessert brand that has taken the culinary world by storm, with Keynote Speaker Keith Levy, president and chief operating officer of Milk Bar. From serving as a board member to becoming president, Levy has been involved in the expansion of Milk Bar as it has grown from a brick-and-mortar location to grocery stores and now online shipping sales.

From humble beginnings as a small neighborhood bakery in Manhattan's East Village to a nationwide empire available in thousands of stores and/or delivered directly to doorsteps, Milk Bar has navigated the highs and lows of entrepreneurship with passion, perseverance, and a focus on delighting consumers through unexpected deliciousness. Levy will share the company's inspiring journey from a high-touch neighborhood bakery to a multi-channel, omni-channel success story.

“Attendees will learn how Milk Bar has weathered challenges like the pandemic, portfolio expansion and contraction, multiple rounds of financing, and discover the key ingredients that have made this 15-year overnight success possible,” Levy said. “Don't miss out on this opportunity to indulge in the deliciousness of Milk Bar's story and apply their lessons to your own dreams and business ventures."

Following Levy’s keynote will be a Networking Reception from 5:45 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. on the Edinburgh Lawn. Attendees will enjoy this opportunity to meet and mingle with participants from the Mid-Year Member Roundtables, Emerging Leaders Summit and Chapter Presidents meeting.

On Tuesday, May 23, the Emerging Leaders Summit will start off with Breakfast and Networking from 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Immediately following will be the Industry Titans/40 Under 40 winners panel.

Secured finance titans and SFNet 40 Under 40 Award recipients will highlight current industry trends. Topics will include the evolving state of the asset-based loan markets, attracting and retaining young talent, tips on how to progress in your career, building your brand and marketing efforts, and asking what the future of ABL looks like.

Panelist and SFNet 40 Under 40 Award Winner, Meredith Carter, president and CEO, Edge Capital, will discuss lessons she has learned along the way in achieving success as well as conflict resolution.

“It is important that all members of a team are empowered to play to their strengths, acknowledge their blind spots, make mistakes, frequently change their mind, innovate, ask for explanations, speak candidly, and challenge the status quo,” she said. “Realizing the extent of one’s ignorance is the first step toward achieving success.”

Also participating will be Nick Payne, managing director, Siena Lending Group, LLC, Mike Scolaro, ABL group head – US, BMO Commercial Bank ABL and Jennifer Palmer, CEO, JPalmer Collective. After the panel, the event will break out into smaller Roundtable Discussions, featuring the Titans and 40 Under 40 panelists, for small-group facilitated discussions.

From 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., there will be a Fireside Chat with the Pareto Group co-founders. Silicon Valley negotiation coaches and co-founders of Pareto Group, Todd Camp and Derek Blazensky, will share their thoughts on negotiating career advancements and growth, how to win over new clients and how to deal with problems in real time.

The Pareto Group’s mission is to provide executive teams with deep hands-on coaching and guidance founded on a proven system for negotiation, which has been operating in Silicon Valley for over 20 years. During their chat, Camp and Blazensky will discuss identifying misconceptions and detrimental mindsets along with the definition of negotiation.

“We’ll look at the four reasons why people reject, or say no, and how to identify which one or which combination is occurring in your negotiation,” explained Camp. “Decisions move negotiations forward – we will discuss how to understand identifying when the other party is stating a preference vs. making a decision. Young professionals can learn and adopt a systematic approach for preparing, executing, and debriefing throughout the life of a negotiation.”

After walking away with the skills to become a master negotiator, attendees will break for lunch before afternoon panels begin.

The Graduating and Demoting Credits panel at 1:15 will look at identifying credits within a portfolio and who to work with. Panelists will provide real-life examples, examine best case/worst case, and discuss the timeline it takes to address this, start to finish.

“This panel will focus on identifying credit boxes and understanding people's risk appetites and discuss how you work a room in order to make sure that you understand who's doing what and what the nuances are,” added panelist Norb Schmidt, executive vice president and director, Cadence Business Finance.

Megan Flaherty, senior vice president and underwriting manager, Rosenthal & Rosenthal Inc. will serve as moderator and Jason Hoefler, managing director, BMO Commercial Bank ABL will be a panelist.

“Our Emerging Leaders Summit has become one of our most eagerly anticipated events,” added Gumbrecht. “What started in 2018 is now in its fifth iteration, rotating to different venues to engage our local, national and chapter members. It’s a great opportunity to give our up-and-comers exposure to senior executives, leadership experts and peers and spend time investing in their professional growth.”

"I am looking forward to connecting with peers to discuss best practices, share our experiences and gain insight on the state and future of the industry," added Sylvia Stock, principal, Atlas Capital Resources. "Having colleagues across the country helps offer a broader perspective. It’s a great opportunity to learn from others and grow my network!"

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