It is not everyday that you are given an opportunity to live out the career you would have in an alternate universe, but that is exactly what happened to me, thanks to the SFNet Guest Lecture Program and SFNet MidWest Chapter President Jennifer Kempton, who kindly asked me to be the Guest Lecturer.   

Last month, Sarah Fyffe, vice president, Asset Based Lending, BMO Harris Bank, and I were able to virtually present ABL 101 to Professor Gregory Udell’s Entrepreneurial Finance Class at Indiana University on April 5.  It was without a doubt one of the coolest things I have ever done in my career and I am so grateful to have been involved.   Education and mentorship are my favorite part of the job and, to do so in a university setting, was an incredible experience.  For Sarah, it was a chance to lecture to a classroom where she once sat as a student in Professor Udell’s class.  Talk about coming full circle!

Many of you are familiar with Professor Udell, who authored the book that many of us have received through SFNet over the years.  My own copy was given to me at SFNet’s Field Examiner School in 2003 and it remains a staple in my office today.


Approximately 180 students attended the lecture virtually and learned about SFNet, the types of companies who belong to the association, asset-based lending principles and a collateral discussion over 1 hour and 35 minutes.  I was pleasantly surprised at the level of questions being asked, which demonstrated the students’ interest and understanding of the topics at hand.  It was very impressive. 

Professor Udell had this to say – “The student feedback was extremely positive. The presentation occurred at the beginning of a six-week segment on ABL and provided the perfect framing for the subject matter covered in this important part of the course. I could not believe that you covered so much ground in such a short period of time. A great combination of industry overview, ABL mechanics, nitty-gritty examples, and a fascinating discussion of industry trends.”

Jennifer Kempton added, “When Rich [Gumbrecht] reached out earlier this spring about the SFNet Guest Lecture Program, I was excited about the opportunity to raise awareness about asset-based lending and the SFNet organization more broadly. Many of our sponsor organizations and members actively recruit from Indiana University, making the introduction to our industry a natural recruitment opportunity. As we look to attract the next generation of professionals to our industry, the SFNet Guest Lecture Program is a great opportunity to introduce college students to asset-based lending. We, as a chapter, look forward to participating in the program in the future.  I am grateful to Jason and Sarah for presenting and being such tremendous ambassadors for our organization.”

I have consistently heard from industry leaders that they would like to see more young people coming into our industry.   Sure, we all do individual recruiting for our firms at a variety of colleges and universities but how many of you were aware of the secured lending industry when you were in school?  For the students, they were able to hear firsthand what a rewarding career our industry can offer, career opportunities in industries they might not have otherwise known existed and learn about the types of secured financing that might be relevant as Entrepreneurs.  The Guest Lecture Program is a great way to introduce our industry to an audience that would not otherwise be familiar and ideally result in more interest and more applicants for internships and new hires for your firm.  I encourage everyone to work with their Alma Mater to help us expand our Guest Lecture Program and introduce the SFNet to our future leaders!