Origin of Equipment Finance Cares

Working with Lovern Gordon on her domestic violence memoir “The Legacy He Left Me,” listening to her story, experiencing several others coming forward with similar stories, and learning the statistics was a gut-wrenching experience. Lovern and I were discussing how to leverage our almost 40 years of combined equipment finance experience to drive awareness of the domestic violence epidemic that is plaguing our world. Another 2021 initiative of mine was creating the “FiresideChats with Jesse” YouTube series. This platform provided me with an opportunity to interview/showcase equipment finance professionals in the industry. On these chats we discuss several thought leadership topics from industry trends, employee retention, best practices, etc. I had done a few chats with equipment finance professionals in MN and over the years, have established several relationships with people in the state. Lovern was booked for a NEFA event in MN where she was going to have one of her first official book signings. Looking to capitalize on the trip, I asked a few organizations if they would be interested in learning more about Lovern’s project. There was an overwhelming show of support to not only hear her story but to learn from others in the industry as well. Let’s face it: people were eager to get back to in-person events. I reached out to Deb Reuben to see if she would be interested in moderating a panel for an event. Deb, being the “awesome” individual that she is, jumped at the opportunity. Two weeks and several phone calls later, we had event sponsors, panelists, and a venue for the event. I was even able to get a few other individuals to discuss the foundations that their organizations support. All we needed was a name, and it wasn’t hard to come up with. Thus, Equipment Finance Cares was born. Eight months and three completed events later, the Equipment Finance Cares initiative is in full swing. Our advisory board is busy planning future initiatives, and we have dates, locations, and sponsors in place for our 2025 events. Some highlights from our first three events: over 150 attendees from 75 different equipment finance organizations, 16 foundations showcased, with over 7k in net proceeds donated. More importantly, we were able to touch on crucial industry topics including D.E.I., mental health, and overall industry best practices.