New Industry Commission Gives A Voice To A New Generation Of Recovery Industry Professionals
Young Professional Repossessors Commission Will Unite Young Recovery Professionals Within ARA and the Repossession Industry
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 11, 2015 – American Recovery Association (ARA), the world’s largest association of recovery and repossession professionals, today officially announced the formation of the Young Professional Repossessors Commission (YPRC), a committee dedicated to educating, empowering and creating a platform for young industry professionals to speak and lead on behalf of ARA and the recovery industry. To become a member, you must be under the age of 35. Membership is open to ARA and non-ARA members.
YPRC’s mission is to educate and empower young professionals with the resources they need to have a voice and be heard in the recovery and remarketing industry.
“As our industry is ever evolving and many of us are looking ahead to our retirement years, we wanted to create a place where young industry professionals would feel comfortable and empowered to get actively involved in protecting and prospering our industry,” said Jerry Wilson, president of ARA. “YPRC was formed to meet this demand and ensure the next generation of ‘voices for our industry’ are being heard.”
To augment ARA’s strengthen and unity, YPRC was formed to assist in developing and executing ideas that will help ensure the future success of ARA and the recovery industry.
Monthly conference calls and webinars will be conducted for YPRC members to discuss industry news, membership opportunities and other commission updates. The committee also plans to hold a meeting at NARS 2015 to share ideas and suggestions, which will be discussed with the ARA Board of Directors. If you are interested in becoming a member, email Patrick Dunleavy at PatrickDunleavy@TCARinc.com.
This month’s Member Highlight spotlights James and Cindy Lee of River City Recovery in Richmond, Virginia. James and Cindy joined ARA in 2013 and have become dedicated and active members.
James and Cindy devote time to assisting the needy in their community. By volunteering their time and giving donations, the couple contributes to such worthy causes as the American Heart Association, Hanover Habitat and American Cancer Society. James and Cindy also contribute to their community by supporting small businesses, like their own, as much as possible. Their philosophy is that if they support small businesses, then the revenue will remain in and contribute to the betterment of the community as a whole.
Random acts of kindness are also important to the couple. Believers in “paying it forward,” they help whenever they can. Recently they saw a mother’s social media request for a tow company because her son’s car was broken down. Cindy and James offered their services, at no cost, knowing that one day a kindness will be bestowed upon them when needed.
James and Cindy also raised their children to have the same passion for giving back to the community and volunteering for worthy causes. They have four daughters, ages 25, 19, 15 and 11. Each daughter has contributed within their community by volunteering with EMS departments, church groups, hospitals, fire departments and school groups. This generous family is always at-the-ready to help those in need.
Do you have an exciting hobby or are involved in raising money or awareness for a worthy cause? Please help us by submitting pictures and stories of those who deserve some recognition or those who are involved in projects of interest. We’d love to hear from you – submit your interesting stories and photos to
rachel@wellingtongrouppr.com.
We are proud to announce that NARS will partner with Capital One Auto Finance to host the third annual NARS Golf Tournament. This year’s event will be held on March 14th, and the profits will help support the Boys & Girls Club of Collin County. The tournament will be held on Saturday morning at the beautiful Luna Vista Golf Course, where golfers experience some of the greatest golf in America. It will be a four-person scramble and is reserved for those who have paid and registered to attend NARS.
The entry fee is $125 per player and includes a green fee, cart, range balls, box lunch and two drink tickets. It also includes a chance to network with Capital One employees at the Capital One Reception immediately following the tournament. The reception is available for participating golfers only. Transportation to and from the Omni Hotel and golf course will be provided upon request. To register, please visit reposummit.com or call 972.755.4755.
An exclusive opportunity to include a Capital One employee to your four-person team is also available. The one-on-one encounter will be offered at $750 and there are four spots open. To reserve your Capital One team opportunity, email Tricia at tricia@americanrecoveryassn.org.
Register Here!
Join us for our January webinar, The Service Members Civil Relief Act, presented by Dave Kennedy of First Credit Resource. Register now for our upcoming webinar sessions:
Tuesday, January 27, 10:30 a.m. CST / 11:30 a.m. EST
Thursday, January 29, 1:00 p.m. CST / 2:00 p.m. EST
ARA members must register online for the webinar with individual email addresses to receive a certificate of completion. If computer sharing is necessary, please provide a list of employee names and email addresses in an excel spreadsheet to tricia@americanrecoveryassn.org.
American Recovery Association provides a free continuing education webinar series for recovery and remarketing professionals. The one-hour webinar offers education about the latest recovery laws and regulations, compliance policies and industry issues.
This webinar will be open to both employees and business owners.
We are also excited to announce that the state of Louisiana now recognizes all ARA webinars as part of the eight hours of continuing education that is required to renew state licenses.
If you have any questions or feedback about our continuing education webinar series, please contact ARA Home Office at 972-755-4755 or homeoffice@americanrecoveryassn.org.
We are excited to announce that Digital Recognition Network (DRN) will be the Headline and Cocktail Sponsor at NARS 2015. The DRN Affiliates Meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 12th and will highlight the best way to be a profitable affiliate with DRN. The meeting will cover 2014 affiliate success metrics and best practices for success. Attendees will get to hear real-life stories about how affiliates have seen an increase in their revenue by implementing LPR’s best practices. The discussion will be followed by two technology announcements as well as exposure to a new productivity tool and camera system.
If you are interested in attending NARS, click HERE.
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are also available. Visit reposummit.com to lean more.
This month’s Member Highlight is on Todd Abelhouzen, President and General Manager at Intermountain Research & Recovery, Inc. and dedicated member of our association.
Todd started his company in 1989, marking 25 years in the repossession business. Over time, Todd has purchased several other Auto Recovery Businesses from retiring owners including A-1 Recovery Service in Salt Lake City, Utah, Pathfinder Recovery in Reno, Nevada, and GLS Recovery in Orem, Utah. Additionally, Todd has served as a Board Member with Time Finance Adjusters, National Finance Adjusters, and American Recovery Association.
Outside of the recovery industry, Todd has started other businesses that develop real estate and emergency food storage, allowing him to work with international and local agencies to provide food to areas affected by earthquakes and storms.
Todd also volunteers with sportsmen and wildlife conservation groups. In fact, last month, Todd and his 10-year old stepson assisted with the capture and translocation of Pronghorn Antelope in southern Utah. Rather than shooting the animals, the sportsmen worked hard to help create and grow successful healthy populations for hunting, wildlife viewing and ecosystem diversity.
Todd has four amazing daughters: McKenzie (age 20), Marley (age 17), Avery (age 14) and Ashton (age 11), all of whom he is extremely proud. Todd recently married and is expecting a baby boy in the next few weeks with his wife, Jennifer.
At age 45, Todd finds himself much less worried about the little things and has realized that people are far more important than money or possessions. We wholeheartedly agree.
Do you have an exciting hobby or are involved in raising money or awareness for a worthy cause? Please help us by submitting pictures and stories of those who deserve some recognition or those who are involved in projects of interest. We’d love to hear from you – submit your interesting stories and photos to rachel@wellingtongrouppr.com.
This month’s Member Highlight is on Art Christensen, President of the Commercial Service Corporation and longtime member of ARA.
There is not enough room in this newsletter to highlight the accomplishments of Mr. Christensen, a one-of-a-kind man who has made invaluable contributions not only to the industry, but also in his community in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Art was one of the first to use automation in the industry, automating ARA, AFA and some of the largest repossession companies in America. His unbelievable career spans across 54 more years, four national association memberships and immeasurable contributions to ARA and the industry as a whole. (more…)
We are proud to announce the unveiling of our recently redesigned NARS website, reposummit.com. The site, which is now live, features new registration and exhibitor forms and other improvements to streamline user convenience during the summit’s registration process, as well as enhances the user’s overall experience with learning more about the event. (more…)
This month’s Member Highlight is on a truly remarkable woman, Jeanne Bennett, owner of ATCO/Bennett Recoveries, Inc.
Jeanne volunteered her time as a Guardian Ad Litem for 13 years, as well as served on the Foster Care Review Board for 8 years. Additionally, she has been a Sunday school teacher and ran a Scout Pack for four years, where she won a citywide Scout Award.
We’ll never forget receiving a call from Jeanne stating she was in jail and needed money to be bonded out, when in fact, she was a part of a “jail” fundraising project for Multiple Sclerosis, raising money for her favorite charity. This is just one of many great memories we have of Jeanne. (more…)
Photo courtesy of BellesLink.com
Paul Kulas shares his thoughts on compliance. The original version can be found HERE.
In the recovery industry, Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) compliance is still the topic everyone is talking about. Compliance has felt like a winter storm you know is coming, but hasn’t arrived yet. For your clients, the auto lenders, it’s a different story. CFPB regulations have hit them hard and created a “comply or die” situation. (more…)
