ACA member and award winner Cortney Helfrich shares her full-circle experience bringing her mentor, Deana Ratliff, to this year’s convention in Chicago after Ratliff brought her to her first ACA convention 11 years prior.
09/15/2023 8:45 A.M.
8.5 minute read
In the ever-evolving world of the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry, mentorship can make all the difference in your career journey. Such is the case for Cortney Helfrich, chief personnel officer at Wilber & Associates, P.C., whose journey from a novice collector to an industry leader was significantly influenced by her mentor, Deana Ratliff, compliance officer at Wilber & Associates, P.C.
Here, Helfrich, who won this year’s Speaker of the Year Award, shares what it was like to bring Ratliff to ACA’s 2023 Convention & Expo this summer after Ratliff brought her to her first ACA convention 11 years prior. Ratliff weighs in as well.
Q. How did you get started in the ARM industry?
Helfrich: In 2010, I was working at a larger insurance company in their agency training department. While I enjoyed the work, I was a small fish in a big pond. I went to a smaller university and was a bit overwhelmed with working at such a large company.
I interviewed at Wilber Group for a collections position that fall. I had a college degree, I was successfully working, and at the end of the interview, the interviewer stood up, stuck their hand out to shake my hand, and just like that, the interview was over. I had no idea how it went.
I received a call later that afternoon from the collection manager, who said if I really wanted to be a collector, he was willing to give me a shot. I had zero phone experience, and the office experience I did have didn’t directly correlate to collections, but growing up, I had picked up the phone a few times and had taken messages from debt collectors for my mom. She worked as a teacher and worked nights and weekends at the local grocery deli to raise me and my older sister by herself. I knew what debt collectors were. And that’s all it took—one person to take a chance on me. And here I am today saying it loud and proud: I’m a debt collector!
Q: What was your first time at an ACA Convention like and what inspired your mentor relationship?
Helfrich: In the summer of 2012, Deana Ratliff took me to my first ACA Convention at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida. I was 27 years old, and it was my first time on a plane, first time at a beach, and first time ever in Florida.
My daughter Cassady wasn’t even a year old yet. I remember Deana telling me how she used to take work trips away from her daughter, Betsy, when she was younger and now they travel together. I wanted to do that with my daughter. I wanted to show her there was more to life than the town we lived in. I wanted her to have life experiences I never had, and this—going to the convention with Deana—was my first step.
I had been a sponge for six months at Wilber, soaking up everything from everyone around me. From collection talk-off tactics to system short cuts—I was hungry and motivated to learn it all.
I was a collector at the time, and I knew that by attending the convention and obtaining ACA’s Trainer Specialist designation, I would be able to share my knowledge with others. I didn’t know if it would lead to a promotion or any change in my role, I just knew that this was a chance to learn more. This is actually where my professional vision statement began: “If I’m successful, I want others to be successful.”
Deana and I were scheduled to attend the Trainer Specialist session held before the convention with Beth Conklin and Wendy Badger, who, little did I know, would be my friends for years to come. The session was exciting and engaging. Deana took pictures of me standing up and answering questions.
After visiting the convention registration desk, we sat in the hotel lobby chairs circling interesting sessions on our pocket agendas and deciding where we would meet on breaks.
Deana and I shared an organizational style of writing everything down and working through lists, so grabbing notepads from vendors in the Expo Hall was a must. Other times, we would sit outside in the sweltering Florida heat to discuss what we could apply from the session we’d just attended to our work at Wilber. And at the end of the day, we would walk to get dinner together. We found out we shared a love of crab legs—another in a long list of things we had in common.
For the next nine years, Deana and I continued our travels together to ACA events, circling classes on our pocket agendas after registration, picking up notepads from the vendor halls, and eating crab legs from one coast to the other. We would return to our agency to share information and continue to learn and grow together.
Ratliff: I was mainly in compliance in 2012, but I also did training when we had a new class at Wilber, assisted with auditing and collection management, was the right arm of our CEO, and did whatever needed to be done around the company.
At that point I had been in the industry around 23 years, filling every role in the company at one time or another. Cortney stood out in training, and I knew she would be one of the great ones. She had zero industry experience, but she had the energy, enthusiasm, and all-around goal that she was going to succeed. She reminded me of my younger self, and she did succeed on the collection floor with amazing speed. I kept my eye on her, interacted with her daily, and I already knew she wouldn’t stay there long. I told my mentor I wanted to take her to ACA’s convention that year. I wanted to put her on a fast track in the industry, and I knew that ACA would help me get her there.
Q: Do you have a favorite memory from going to ACA events with Deana?
Helfrich: I had attended ACA events for a few years when I was given my first opportunity to co-present a session with Beth Conklin. Deana knew I was nervous, so she sat me down outside the class and said, “If you get nervous, just present to me. I’ll be sitting there in the front row.” And that’s what I did for the first 10 minutes or so. I presented to Deana until I got my footing and was able to present to the whole class.
Ironically, that same session topic about recruiting, which I called “The Chicken or the Egg,” was also the topic of an article I later wrote for Collector magazine that went on to be a cover story in the October 2022 edition and was the second most-read article for the year.
Q: What inspired you to take Deana to ACA’s Convention this year?
Helfrich: Eleven years have passed since my first ACA convention. I was an entry-level collector then, and in July 2023 I got the chance to stand on stage in front of my peers as an executive-level leader in the debt collection industry to be recognized as ACA’s Speaker of the Year.
Deana is not only my mentor, she is my friend, and when I found out I was going to receive the Speaker of the Year award, there was no one else I wanted to see in the crowd more than her. Just like when I attended my first session down in Florida, where I looked to her for reassurance when I stood up to answer questions, or in my first-ever presentation when I looked to her to calm my nerves—it was her that I wanted to look to when I accepted my award—this time not for support to carry me through, but rather to show her how much I appreciated her investment in me.
Q: How did your first convention differ from the latest one that you both shared together?
Helfrich: ACA’s Convention was fabulous this year, and I really enjoyed being back in person with everyone. My main takeaways were not only from the sessions I attended, but from the network contacts I was able to make and maintain. From chatting in the expo hall to catching up on accomplishments and going to sessions to support others, it was important to reaffirm those relationships face to face.
It is very interesting to see how life comes full circle sometimes. My first time at ACA’s Convention, it was Deana taking me and introducing me to everyone she knew. This time, it was me taking Deana and introducing her to everyone I knew.
Deana’s role has changed, and she hasn’t attended an ACA event in a few years, so I was excited to introduce her to my new friends and for us both to see old friends together. And as we shared our story, it was inspiring to see how others responded with their own memories of Deana and I together over the years.
Q: Any final takeaways you’d like to add?
Helfrich: Having a mentor wasn’t an assignment or a project for Deana. She genuinely saw potential in me and wanted to invest in me. This type of relationship is key in a professional setting as it provides a space to talk through struggles, to be introduced to new friends, and to have someone to cheer you on. If you do not have a Deana in your life, here is your sign to go be a Deana for someone!
Ratliff: I am fully in compliance now. After 34 years in the industry, I am fully remote and work in my slippers every day—I have earned it!
Save the Date for the 2024 Annual Convention & Expo
Looking ahead, ACA’s 2024 Convention & Expo at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego, California, promises even greater excitement. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of the ARM industry’s most exciting event of the year and mark your calendars for July 21-23, 2024!
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