Members from Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin gathered for legislative and legal updates, succession planning insights and more. The group also elected new board members.
05/22/2024 2:55 P.M.
2 minute read
The Great Lakes Credit and Collection Association (GLCCA) held its 8th annual conference earlier this month to elect new board members and connect in sessions that covered legal insights and legislative updates, affordable technology options, agency succession planning and more.
Jaime Barthel, director of operations at Professional Service Bureau Inc., handed the gavel over to Nate Kalnins, COO and director of compliance at The Stark Collection Agency Inc., as the 2024/25 GLCCA president.
Thomas Oldani, president of Arbor Professional Solutions is president-elect and Justin Penn, partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, is treasurer for the coming year.
GLCCA welcomed two new board members, including Mickey Putman, president of Central Professional Services, and Andrea Quist, general manager of Creditors Protection Service Inc.
Thanks to members’ donations and purchases of bottles and sports tickets at the annual bottle and charity auction, GLCCA raised just over $18,000. Of this, $4,275 will go to four charities selected by each state. The remaining funds will support Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin legislative and advocacy efforts, as well as ACA International’s political action committee, ACPAC.
GLCCA selected St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Tamarisk, which provides respite care for individuals and families that are facing long-term illness; SecureFutures in Wisconsin; and Michigan Jump $tart Coalition for Financial Literacy to receive its charitable donations.
Session Highlights
Kicking off the education session, Michael Klutho, attorney at Bassford Remele, led a talk on “How to Navigate Headwinds and Supercharge Profitability.”
Klutho covered how collectors can communicate with consumers in their preferred method and make the most of their first contact with a consumer by expressing how they are there to help resolve their account and answer questions.
Klutho also reviewed payment plan strategies and tips to reward collectors, such as showcasing recordings of successful calls.
In a best ideas brainstorming session, attendees learned strategies for emailing consumers and got insights on human resources topics, such as managing the bandwidth of key employees by hiring interns or cross training some staff.
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