With over 30 years of credit and collection management experience, Thea can show you how to leverage your credit and collections program to the financial benefit of your company. With expertise in the development of shared services processes and assessment of back office needs to improve efficiencies and building profit through credit, Thea’s communication and negotiation skills have made her a valuable partner for manufacturers, dealers, general contractors and subcontractors, throughout the construction industry.
Before rolling out her latest credit advice column in LBM Journal, Credit Q&A with Thea Dudley, she wrote the wildly popular Thea’s Mailbag for ProSales Magazine. She is a frequent speaker for industry organizations such as Insulation Contractors Association of America, Western States Roofing Expo, NICE, International Builders Show, International Roofing Expo, JLC Live! Remodelers, Guardian Building Products, NACM and National Women in Roofing.
Darren Virassammy is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of 34 Strong, comprised of a team that believes everyone deserves a great place to work and that any workplace can be great. A leading expert in the global employee engagement community, the 34 Strong team leverages the Strengths-Based approach to human development to create massive shifts within organizations, both culturally and on the bottom line. He and his team have created sustainable change in small microbusinesses, all the way up to large organizational teams at the FDA, Bank of America, and The California Department of Public Health. Recently, Darren has keynoted for Hitachi Global Women’s Conference, The Rotary World Peace Conference, The Professional Grounds Management Society, and Author Mike Michalowicz’ Profit Con.
Caitlin founded DreamCatchers when she was 15 years old. She had started volunteering at a local hospice at age 12, and wanted to do more for the patients to serve them in their final months. She came up with the idea for DreamCatchers, and has grown it to over 15 states since then. Caitlin graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2015 with a dual major in entrepreneurship and film/theatre, and has since moved out to LA to pursue a career in film and speaking. Recently, in 2018, she has begun running DreamCatchers, working to take the foundation to new heights with the rest of the leadership team. Along with running DreamCatchers, Caitlin is building a career in speaking on generations, stemming from her passion for bridging generational gaps with DreamCatchers. She has spoken across the country on DreamCatchers and on bridging generational gaps in the workplace and the world.
Marketing executive with 25 years’ experience in brand building and revenue generation. Passionate about developing differentiating strategies and implementing creative go-to-market plans. Held senior level B2B and B2C marketing positions with Fortune 500 companies including Coke, Mattel and Warner Lambert, along with driving companies beyond startup phase at both PointRoll and Billtrust. At Billtrust, I lead a great team responsible for building the brand and driving revenue growth. I am passionate about educating the market about the vital role Payment Cycle Management plays in helping our clients get paid faster. I also take pride in the impact our company has had on moving businesses from paper invoicing to electronic.
Arthur is an innovative executive with extensive experience developing business cases, delivering clear messaging to customers around strategy, vision, and most importantly, how solutions bring value to the customer. Under the mentorship of and working directly with the COO, Arthur champions numerous initiatives to drive product innovation, operational efficiency improvements, and sales & marketing activities. His intellectual property solution expertise includes enterprise software B2B financial technology systems involving business process management (BPM), workflow, dashboard and reporting, business intelligence, and predictive analytics.
President & CEO, Federation of Credit and Finance Professionals
Yesinne Alvarez
Yesinne leads the management of a National Education & Trade association focused on the Order to Cash Discipline. Responsible for professional development education events, focused on Credit, A/R and cash management professionals. The Association also manages industry specific Credit Information Exchange groups helping Credit & A/R Professionals make informed Credit line decisions and manage Risk.
Bart Frankel's career spans over 33 years. Most recently he spent 22 years with United Technologies Inc. (UTC) as Manager of Financial Services for Otis Elevator and Pratt & Whitney Division. In that role he was responsible for a $7 billion sales-to-cash process. Bart also served on the UTC Board of Credit and Collection forum. He has also been an instructor in accounting and finance at Bloomfield College in New Jersey and Iona College in New York. Currently, he has a consulting practice helping a variety of companies teaching "Phone Power Collections" and analyzing the sales-to-cash process. Bart received a BA from Eastern Illinois and an MBA from Farleigh Dickinson Universities.
Eddy A. Sumar, MBA, CCE, CICE, CEW has more than 30 years of experience in the credit and collection field. As the International Trade Financing Manager with Rain Bird International, Mr. Sumar championed the exploration and institution of worldwide trade financing programs and was responsible for international financing efforts in the Americas and the Asia Pacific Regions. He founded ER$ Consulting Services in 2006, he is an International Trade Financing consultant, a consultant for the Center for International Trade Development (CITD), a member of the Guidepoint Global Advisors, and an Associate of Quote2Cash (Q2C).
Jerry is an experienced Services Sales Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Skilled in negotiation, cash flow, budgeting, operations management, and analytical skills, Jerry is the National Sales and Education Services Manager for NCS, the leader in providing credit professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada with proactive solutions to secure receivables, minimize credit risk and improve profitability. He is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
