Success begins with a great team, according to Aaron Massie, general counsel at Beacon Funding. Massie believes it is imperative to surround oneself with people who support one another and who are unafraid to not only suggest changes to coworkers but to make changes to their own routine for the greater good of the company. “I can’t lead a team alone; those who work around me need to feel like they can freely speak to decision makers,” Massie says. “Being able to continually innovate has also been important, as I can stop and look around to see what needs improvement and rearrange priorities accordingly.”

An attorney by trade, Massie entered equipment finance with an analytical, logical background that has helped him see issues from a different viewpoint. To Massie, seeing the company operate from a bird’s-eye vantage point is like a giant puzzle in which his role is to find efficiencies to improve high-level processes. “I am not afraid to ask questions and challenge existing methods that have become stale,” Massie says. “I’m also a bit of a nerd, so I am always looking for new advances in technology and software that can improve company processes. I love automation and researching new ways to have technology automatically assist so I can focus on other tasks.”

While initially serving as Beacon’s legal department, Massie’s role has expanded over the past five years to active involvement in supporting and improving company operations within documentation, accounting, banking, credit, collections, application development, syndications, human resources and more. “I want to make a lasting impression on the staff and be that employee ambassador that people can rely on and trust,” Massie says. “I’m always happy to be the voice of reason and give unbiased opinions.”