Kristin Coster,
Assistant Vice President, Operations,
North Mill Equipment Finance

When Kristin Coster began her journey at North Mill Equipment Finance four years ago, she had virtually no experience in the equipment finance industry. Although she was hired as a junior paralegal, she recognized the value of acquiring a deep understanding of the business and what separates North Mill from other private lenders in the marketplace. In addition to focusing on her daily responsibilities, she read everything related to the industry that she could get her hands on. She also spoke with experts inside and outside the company and absorbed data. Her mission was to learn, learn and learn some more. Six months after joining North Mill, she was given the chance to manage the company’s recovery process.

Today, Coster is the assistant vice president of operations for North Mill. In addition to managing a team of nine professionals, she is responsible for all aspects of titling, warranties, insurance, GPS and recovery and remarketing. She plans to add more members to the team as North Mill continues its growth.

To meet the goals of the department, Coster focuses on the individual. She believes that by leveraging what each member does well and by providing the tools and the opportunities each person needs to excel, the team will excel as a unit.

“I have found that it’s not someone’s industry experience that’s so important but, instead, the willingness to learn, the motivation to grow and the desire to work well with others that matters most,” Coster says, noting that she would like the equipment finance industry to develop more educational opportunities for industry professionals to grow, including master classes, designations and online tutorials.