Rita E. Garwood,
Editor in Chief,
Monitor

Brianna Wilson,
Managing Editor,
Monitor

THE MONITOR TEAM HAS BIG NEWS! While I will still be actively involved with guiding Monitor’s content behind the scenes, I will be shifting my primary focus to our ABF Journal publication going forward.

To kick off our NextGen issue, I’d like to introduce you to our NextGen, Brianna Wilson, who will be managing Monitor going forward. Bri is an amazing rising star who is poised to lead Monitor into its next chapter, and I’m excited to pass the torch — and the pen — to her:

I’m thrilled to be taking the lead with Monitor. My equipment finance journey began as a program manager with STRIPES Leadership Program, and I quickly discovered what an incredible industry this is. We are prime for innovation, and I am so excited to see what the future holds.

I’m further honored to be deeply involved in an issue that combines the outcomes of Monitor’s second annual conference, Converge, and fifth annual NextGen list. One of the biggest takeaways we heard from many Converge attendees was the importance of intergenerational connection — how do we combine the expertise of leaders who have been in the industry for decades with the exciting new ideas and technological advancement of young talent? What are NextGen leaders thinking about that industry’s executives aren’t at this time? In this issue, we explore just that.

We provide a recap of the Converge conference, from the impactful breakout discussions to the incredible award winners. Matt Diehl of LEAF Commercial Capital shares insights from NextGen attendees he caught up with at the conference. We also feature a special profile of Converge 2024 NextGen awardee, Jillian Munson of QuickFi, who shares her expertise, experience and advice for the leaders of tomorrow.

The focus of this issue is our 2024 NextGen: 40 Under 40 list of up-and-coming leaders who are well on their way to being the executive future of equipment finance. The NextGen leaders share their thoughts on the biggest challenges and opportunities the industry faces today.

Our second ‘40’ list, the top vendor finance companies, experienced a uniquely equal increase and decrease of vendor volume — but, collectively, experienced an overall increase of activity in the vendor channel. We checked in with four vendor finance leaders, who are cautiously optimistic about the future.

The industry is experiencing a number of trends that are likely to stick around. Sudhir Amembal discusses FMV leases, Christina Ochs provides a guide to hedge programs, Jeff Lezinski covers three major ESG trends and Gary LoMonaco gives advice on building a solid defense of equipment finance portfolios.

In Capital Markets Corner, Scott Kiley outlines what it takes to be a great syndicator. In Doing the Work, five industry executives explore the impact of intentionality around DE&I. In The Tomorrow Zone, Deborah Reuben and Bob Rinaldi discuss what it takes for leaders to prepare a future-ready business.

Stay tuned for our Monitor 101+ issue and details about Converge 2025, where we will continue the future-building work of equipment finance!