In 1987, Robert Cobleigh began his equipment finance career at UJB Leasing after completing the formal credit training program at United Jersey Bank. “Through the years I’ve been fortunate to gain exposure to various facets of the industry and work with some great institutions and teams along the way,” Cobleigh says. “They gave me the opportunity to see both the right way — and the wrong way — to approach building a business and developing teams.” Cobleigh notes that his time with Marc Paulhus and Jeff Knoop at RBS Asset Finance (now Citizens Asset Finance) was most influential to his career.

When it comes to leadership, Cobleigh is passionate about coaching people to bring out their best. Positioning team members in their most suitable roles enables them to be as successful as possible. “Play to their strengths so that we’re all driving toward our shared vision for success,” Cobleigh says. “Also, remember to celebrate little wins as well as big ones to ensure everyone enjoys the journey.”

Peapack Capital’s short-term goal for 2020 involves team expansion, and new members are already on board. Long-term priorities include broadening the footprint for Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Peapack Capital, building a high-quality portfolio with good risk-adjusted returns and delivering the highest quality service to partners and clients.

While the industry will be challenged on many levels throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Cobleigh believes that equipment finance and leasing is one of the better tools to support the capital needs of companies and CFOs. “Equipment finance has also shown that it’s an important component in a bank’s product mix, providing diversification and good risk-adjusted returns,” Cobleigh says.

To Cobleigh, the continued promotion and development of next generation leasing professionals is a top priority for equipment finance. “This is a very interesting and exciting industry in which to build a career and we need the resources to continue to attract and develop a diverse workforce,” Cobleigh says.