Tamara McCourt began her journey in the equipment leasing industry in 1992 as the “family babysitter” who also helped at the office. She covered a variety of duties, including filing, office coordination, credit processing and sales support. From there, after a few years in sales, she left the industry to pursue an education and a career in commercial credit. McCourt served in a credit manager role at Tacoma Electric Supply for an electrical supply contractor prior to her return to the equipment finance industry as credit manager of Pinnacle Business Finance.

McCourt went on to receive her accreditation as a certified credit executive through the National Association of Credit Managers (NACM) and many awards, serving on the board of directors for NACM and president for its local credit and financial developmen division. McCourt continued her education by attaining her Certified Lease & Finance Professional designation in 2004, when it was known as the CLP designation. She also helped Cindy Spurdle with input on the credit portion of the CLP exam.

McCourt’s contributions to industry associations expanded in 2009 after she attended the National Equipment Finance Association’s (NEFA’s) funding symposium for the first time. Following that, she jumped in headfirst and became heavily involved with the planning of the 2010 NEFA Finance Summit. She has gone on to serve on many conference committees, taught CLFP courses, presented at conferences and served on boards. Her interest in the NEFA and earning her CLFP designation was fueled by her return to the equipment leasing industry in the early 2000s.

Just before her first NEFA event, in 2008, McCourt made two huge moves, relocating to Southern California and transferring to the lender side as the regional credit manager for Pentech. Since then, McCourt has continued to build a diverse career in sales, credit, funding and management, which has led her to her new and most exciting role: co-founder of Huddle Business Capital.

“I’ve enjoyed working alongside Tamara for many years and am honored to call her a friend. Tamara has many attributes that make her a valuable member of the industry and any team she is on,” Charla Laird, sales and marketing manager at Dakota Financial, says. “Her success is due, in part, to her steadfast commitment to integrity, honesty and ethical values and striving to be the best at what she does.”

McCourt enjoys providing one-on-one mentoring and tutoring and personal assistance to anyone who asks. Coming up the ranks in a time when there were not many women in leadership roles, McCourt advises other women to find their passion for building up other women because it is important for women to know their value and find their voices. McCourt also believes in what she calls her “super fabulous mantra,” as she believes you have a choice in how each day will be, as no matter what is thrown at you personally or professionally, we ultimately choose how to react to it.

“If you don’t feel like something is right for you, learn to say no or walk away,” McCourt says.