Andrew Pace

Welcome back to ACS Portfolio Perspective. I’m your host, Andrew Pace, Chief Client Experience Officer at ACS. Today, I’m joined by Chad Sluss, Chief Executive Officer of the National Equipment Finance Association, better known as NEFA.

Chad brings more than 20 years of association leadership experience to the role, with a career that’s taken him from a food service marketing job to running a global legal network operating across 52 countries. He joined NEFA in 2020, right at the height of the COVID pandemic, and has since led the organization through one of the most turbulent stretches in the equipment finance industry’s history. Under his leadership, NEFA’s membership has grown from roughly 265 member companies to over 400.

Chad, welcome to the ACS Portfolio Perspective.

Chad Sluss

Thanks, Andrew. Happy to be here. Appreciate the invite.

Andrew Pace

Oh, anytime. Chad, what really struck me as I was preparing for this conversation is how nonlinear your path has been. You didn’t come up through equipment finance. You did not spend your career inside one association, and yet everything you’ve done seems to connect in hindsight.

I want to start there, not with titles or timelines, but with the thread that runs through your career and shaped how you lead today. So you described your career as falling backwards into things. If you don’t mind, could you walk us through the thread that connects Aramark, the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Builders Association, and an international legal network operating across 52 countries?

Chad Sluss

Sure. So I’ve been fortunate in my career to have really great mentors, number one, and they’ve steered me in the right direction through all of my different iterations in my career. I started in food service. That wasn’t my plan. I was looking to go into just general corporate marketing and did an internship. One, started junior year in college for Aramark. I really liked the people, you know, presented a job opportunity for me after I graduated. So I took that job. I was close to moving out of state, but I wanted to stay in state with family and friends here in Michigan. So, you know, that’s what led me to Aramark.

And then once I got into it, I was a couple of years in and realized food service marketing really wasn’t for me. And I decided to go back, get my master’s degree, and needed to land a job of some sort to pay my bills and whatnot, pay my student loan back, and fell backwards into the nonprofit, which was a Mount Pleasant Convention and Visitor Bureau, excuse me. And I was doing sales for them, selling convention space, golf packages, whatnot, and just sort of opened my eyes to the nonprofit sector. And my executive director there said, if this is what you want to do, the next logical step is mid-level management.

And that took me to the State Bar of Michigan, which was sort of night and day where you had, you know, the Convention Bureau, you’re selling space, and that’s how we got our funding through a local tax that was paid by the hotels and convention center there in Mount Pleasant. Conversely, you go to the State Bar of Michigan, it’s a mandatory association. So to practice law in Michigan, you have to have your license through the State Bar. And when I was there, we had about 27,000 members. When I left, we were in the low 30s, 31, 32,000. And it was interesting just going through that exercise, working there.

Again, I had a great mentor. She left, and I was sort of looking around trying to decide, where do I want to go next? And Associated Builders and Contractors had an executive director role. And I really wanted to lead a small nonprofit. So that was the next step for me. Interviewed, landed that job, went through the process right before the crash. I was there for about three years. And then the crash occurred and I was at a crossroads where I had to lay off my entire team, or I could look at possibly moving on and then naming my successor with the board. And got lucky again, found an international legal organization called Primaris, moved over there for 13 years, and was able to keep everyone at Associated Builders and Contractors during that turbulent time.

And yeah, I worked there for 13 years, learned a lot. Never learned any second languages. I should have as much as I traveled. But yeah, that was a great experience. Learned a lot at that organization, expanded from two countries when I joined to 52 before I left.

And had to go through a lot of growing pains, you know, understanding cross, like different cultures, cross-border, international business. I mean, all these nuances that I was never really exposed to before and got to travel to almost 40 countries when I was there working at that job.

And then it was time for me to move on. I was getting towards the end of just burnout, doing the same thing quite a bit. So I started looking around and then landed the position with NEFA and sort of brought sort of all this different experience, package of experience with me to NEFA and joined at a very inopportune time during the pandemic. So, but again, it was another challenge.

Andrew Pace

So you stepped into that NEFA CEO role in, I think, what, September of 2020, as you mentioned, right in the middle of the pandemic. NEFA’s core value proposition at the time, in-person connection, which obviously was essentially off the table. So what was your first week like and what did you have to figure out fast?

Chad Sluss

Right. Drinking from a fire hose, number one. During the interview process, the board, the hiring committee, which was comprised of a number of board members, shared with me, sort of tipped their hands and shared with me what they were looking for and the expectation for my first 12 months.

So which was we need to change up what we’re doing. We need to offer more value. We need to engage the members. So those are my three primary goals. And #1, I mean, coming in in September, we were in the middle of our due cycle. So we needed to make sure that people were going to renew their dues so that we could pay our team, pay all of our bills, et cetera.

So that was priority number one. You know, how do we offer value? How do I map out my vision with the board’s vision and make sure that these 260 companies will stay with us for 2021 when there are so many unknowns and uncertainty out there with what’s happening in the world?

You know, we just started grinding and looking at what can we do virtually? How can we ramp up our communications to make sure the members are seeing value? How can we connect people virtually instead of in person? So we had to sort of rethink everything that we did. And in March, we had our virtual conference, which was a day and a half conference, which attracted several 100 people. And we thought, okay, now we’re on to something.

Let’s do some more virtual programming. So we started ramping up our webinars, virtual networking calls. We had some bourbon tasting things coming out of the pandemic, just to ship things to people. I think we brought in a mixologist in 2022. So we were shortly after the pandemic, but people still enjoyed meeting up virtually. So, you know, we just learned some lessons and then got back in person. I think that fall of ‘21 in Charlotte.

And people were anxious. We still had the backup plan of masks there because we weren’t sure if we could go into that community with or without masks. So we had a sponsor. So some people wore the mask, some didn’t. We had concerns with people picking up COVID, being in person. So we had to make sure that we just informed everyone, stay away if you’re sick, we don’t want you here, we’ll refund your money. All those things that, you know, you had to just deal with and plan for.

And we had a great turnout. What we tried to do at that first conference was, number one, we had a great committee that was very eager to really be engaged and help make that an impactful event. So we made some changes there. We expanded the footprint of our exhibit hall. We looked at making, adding more networking time in the exhibit hall, making the exhibit hall more of the central hub for all of our activities. And then obviously we’d have to go to some other rooms for education. So that was part of our strategy.

And then I, just in conversation leading up to that conference, probably for my first six or eight months, I was just talking to a lot of different people and finding out what are your needs? What’s missing from NEFA? What do we need to add? And the networking component was key. Number one, making sure the exhibitors and the sponsors had sufficient space to do business in their booth if they wished to, or set appointments with people throughout the conference center. So we made sure we had tables and whatnot set up for appointments for people. So again, we tried to listen.

And then I was talking to Randy Hogg from LTI, and he was very involved with the Chris Walker Education Fund Committee. And that group was having separate events, a separate event, networking event and a fundraiser one evening, and people would kind of splinter off, and it was dividing our whole conference community by going there or doing their own thing.

Another thing that cost us quite a bit of money that I implemented was adding, doing away with the two drink ticket items at our conferences. And there was a reason for that. It kept the cost down. But what happened over the years is once people had their one or two drinks, they would leave. And then you would have everyone splintering off, not staying together. So we put bars in the exhibit hall, had longer cocktail parties to keep the group together, to have more conducive networking.

And in addition to that, at that fall conference, we did a really big fundraising event for the Chris Walker Committee and had everyone participate. We made it a conference function activity. And that really led us to having that kickoff event the first night of the conference that’s now our foundation event. So just through a conversation, you learn what’s working, what isn’t, try and look at the pitfalls that the organization’s facing and, you know, try and fill them in, if you will.

Andrew Pace

Yeah, no, thank you. You know, what stands out in all of that is how much time you spend learning how to deliver value in very different environments, mandatory membership, voluntary membership, the global organizations, local ones. And then you bring all that perspective into NEFA at a really pivotal moment. So if you don’t mind, let’s talk about the three different member categories for NEFA. You have funding sources, broker lessors, and service providers, each with distinct needs. How do you program for three different audiences without diluting, you know, the experience for any of them?

Chad Sluss

Well, I learned that it’s very symbiotic. So we have to make sure that our brokers and broker lessors are showing up and engaged because our lenders and our funding sources wish for them to be there so they can do business. And then our service providers obviously want to do business with both of those audiences.

So we’ve made it one of our critical criteria for our conferences and regional events is to really focus on what we can do to bring out that small independent broker, broker lessor. How do we get them engaged? Because that segment is really the glue that keeps our whole organization together. So we’ve done programming around specific broker curriculums. We’ve organized regional events that are really catered to the broker audience, knowing that everyone will learn, obviously, but if we can get that group to show up, then I think everyone else will follow along. So I mean, that’s been one of our critical points.

And now that we’ve hired Skip Wehner as our director of education the last couple of years, we’re now seeing that investment in a new team member pay off with new curriculums being developed. We have, gosh, over 70 hours of education that we’ve recorded that’s uploaded into our online learning community or LMS system. So that’s all free as a member. So people just need to log in and they can watch some conference education. They can look at our most recent, excuse me, most recent webinars and our monthly roundtable knowledge exchange programs. So those take place every month. Again, Skip manages those, brings in outside speakers or members to help facilitate discussions on various topics.

So yeah, I mean, that’s all. We need the education that will help us educate the younger community within the industry, those that are, you know, entering the industry that might be in their 20s or 30s that need to learn from our more experienced members. So the education will tie all that together. And we have to be thinking about what our organization will look like in 20 years. So I won’t be here probably in 20 years, but someone else will. And we need to make sure that that next generation is ready to take the reins from our member companies and make sure they see value in NEFA. Otherwise, we won’t be in business.

Andrew Pace

Right. And as much as NEFA is about conferences and community, it’s ultimately a window into what’s happening in equipment finance day to day. Your members are seeing things in real time that the rest of the market has not caught up to yet. Let’s talk about what those signals look like right now and what you’re hearing from the field.

So you describe equipment finance as being on the tip of the economy. Always seeing shifts in business sentiment before they show up in broader indicators. What are your members telling you right now about deal flow, credit conditions, and equipment demand?

Chad Sluss

I think the demand is out there from what I’m hearing. It’s just people have to work harder to get the business owners to move forward with deals. I mean, there’s a lot of activity. There’s been pinned up demand for a number of years with the economic climate. I mean, coming to this organization, this industry in 2020, I thought the pandemic would be the biggest challenge, but we’ve had these economic cycles. And, you know, international, we’ve had global issues, we’ve had wars that we’ve dealt with over the last six years, dealing with one now that’s impacting the industry, just with flow of equipment and products to build the equipment.

So I think overall, I think the economy is holding its own, generally speaking. From what I’m hearing from members, there are certain sectors that are doing quite well, and there are some that are a little bit slower. But again, that’s with any economic climate. You’re going to have, you know, sort of this bell curve where things are up and down, which is normal, especially with what’s happening in the, you know, what I was hoping would happen with the new administration that came in, we would see more business focus and, you know, regulation might subside a bit with the current administration. And what I didn’t expect to see happen was all the geopolitical issues pop up. That, you know, is what it is. I mean, we can’t sidestep, but that’s just the nature of what’s happening out there. So we just have to deal with those things as best as we can and control the things that we can control as an industry.

But yeah, we, you know, when I came into this industry, several longstanding members shared with me that this industry is on the tip of either, you know, a really booming economy or a downturn. And I’ve seen that firsthand in my six years. So things start slowing down and our members start getting anxious. I get calls all the time. What’s happening? What are you hearing out there? So I try and keep a pulse on what’s happening, not with just what our members are doing, but talking with, you know, my counterparts at ELFA and other organizations, just to keep a pulse on what’s happening within their membership as well.

Andrew Pace

Sure. And your spring conference featured an economist who was cautiously bullish on the US market, citing strong investment activity, notably the AI build out as a significant economic driver. What were some of his key takeaways and how did the room react to that?

Chad Sluss

I think he had overall pretty good news for us that the economy was holding its own, mainly due to a lot of AI investment. So that’s certainly helped the US economy. One of his biggest concerns was the population. And we might see in the next two years, the first time that we have a population decline and our history. So that has to do with some of the, some people being moved out of our country, as we’ve seen on the news and whatnot and heard about it, but also with just people having less children. So that’s just the nature of what’s happening from a population growth standpoint.

And from my perspective, I think we need to strike a balance on what’s happening politically and from a regulatory standpoint. We need people to immigrate into our country to help us, here in the US anyway, to help us with the needs of a growing economy. We’re not keeping up with it with our current population growth. And that looks challenging for us in the next 5 to 10 years. So something has to change there.

And we’re not the only country facing this. I mean, many countries around the world are in the same situation as the US. I mean, China, with some of the restrictive population practices. They’re in a much more difficult situation from my perspective than the US. But again, we’re not in, it’s not going to be easy for us to get ourselves out of this, but some things have to change to keep up with demand of employers and all the growth that’s happening out there. Otherwise, we’re going to see more and more employers offshore their businesses and go to where there’s a labor force that could produce their products.

Andrew Pace

Yeah, we just need people to have more kids, right? Like, like they did back in the 70s and 80s when people wanted to have big families, you know, and they grew up. That doesn’t seem to be in anybody’s plans right now that nobody wants to, you know, they have a career, they obviously go to expensive colleges, they come out of school, they have accumulated all this debt, so they need to get in the workforce. And, you know, they’re not, they’re just not having kids right away. So hopefully within the next 5 or 10 years, you know, all those college grads will settle down and start having a lot of kids.

Chad Sluss

Right. We’re gonna have to have some really cool robots produced that can do a lot more than what they can today, so…

Andrew Pace

Right. Yeah, absolutely. There won’t be many people that take care of us as we age. So transportation has been one of the harder hit asset classes in recent years. You’ve watched the volatility up close. What’s the current sentiment among your members who are active in transportation, lending or leasing?

Chad Sluss

You know, I’ve talked to a few people recently. They’re cautiously optimistic, because that was a sector that was hit hard a few years ago and took some time to come out of it. And I think that particular segment of the industry with, again, they’re having challenges with labor. They’re having a hard time finding drivers, number one, and just the cost of moving goods is challenging.

And I mean, these companies, we’ve seen over the last year or two, some large transportation companies go under. And that’s a bit shocking. So we’ll have to figure out a way to move our goods across the country one way or another. I’m not sure exactly how. I mean, we’re seeing the development of some of the self-driving vehicles. I know there’s some things in the works for self-driving trucks. I don’t think that’s the solution short term for us, because you need to make sure those products are safe, number one, and can effectively move the products around the country.

Excuse me. So, yeah, I mean, I haven’t heard a lot of negativity about transportation, which is good. So that tells me that I think it’s OK. It’s not great by any means, sort of my general sense.

Andrew Pace

So when you put all that together, the economic shifts, technology changes, demographic challenges, it really highlights how important it is for an association to stay ahead of the curve. So that brings us to where you’re taking NEFA next and how you’re thinking about preparing members for what is coming, not just, you know, what’s happening today. So let’s talk about building a future ready association, education, global connections, and what’s next.

So you’ve built a substantial education portfolio. We talked a little briefly about it earlier, 60 to 70 hour online learning library, monthly knowledge exchange roundtables. I think you’ve had somewhere between 30 to 40 participants, a seven part broker lessor series, new four-part AI and tech series. What’s driving member demand for education right now and what topics are generating the most interest?

Chad Sluss

AI is the number one topic that comes up with our members. So that’s what prompted us to do the four-part series. We’re likely going to have some sort of technology update at our conferences and through roundtable discussions, just because that’s the hot topic. Obviously, companies are trying to stay competitive and are looking at different technology tools to help them be more efficient, more effective, help with the flow of their deals. And again, labor costs are expensive. And conversely, on the other side, it’s challenging to find good labor sources. So I think those are just challenges that not only our industry is facing, but across the world for that matter. I mean, we’re just seeing it out there everywhere.

I’m encouraged by what our sister organization is doing, ELFA, and with the CLFP, trying to go down into universities to draw people into our industry. So I think that’s a really great incentive or great initiative, I should say, that’s underway. And I think that can get us a lot of traction. Because honestly, six, seven years ago, I didn’t know anything about this industry. So I was blown away by how large it is, number one, and the opportunities, and it all makes sense once you get into it. Like, oh, it makes perfect sense why a company would not pay all that cash on the front end for a piece of equipment and why they lease it. So, and then all the ancillary companies that are involved in the industry.

So I think as an organization, we need to continue to look ahead and try and anticipate what our members are going to be facing from challenges and then also opportunities out in the marketplace. And we, as an organization and the industry for that matter, need to be on the front end of those things and really educating our members on what the opportunities may look like. We should be looking at other industries out there to see what they’re doing. I mean, I’ve been told that this industry has always been a little slow to move and change. So I think there’s some lessons there that we should be looking at perhaps other industries that are more cutting edge and maybe meet someplace in the middle. So, and just maybe not be averse to change, but embrace it and just look at the opportunities out there because that may help our businesses, our member companies grow significantly and expand their services.

Andrew Pace

Yeah. For sure. So you convene a CEO roundtable every six months with counterpart associations from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and continental Europe. Most people in the audience don’t think of equipment finance as a globally connected industry. Can you change that perception for us? What are you learning from your international peers that’s applicable here in the US?

Chad Sluss

Yeah, and I have to mention Canada because Michael Rotay with the CFLA is the person that really organizes this call every six months. And it’s very interesting. We get on the call, we’re all facing regulatory challenges in our own markets. We’re facing global issues. We’re looking at the geopolitical landscape, trying to see how everyone can work collaboratively, even though there are challenges from one country to another. For one, I mean, it’s just that’s the political landscape that we live in today.

But in my estimation, in my view, business should be sort of come first. All the other stuff is just noise. And we have to deal with it. We have to face it within our own markets. But how do we do business? How do we generate business opportunities for our members, both domestically here in the US and abroad? And I think my mindset was changed over 13 years working at an international network of law firms. And I saw it firsthand, like, we’re all pretty darn similar from one market to another. We all are trying to make a living, provide for our families, you know, have a little fun here and there, take a vacation. I think the Europeans do it best. They take two to four week vacations compared to the US.

You know, we might take a week off here and there, so I think there’s some lessons that we can learn from the Europeans for sure.

Andrew Pace

Four-day work week.

Chad Sluss

Right, exactly, exactly. I mean, those are all things that we should be exploring. And again, we’ll see where we go with that. But I think there are many lessons to learn from our friends in other countries. And I’m keen on just continuing to explore relationships and explore opportunities where we can do business with each other.

Andrew Pace

So you’ve set up a formal memorandum of understanding with an Australian broker association, and it’s already generated cross-border business for NEFA members. How did that come about, and what does it tell you about where the opportunities are?

Chad Sluss

Yeah, so I started some conversations with that group a few years ago. They generally were attending the ELFA conference, and that’s where we met, started talking, and that just led us to putting this MOU, Memorandum of Understanding, in place.

And yeah, I was approached maybe a month ago by an organization in Australia that had a client that was looking to expand in the US. And they wanted to make some connections with a few companies here. So I made some introductions, got them connected, and we’ll see where it goes. I don’t know if it’s generated anything yet, but at least there was an opportunity. You know, that just happened because we were open to the idea of seeing if there’s, should we explore something? Are there opportunities for our collective members to learn from each other?

So one of the things that we haven’t done yet, but it’s coming, is we’re going to do perhaps every other month or maybe on a quarterly basis, we’re going to do a little write up and that group will send something over for one of our newsletters and then I’ll be doing the same, you know, getting a pulse from our members on a short little write up so they can understand the US market a little bit better. Michael Rotay up in Canada, he and I have talked about some sort of similar relationship since we’re next door neighbors. So we should be working together in some capacity. So that’s being explored.

And we’ll see where things go with Europeans or our friends in New Zealand. I think there’s a new group that’s forming in India. So I heard that through the grapevine. And I believe there’s also a Latin American group that’s being formed. So they’ll come into our conversation eventually as well. So again, we’re just, I think at the end of the day, we’re looking to create business opportunities for our members. And if that means looking at that domestically, we are, of course, or do we look abroad?

Andrew Pace

Well, there’s a couple 100 more countries out there you haven’t mentioned yet. So the opportunities are endless.

So you’re about to kick off your 2027-2029 strategic planning cycle, starting with member town halls and roundtables. What are the big questions you’ll be asking your members and where do you expect the strategic priorities to land?

Chad Sluss

I think mainly, what value do they want to derive from NEFA, first and foremost? What does that look like today, next year, and three years? Does that mean that we reshape our conferences again? We did that five years ago. Do we need to go through another iteration of changes?

Do we change up our regional events? Do we do less events and have larger events? Maybe instead of 6 regional events and two conferences? Do we do four events that are strategically located that have a day and a half component to it? Those are all the questions I’m going to be asking. Like, what do you want from the association? What’s missing? What extra value can we offer you?

How do we get your younger team members engaged with us? What would move the needle to have them show up at an event? Do we offer them a free pass to come to a show that basically the rest of the group underwrites for X number of younger team members or younger generation people. I mean, those are all things that, you know, if we know what people want, we can make it happen. So I’ll be working with our board to put that together. We’ll do a survey and then my goal would be to roll that out and at least provide a high level overview at our fall conference in Atlanta of what we’ve learned and what the plan is shaping up to look like.

Andrew Pace

Thank you. So before we wrap up, Chad, there’s one topic we have carefully avoided until now. We have agreed on leadership, association strategy, even on where the economy might be headed.

But there’s one place where we are fundamentally divided. You being a diehard Detroit Lions fan, and me, a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan. Two fan bases that show up year after year with unbelievable loyalty, even though neither of us have brought home a Super Bowl. So instead of debating curses, I think there’s maybe a better question to end on. Which team has the more passionate fan base? Your Lions or my Bills.

Chad Sluss

That’s a tough one. I mean, your team historically has done better than Lions. We had a stretch of maybe 30 years where we couldn’t find the right coach, we couldn’t find the right players. I mean, we had Barry Sanders on our team for how many years, and we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t build a team around him for whatever reason. And that came down to the leadership and the staff that was there. I think we finally landed on the right coach, who was sort of a hard-nosed type of guy that’s putting really good coordinators around him, good players around him. So I’m optimistic that we might get a Super Bowl in my lifetime.

But to answer your question, I, man, it’s a toss up. I think your fan base is pretty darn solid. It seems they’re not afraid of the cold weather, that’s for sure, because we have a dome here in Detroit, and that might make us a little more soft compared to Buffalo Bills fans, because you guys are out there partying, leading up, doing some tailgating in advance, standing outside. We do that as well. But we’re able to warm up and go inside. You go into the, you just stay in the elements. So I might give the edge to the Buffalo fan base.

Andrew Pace

I was gonna say. You know, we do play, we do play in the elements. So I think our passion shows up in that regard because we don’t play in a dome, right? Obviously the snow, the wind, freezing temperatures, lake effect, as you know. And I will say Detroit has been a great cousin to the Bills because we’ve had some weather events that we’ve had to relocate. Detroit’s almost like a second home for the Bills. We’ve had plenty of home games in Detroit, and you guys were great, great hosts. And we’re so grateful for that, you know, relationship that we have with you guys. And we’re lucky we, you know, we’re not in the same division or conference.

And, you know, hopefully, you know, one day we’ll face off against each other in the Super Bowl and at least one of us will be happy. I mean, I’ll be upset if the Bills lose, but I’ll be happy for all my friends like yourself that are Lions fans that they finally won one.

Chad Sluss

Right. Yeah. That’d be amazing if we both got there to a Super Bowl.

Andrew Pace

Yes, yeah. Yeah, I mean, we got there four in a row back in the 90s, but I was, you know, I was a young teenager and didn’t have season tickets and I wasn’t as invested. But you mentioned tailgating for Lions. You know, I think that maybe the one advantage we have is our stadium is in the suburbs. So there’s plenty of land, a lot of parking, which allows us to not only tailgate for hours, but we can tailgate for days before the game. With RVs, you spend the night after the game, you go home the day after.

So yeah, I think I would agree. I think we have a slight edge. You know, although you guys were, yeah, you’ve had Barry Sanders, you’ve had Calvin Johnson, you know, you know, Chris Spielman, you guys have had some outstanding players, just never seemed to, you know, put it all together. But yeah, I’ve always had a soft spot for Lions fans in that franchise. That’s Ralph Wilson, our founder of the Bills is from Detroit. And you know, so so yeah, so I kind of feel like we’re somewhat you know, related.

But, but yeah, I, you know, I think both fan bases are passionate. You know, you guys showed up all those years when you knew you were pretty much out of it. Although some fans would show up and hide their identity with wearing paper bags. I will say for the 17 years we didn’t make the playoffs, there was probably some fans there wearing paper bags or, you know, that weren’t proud to be a Bills fan during that time period.

I’m going to tell you, I’ve been to some road games. You know, I’ve been to Indianapolis, Lucas Oil. I’m going to say that, you know, when the conditions are at their worst, you know, in Buffalo, it’s usually when our crowd gets the loudest. But as I get older, and I, you know, I understand the appeal of watching the games indoors every once in a while. It’s kind of refreshing. And my tolerance for the cold has definitely gone down. You know, I would much, I was kind of of the opinion that we should have had a dome. But because I’d like to use it for more than just 10 or 11 games a year. You know, bring in concerts and things like that, so that regardless of the elements, you can have a nice, comfortable experience, you know, enjoying an event, which we want to be old school and football is meant to be played outdoors kind of thing.

So, you know, there’s going to be some older folks that aren’t going to be going to those outdoor games when it’s December and January and it’s 20 below 0.

Chad Sluss

Well, going back to the 90s just for a minute. I think Buffalo would have won one had you had one of our kickers back in the day. So we had some decent kickers. Yeah, yeah. Had he been on your team, I think some of those kicks would have went through.

Andrew Pace

Oh, Hansen? I agree. Hanson was automatic. Yeah. Although Norwood was good for us in the regular season, he just missed the most important kick of his life. And that set in motion, I think, four straight. We may have won another one or two after that if we win that first one.

But, you know, I think we’ve gained a lot of fans. I think, you know, through that run, I think a lot of casual football fans that didn’t have a horse in the race, they were from a city that didn’t have a team. I think they became Bills fans because we had that, you know, we had a good nucleus with Kelly, Reed, Bruce, you know, Thurman, likeable players. You know, so I think we think the Bills, you know, grew in popularity during that time period. There’s a lot of Bills fans that I’ve run into now that were never, you know, they didn’t, you know, they became Bills fans because of that Super Bowl run.

So, and now we’re getting a second generation of fans that, you know, because of, you know, Josh Allen. So we’re getting a lot of people that like the Bills because of, you know, how Josh Allen’s been playing. So we’re, you know, we’ve been pretty fortunate to have that. And obviously you guys getting Dan Campbell and Goff and, you know, you guys have, you know, I’m on Ron St. Brown and your defense, Hutchinson, you know, you were probably an injury or two away from winning it a year or two ago. You know, if Hutchinson going down didn’t help you guys.

Chad Sluss

Much going down didn’t help us. Yeah, that was a big, big injury. And I was pleased with the draft. They picked up some more defensive players to help us there. So, yeah, I mean, we’ll see. Bring in some young talent and build around some of our veterans. That’s the key.

Andrew Pace

Yeah. That’s right. So before we go, is there anything else that we didn’t cover that you’d like to touch on?

Chad Sluss

No, I think this has been fun. Appreciate the time and appreciate you organizing this.

Andrew Pace

Well, thank you for joining us today. You know, you’re one of my favorites. I met you at that Charlotte conference coming right out of the pandemic. I was a first timer at NEFA and I’ve been hooked ever since. And I always look forward to our interactions and running, you know, and our time that we spend together at the conferences. I think you’re doing, I think you’re doing great things for the industry. And I look forward to seeing what, you know, what’s next for NEFA.

I appreciate the perspective you brought to our discussion today, not just about NEFA and the equipment finance, but on leadership, community, and where things are headed next. This was a great conversation. And to everybody listening, thank you for spending time with us on the ACS Portfolio Perspective. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure you follow and subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations with leaders like Chad and others. And we’ll see you next time.