In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity, Andrew Pace sits down with Chad Sluss, CEO of the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA), to get an honest read on where the industry stands and where one of its most important associations is headed next. Chad came into the NEFA role in September 2020, stepping into a job where the core value proposition had just been dismantled by the pandemic. What followed was a multi-year rebuild, not just restoring what existed before, but rethinking what a modern equipment finance association should actually do for its members. Under his leadership, NEFA's membership has grown from roughly 265 companies to over 400. In this conversation, Chad walks through the career that shaped how he leads, spanning food service, state bar associations, home building, and an international legal network operating across 52 countries. That kind of cross-industry experience doesn't produce a specialist. It produces someone who knows how to read a room, identify what's missing, and build something that lasts. The conversation covers what Chad is hearing from NEFA members right now about deal flow, credit conditions, and equipment demand. It also gets into the association's education build-out, the global connections NEFA is forming with counterpart organizations in Australia, Canada, and Europe, and how Chad is thinking about the next strategic planning cycle. If you want an honest read on where the equipment finance industry is and where it's headed, this is a good place to start. Key Topics Discussed: Chad's nonlinear career path and the transferable leadership skills it producedJoining NEFA in September 2020 and the immediate pivot to virtual programmingHow NEFA restructured its in-person conference experience coming out of the pandemicProgramming across three distinct member segments: funding sources, broker lessors, and service providersWhat NEFA members are saying right now about deal flow, credit conditions, and equipment demandTransportation as a challenged asset class and the cautious optimism emerging around itThe economist at NEFA's spring conference, the AI investment tailwind, and demographic concerns on the horizonNEFA's education portfolio: 70-plus hours of online content, monthly knowledge exchange roundtables, and a four-part AI and technology seriesThe CEO roundtable with counterpart associations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and EuropeThe MOU with an Australian broker association and the cross-border business it's already generatingHow NEFA is thinking about the next generation of equipment finance professionalsThe 2027-2029 strategic planning cycle and the member town halls that will shape it Notable Takeaways: "This industry is on the tip of either a really booming economy or a downturn." "I think the demand is out there. It's just people have to work harder to get the business owners to move forward with deals." "Business should sort of come first. All the other stuff is just noise." "Six, seven years ago, I didn't know anything about this industry. I was blown away how large it is, and the opportunities." "If we know what people want, we can make it happen." "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." Subscribe to Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity for more industry insights and field-tested strategies. For more information, visit Asset Compliant Solutions.
