The Ali Show

Bectran, Inc.

5.0 (2)
TECHNOLOGY
UPDATED MONTHLY

We are here to connect you with your B2B finance community and build a better credit and AR experience together. Tune in to learn how you can optimize risk and solve real challenges in your order-to-cash operation. Be a part of our conversations with your peers and expect practical industry insights and best practices from their experiences at Fortune 100 to Fortune 500 companies.

12/19/2025

Ep. 11 — Navigating Credit and Economic Challenges Across Industries, featuring Andy Malueg

In this episode of The Ali Show, host Ali Kidwai sits down with Andrew Malueg, Revenue Cycle Manager at AMCOR, to discuss how credit and AR professionals can prepare for economic shifts ahead. They dig into managing credit risk in the packaging industry, what rising bankruptcy trends might signal for 2026, and why so much AR technology fails to deliver real results. Malueg also shares strategies for scaling credit operations and what it takes to stay ahead when the economy gets unpredictable. Time Stamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Andy's Introduction and Background 02:20 Amcor’s Company Overview 04:10 Managing Credit Across Industries 06:17 Key differences in Credit and AR for the Packaging Industry 08:00 Current Economic and Supply Chain Challenges 12:10 Adjusting Credit and AR Policies to the Current Market 16:00 Economic Predictions for the Near Future 19:03 Leveraging Technology to Empower Credit and AR Teams 21:55 Adjusting Models to Limit Exposure 23:54 Evolution of Technology in Finance 27:25 Customer Relationship as a Key Part in B2B 29:50 3 Key Strategies Every Credit Manager Should Follow 31:55 Conclusion

33 min
11/12/2025

Ep. 10 — Len Brown on Risk, Relationships, and the Future of Construction Trade Credit

In this episode of the Ali Show, Ali Kidwai interviews Len Brown, Senior Director of Commercial Credit at Floor & Decor, to discuss the evolution of trade credit in the construction industry, the impact of economic downturns, and the importance of technology in managing credit risk. Gain firsthand knowledge as Len shares insights into the current market landscape and the unique challenges of construction trade credit, highlighting the importance of maintaining strong customer relationships while exploring topics such as the future of trade credit and the growing role of AI in financial processes. 00:00 Introduction 01:21 Len Brown's Background and Experience 03:48 Economic Shifts and their impact on Construction Trade Credit 06:47 Current Market Landscape and Challenges 09:24 Understanding Construction Trade Credit 14:00 Risk Management Strategies 20:49 The Role of Technology and AI in Trade Credit Operations 25:05 Vetting Technology Vendors 28:00 Future Trends in Construction Trade Credit 31:06 Conclusion

32 min
09/12/2025

Ep. 9 — Travel with Ali #4: NCS Credit

In this special episode of The Ali Show, travel with Ali Kidwai to the CRF Conference as he sits down with Alec Papesch, NCS Credit’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, to discuss the future of construction trade credit. Discover where technology is making the biggest impact and how the credit manager’s role is evolving with a younger workforce and increased technology adoption. Introduction (0:07) NCS introduction (1:07) How construction credit differs from trade credit (4:37) The new age of credit (7:14) Strengthening risk analysis with the right technology (9:17) Where to start implementing technology in your processes (10:20) Expertise as a product (11:52) Road mapping construction credit in 2030 (14:20) The Credit Manager’s Copilot (16:05) Shifting priorities in the credit industry (20:10) Cultivating customer relationships (22:22) Why listen to the Ali Show? (25:45) Conclusion (29:08)

29 min
06/27/2025

Ep. 8 — Travel with Ali #3: NACM Credit Congress and Expo 2025

In this special edition episode of The Ali Show, join Ali on the expo floor at NACMs Credit Congress in Cleveland, Ohio, as he explores the key challenges and priorities on the minds of today’s leading credit professionals. Hear first-hand where AR and credit teams are headed—and how they're leveraging new strategies, processes, and technologies to navigate today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. 0:00 Intro 0:20 Ali Introduction 0:50 Topics covered in this episode 1:17 Len Brown, Senior Director of Commercial Credit at Floor & Décor 2:24 Dave Newman, Senior Credit Manager at Beacon 3:10 Jayce Alfonzo, Regional Credit Manager for Carrier Enterprise-Florida 3:28 Jamie Jones, Director of Credit for Carrier Enterprise 4:18 Neil Eichholz, Credit Analyst at Ash Grove Cement 4:57 Alec Papesch, Director of Strategic Partners at NCS 5:51 Thoughts on economic climate and technology wave 5:55 Devon Logan, Vice President of Credit Management at US LBM 7:15 Kevin Stinner, Regional Credit Manager for JR Simplot Company 8:24 Rudy Schatzmann, National Account Manager at Altus Receivables Management 9:24 Closing remarks

11 min
03/17/2025

Ep. 7 — Engineering High Resiliency Products for Large Scale Order-to-Cash Departments

In this episode of the Ali Show, Ali Kidwai and Bectran's Senior Software Engineer Sajal Gupta sit down to discuss how engineering teams help create high-resiliency products for large-scale fintech credit departments. Follow along as Ali and Sajal describe not only the key aspects to running a successful, scalable and resilient engineering team but also the values and skills needed in software engineers to deliver proactive and high-impact solutions. Explore the world of product engineering with real-world examples into the intricacies of how customer involvement and feedback play into the design process. 00:00 Introductions 02:55 Building Resilient Products in B2B Order-to-cash 04:58 Key Differentiators of a Successful Engineering Team 06:33 Turning Customer Pain Points into Solutions 08:47 What Makes for a Good Engineer 10:09 Real-World Challenges in Data Processing 14:26 Innovative Bank Integration Solutions 17:20 Complexities of Review Automation 20:33 Understanding Customer Needs for Better Solutions 23:37 Deployment Methodology and Speed 26:03 Outro

27 min
11/22/2024

Ep.6 (Part 2) — Uncovering Hidden Debtors: How Targeted Investigations and Legal Strategies Can Help B2B Credit Managers Maximize Debt Recovery

From forged divorce certificates to counterfeit checks, the second part of this riveting debt recovery discussion takes listeners behind the scenes of some of MAK's most challenging cases. Ali Kidwai welcomes back Robert Blackstad and Jason Kirkorsky to share eye-opening stories that showcase why thorough verification has become crucial in modern debt collection. The experts break down how recent regulatory changes are transforming the industry landscape - and how savvy collectors are adapting to stay ahead. Get an insider's perspective on why debt placement volumes are trending upward and learn how MAK's nationwide network of local counsel successfully navigates today's evolving regulatory environment while maintaining the highest standards of compliance. Welcome back (0:07) Signature Verification (0:52) Jason Storytime – Ex-wife certificate forgery (2:08) Robert Storytime – Debtor check forgery (5:16) [Collection Industry] Trends & Challenges (6:58) How MAK Bolsters Customer Processing (13:30) Rising Number of Collections & Placements (18:58) Outro (22:56)

24 min
11/15/2024

Ep.6 (Part 1) — Uncovering Hidden Debtors: How targeted Investigations and legal strategies can help B2B credit managers maximize Debt recovery

In this episode of the Ali Show, Ali Kidwai joins MAK's Chief Investigative Officer Robert Blackstad and Attorney Jason Kirkorsky for an in-depth exploration of modern debt recovery strategies. They unpack MAK's unique dual approach of combining legal expertise with investigative prowess to maximize recovery outcomes. Robert and Jason walk through their innovative client onboarding system and explain how building strong partnerships from day one sets the foundation for success. The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Robert shares his most remarkable collection stories and provides insights into digital footprint analysis. Learn about the crucial distinction between legal and non-legal approaches to debt recovery, understand what constitutes bad debt, and discover practical strategies to prevent debt accumulation. The discussion concludes with a compelling analysis of current industry trends and the pervasive, evolving challenges facing debt recovery professionals today. “Ali Welcome Back” (0:07) “MAK Introduction” (0:44) “No One Size Fits All” (2:08) Why should consumers create an account with them and what are the first steps in the process to assist them. “Problem Solvers, Not Problem Makers” (6:39) MAK describes the intake period for clients and the budding partnership/collaboration that begins between firms. Verification of Personal Guarantors and credit risk evaluations take place. “Legal vs. Non-Legal Approaches” (10:15) Traditional methods of collection (3rd party collection) while simultaneously gaining intel on the debtor for assets if needed. Competitive advantage is “carrying a bigger stick” than collection agencies because of the law firm prestige. “Investigation Day-to-Day” (15:41) Finds ways to collect from, analyze digital footprints and social media usage. “Craziest Collection Stories” (17:45) “Bad Debt and Legal Strategies” (22:45) Jason talks about documentation, court appearances, and the legal process that begins for debtors. Lawsuit phase -> Litigation phase and personal guarantees Signatures: 29:55 – 32:21 Outro: 33:22

34 min
10/18/2024

Ep.5 — Travel with Ali #2: Visiting Monrovia Nursery

In this episode of the Ali Show, travel with Ali Kidwai to Monrovia's beautiful nursery expo in Oregon and hear from Chief Financial Officer at Monrovia Nursery Company, Frank Van Straleen, as he discusses the implementation of Bectran’s digital payment portal. Hear how Bectran’s payment portal helps cements Monrovia as an industry leader, bringing efficiencies in dispute management and payment processing capabilities. 0:00 - Ali's Introduction 0:35 - Episode Overview 1:45 - Monrovia Introduction 3:30 - How has Bectran impacted Monrovia's clients? 4:05 - How is Monrovia helping customers adopt the new payment portal? 5:20 – How has Bectran’s payment portal improved dispute resolution? 6:55 – What are some key takeaways of Bectran’s implementation that you would want someone considering a transition to know?

8 min
09/06/2024

Ep.4 — Confronting Credit and Accounts Receivable Challenges in Small and Medium Businesses Operations

In this episode, Ali Kidwai and Product and Implementation Lead, Nischal Shetty, discuss common challenges small and medium businesses credit and AR departments face with their manual processes. They explain how manual processing often leads to time-consuming inefficiencies which can negatively impact a wide range of business operations, both on the credit and accounts receivable side. Everything from reference evaluation, collections tracking, customer outreach, payments and more can become bottlenecks under manual operations. Learn how you can overcome these obstacles through the power of automation. (0:21) Ali's introduction (1:03) Nischal's introduction (1:48) Challenges small and medium businesses (SMB) face in their credit and AR departments (4:28) AR challenges (6:00) How SMBs overcome challenges with automation (10:05) Why SMBs are hesitant to implement automation (12:05) How Bectran's solutions benefit SMB (14:29) Fraud prevention tactics (17:32) Outcomes and results

19 min
08/23/2024

Ep.3 — Travel with Ali #1 : CRF Nashville 2024

In this special episode of The Ali Show, travel with Ali to Nashville for the recent CRF conference! Join us as we chat with CRF members from diverse industries and backgrounds to get their perspectives on current trends in the world of B2B finance.

21 min
07/30/2024

Ep.2 — Software Solutions for Credit Departments with High Volume of Job Sheets

In this episode, Ali Kidwai and David Reinauer discuss solutions for credit departments with high-volume of job sheets in the building and construction industry. They explain what high volumes look like, the effects on different departments, best strategies per scenario, and how to efficiently divide the workstream between job sheets and new customer credit applications. Hear real stories and proven tactics to help you become a modern high-performing credit department.

26 min
07/03/2024

Pilot

In this first episode, Ali sits down with Bectran's own Dominic Biegel to kick off the show talking about order holds, an upcoming event, and the story of Ali's button.

18 min

12 Episodes

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

We are here to connect you with your B2B finance community and build a better credit and AR experience together. Tune in to learn how you can optimize risk and solve real challenges in your order-to-cash operation. Be a part of our conversations with your peers and expect practical industry insights and best practices from their experiences at Fortune 100 to Fortune 500 companies.

Creator

Bectran, Inc.
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

12