Session Descriptions

Sessions 20035–20044 are valid for .15 CEUs and CCE recertification points.

20035. Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment
Moderator: Rudet Fountain, UTA
Streamlining your billing process can boost your cash flow while increasing efficiencies and savings in accounting, settlement and customer service. Are your company and the B2B community ready for this technology? Come learn how easy it is to provide your customers with this type of access and the many benefits of Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP). Have all your questions answered by a panel of industry experts and your peers.

20036. Serving Customers and Keeping Them for a Lifetime
Speaker: Kurt Weiland, Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting
Customer service is karma...you treat your customers right and they'll treat you right. Customer service should exceed the customers' expectations. They buy on value-not just on price. Through exercises and case studies, this session can help you learn how to deal with the angriest customers and provide the best customer service possible.

20037. The Electronic Credit Application
Speaker: Randy Lindley, Esq., Bell Nunnally
As we move toward the paperless office, all credit managers must learn how to make the electronic credit application and account agreement enforceable in court! This session provides practical tips and covers the following exciting new law from across the country: terms and conditions on a website link held enforceable, e-contract formation, how to "click" your way to user-friendly credit applications, how to make the e-signature stand up in court, how to protect the confidentiality of your customer's electronic information, how to make sure the electronic credit application constitutes an enforceable e-contract, and learn three keys to link the individual guarantor to the electronic guarantee.

20038. Discover the Missing Link to Accelerating Commercial Collections
Speaker: Greg Carmean, Experian Business Information Services
In today's tough economy, it's more important than ever for credit professionals to be able to quickly and efficiently identify the delinquent accounts that are most likely to result in a successful collection. Traditionally, credit managers have had to rely solely on information about the business to provide them with this insight. Now, however, some savvy credit managers have discovered the missing link to improving collection efforts and reducing costs by utilizing more efficient methods that help identify hidden assets associated with a guarantor. This session reviews the latest tools and technologies that help identify the relationship between a business owner and all of their current business interests to more successfully prioritize collection efforts and locate difficult-to-find debtors.

20039. Developing Your Credit Policy
Speaker: Ron Sereika, CCE, CooperVision
This session discusses the importance of having a solidly written credit policy. A well crafted credit policy should cover areas such as: terms of sale, monitoring credit risk, relationship to sales department, the training and development of credit personnel and how the credit department's success is measured. Additionally, the session addresses key questions that need to be asked when developing a credit policy as well as other influences. The four essential components of a strong credit policy are reviewed and a checklist of a well defined credit policy is presented.

20040. Ignorance is Not Bliss: Challenging Non-Bankruptcy Legal Issues Facing Credit Professionals, Part 1 of 2
Speakers: Wanda Borges, Esq., Borges & Associates, LLC, Bruce Nathan, Esq., Lowenstein Sandler PC and Val Venable, CCE, Ascend Performance Materials
Credit professionals confront many legal issues in the course of their relationship with customers and their efforts to identify, monitor and manage risk and maximize cash flow. This session deals with some of the more challenging non-bankruptcy legal issues confronting credit professionals. They include the law governing and enforceability of electronic signatures and electronic credit applications; privacy issues, including the evolving law on the safeguarding of personal information; and how to deal with the risk of money laundering in the context of day-to-day collections. Additionally, issues addressed are escheatment and unclaimed property laws and the requirements they impose on companies that hold unclaimed property; H/R issues; and setoff and recoupment rights where a trade creditor buys from and sells to its customer. Finally, as time permits in Part 2, provisions of supply agreements with teeth are covered.

20041. Keeping Pace with Change and Adversity
Speaker: Bruce Christopher, Bruce Christopher Seminars
Life is change-growth is optional. How true! If there is one thing we can count on in life, it's change: corporate reorganizations, downsizings, mergers, technological advances. How can we keep up? This session shows how to become a SURF-RIDER, learning to ride the waves of change, instead of being overwhelmed by them. Your group will discover how to embrace the opportunities of change and yell, "Surf's Up!"

20042. The United States is Open for Business
Speaker: Mike Rubey, JPMorgan Chase
The economic and financial crisis has led to the loss of millions of US jobs. Millions of Americans remain unemployed or underemployed. Creating jobs in the United States and ensuring a return to sustainable economic growth is a priority for our country. A critical component of stimulating economic growth in the US is ensuring that US businesses can actively participate in international markets by increasing their export of goods and services. Improved export performance will, in turn, create high-paying jobs. Every $1 billion increase in exports supports more than 6,000 additional jobs. Ninety-five percent of the world's customers and the fastest-growing markets are outside our borders. Yet only about 6% of US businesses are aware or familiar with the full gamut of international trade tools available to increase financing, advocacy and assistance for American businesses to win new markets overseas. This program will help credit managers at all levels of experience identify the applicability of traditional, as well as emerging, trade tools to their respective export-related portfolios for successful risk mitigation and disciplined growth.

20043. If It's the Economy—What Can We Expect?
Speaker: Chris Kuehl, PhD, Armada Corporate Intelligence
Now that the race is well under way and the contenders are shaping up it is time to separate some of the rhetoric from reality. What can the president and Congress really do about the economy? Let's take a look at what they are saying, what they have actually done and where the real power to affect the economy lays. This is a nonpartisan look at the economic issues that are part of the campaign thus far and what they will be expected to be by the time the dust settles.

20044. Specific Ratios Utilized in Financial Statement Analysis
Speaker: George Schnupp, CCE, Anixter, Inc.
In this session, we will talk about the specific ratios utilized to analyze and interpret financial statements. These ratios can help the analyst guide their way through the plethora of financial information. There are four categories of ratios we will discuss as well as provide a methodical approach on how to utilize them.

Sessions 20047–20056 are valid for .15 CEUs and CCE Recertification points.

20047. Selling to Financially Distressed Customers
Speaker: Lynnette Warman, Esq., Hunton & Williams LLP
Extending credit on an unsecured basis is always a challenge. By participating in this session, you can learn ways to deal with that challenge. Ms. Warman identifies the various stages of business decline and failure and presents practical tips on how to respond to those challenges.

20048. Speaking in Public without Dying
Speakers: Kurt Weiland, Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting
(Part 1 is presented in session 19038.)
We cannot lead if we cannot communicate. Participate in this session to work toward improving your communication skills. Mr. Weiland discusses how the best presentations have a single, clear point or focus. He stresses how everything in a presentation should support that single, clear point using specifics rather than generalities. Audiences tend to believe confident speakers, and confidence shows in delivery. Mr. Weiland explains how to demonstrate confidence to be a successful public speaker.

20049. The Evolution and Importance of Corporate Distress Prediction and Financial Health Models and Their Implications
Speaker: Ed Altman, PhD, New York University
Professor Altman will take attendees through a voyage from simple qualitative indications of financial distress to modern day statistical and market-weighted factors. He will discuss the evolution of his pioneering Z-Score model through the modern interpretation of credit scores, yielding firm bond rating equivalents, probabilities of default and industry rankings. Current case studies will be combined with his classic works to shed new light on industry rankings and relative risks. Dr. Altman's models can be applied to both public and private enterprises as well as domestic firms and firms abroad.

20050. Ignorance is Not Bliss: Challenging Non-Bankruptcy Legal Issues Facing Credit Professionals, Part 2 of 2
Speakers: Wanda Borges, Esq., Borges & Associates, LLC, Bruce Nathan, Esq., Lowenstein Sandler PC and Val Venable, CCE, Ascend Performance Materials
Credit professionals confront many legal issues in the course of their relationship with customers and their efforts to identify, monitor and manage risk and maximize cash flow. This session deals with some of the more challenging non-bankruptcy legal issues confronting credit professionals. They include the law governing and enforceability of electronic signatures and electronic credit applications; privacy issues, including the evolving law on the safeguarding of personal information; and how to deal with the risk of money laundering in the context of day-to-day collections. Additionally, issues addressed are escheatment and unclaimed property laws and the requirements they impose on companies that hold unclaimed property; H/R issues and setoff and recoupment rights where a trade creditor buys from and sells to its customer. Finally, as time permits in Part 2, provisions of supply agreements with teeth are covered.

20051. Attitude, Humor and Peak Performance in the Workplace
Speaker: Bruce Christopher, Bruce Christopher Seminars
Are we having fun yet? In this humorous session, the audience learns the power of a positive attitude and the secrets only OPTIMISTS know! Participants discover how attitude creates success, shapes moods and is contagious. Great for employee motivation, sales and customer service training, stress management, leadership and personal life attitude adjustments.

20052. Doing Business in Mexico
Speaker: Romelio Hernández, HMH Legal
The objective of this session is to gain a general understanding of the legal process in Mexico and share the challenges that creditors face during litigation for the recovery of debt. We'll also discuss how to create a game plan to follow when selling to Mexican buyers on credit, in order to be prepared and equipped for bringing a strong and agile legal action for collection of debt in Mexico. Trade agreements and export regulations issues will also be covered.

20053. Lessons Learned in a Global Risk Management System Conversion
Speaker: Scott Tillesen, CCE, Tech Data Corporation
Tech Data Corporation, a $25 billion global revenue company, is nearing the last wave of a new risk management system to 20 credit offices worldwide. Based on these experiences, this session addresses automated integration of outside data sources, staffing needs as process changes and the impact on policies and practices. Also discussed in this session are the effects of migrating only a portion of existing data. A final important topic for discussion is the commitment needed for the project, including how to maintain an interest in "change" and how to be a change "leader."

20054. An Uncertain Global Economy and Its Effect on Credit
Moderator: Jay Tenney, Trade Risk Group
Panelists: Chris Kuehl, PhD, Armada Corporate Intelligence, Dan North, Euler Hermes ACI, and Carolyn Reichert, PhD, University of Texas at Dallas
As the global economy continues its volatile path, how does today's credit manager interpret the massive amount of mixed data and its effect on a customer's creditworthiness? The panel explores and discusses today's current economic climate, their prognosis for the future and how the following can impact your credit decisions: the Euro/Global credit risk contagion, the refinancing of $700B+ in high-risk U.S. corporate debt during 2012-2014, currency fluctuations, and U.S. debt, political environment and presidential election.

20055. How a Credit Department of One Successfully Does it All
Moderator: Dawn Wallace Cook, CCE, Newton Manufacturing Co.
Panel: Brenda Dennee, Nutricia North America, Sheila Roames, CCE, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions and Ellen Wodiuk, CBF, Fort McDowell Yavapai Materials
Are you a one-man show? Are you doing more with less? Has your credit staff been reduced? Many credit departments are small...some very small, with only a single credit professional to manage the entire workload. The challenges are many, and the obstacles can seem even more daunting in a difficult economy. If you're a Credit Department of One, you'll benefit from this panel discussion where the "expert" panelists are much like yourselves-doing it all! Come learn how others handle the unique issues and challenges when balancing all the responsibilities.

Speaker: Greg Powelson, NACM-MLBS
The name of the game is putting your company in the best possible position to get paid. Every credit professional has two choices to make when approving credit. Will I approve and sell, and if so, will the account be secured or unsecured. In this session, Greg Powelson of NACM's Mechanic's Lien and Bond Services will discuss the benefits of personal property security utilizing Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Greg will break down and explain both Basic and Purchase Money Security Interest filings. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of which type of filing is applicable for their business, the benefits of filing, the documents required and how to get started.

CONCURRENT EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
Sessions 20060–20068 are valid for .15 CEUs and CCE Recertification points.

20060. Privacy Issues
Speaker: Wanda Borges, Esq., Borges & Associates, LLC
Why is paying attention to privacy mandates such an important topic for business/credit professionals? Because, bottom line: You must comply! This session delves into the ins and outs of privacy issues affecting U.S. businesses. This session will start with background on privacy-focused legislation like the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and Patriot Act and their real impact. It will give a glimpses into some of the privacy laws within the 47 states that have them, with particular interest on the statutes of significance, major differences that are out there and areas where the privacy issue is hottest right now (Massachusetts, California, etc.). The session will help attendees clarify what compliance is, the do's and don'ts to secure programs, what businesses should and shouldn't be focused upon, and on down to what agencies are overseeing privacy and what they are looking for.

20061. Risk Taking, Achievement and Fear
Speaker: Bruce Christopher, Bruce Christopher Seminars
There are three kinds of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who say, "What happened?" Everyone secretly wants to be a mover and shaker, but the fear of failure holds many prisoners. This interactive session has the audience literally coming out of their seats by learning to leap from procrastinations and crash through comfort zones. Learn how to make fears disappear, visualize goals, move forward and have fun doing it!

20062. International Credit Policy
Speaker: Pam Thomas, Cognisant Training Limited
As companies operate in a dynamic environment, proactive credit management is essential to cope with constant change and the ability to adapt to international market and global economic conditions. Some argue that to have a written credit policy in place creates too many rules to operate competitively. A well-constructed credit policy should address those concerns and include scope for change and room for flexibility and adaptability. Credit policy presented as an investment tool can provide a clear outline of credit management's vision for the present and future adding both department credibility and corporate value. This session provides practical guidance on creating and implementing credit policy for an international environment, along with the methods and means it will use to support both department and corporate objectives. It is intended to provide delegates with a framework, including ‘best practice' in credit management, to ensure that a written credit policy is operationally successful. Highlights include, what do we want from the policy; getting the right structure; scope for change, flexibility and adaptability; and implementation.

20063. Stakeholder Engagement: Getting Your Organization on Board with Your Credit Decision
Speaker: Michelle Higgins, CCE, Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc.
In today's economic environment, companies are placing more and more pressure on their employees to drive revenues. Credit departments are not exempt from these pressures and as a result are no longer able to make customer credit decisions in a silo. The old days of the "sales prevention" perception of credit are over, and credit managers must now take on the added role of "salesman" when making decisions that will impact the business. Engaging your company's customer specific stakeholders is imperative in order to gain their support and formulate appropriate strategies for managing customer exposures and expectations. This session shares concepts and methods for engaging your internal stakeholders in the credit process, including an example of a comprehensive customer presentation and email communication tools to keep the field informed.

20064. Beyond the Spreadsheet: Using Advanced Features in Excel 2007 and Excel 2010
(This session is repeated in session #20074.)
Speaker: Barbara Kimberlin, TrainUp.com
This session covers topics including complex formulas: logical (If, Nested If, and SumIf) and lookup (Vlookup and Hlookup), along with two-dimensional lookups. Participants learn about conditional formatting (font color based on cell value, highlights), filter and sorting features (color, pivot tables, slicer, powerpivot), along with charts (sparklines and X/Y axes). Direction on macros (recording, assigning to a button, and adding a macro to a new tab) is also provided.

20065. Dispute Resolution
Speaker: Jim Fullerton, Esq., Fullerton & Knowles, PC
Learn about dispute resolution procedures in contracts and in the law. Use the correct procedures to preserve rights to payment, speed up claims and lower the costs of claims. Learn how to navigate administrative claims procedures in federal and state public procurement contracts. You must understand conduit clauses, change orders and claims procedures to protect from backcharges or deductive claims, and also to receive additional compensation for delay, design defects or changes on a project. The session answers these and more questions: What are the procedures and advantages of litigation, mediation and arbitration? When are arbitration clauses enforceable? When is mediation a worthwhile use of time and money? What is alternative dispute resolution or ADR?

20066. Financial Statement Analysis
Speaker: George Schnupp, CCE, Anixter, Inc.
In this session, we talk about the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement with an emphasis on how to analyze them. It is important to build a sound foundation of understanding the relationships that exist between the balance sheet and income statement. There are numerous tools available to help in analyzing financial statements. We will discuss the importance of these tools and how to utilize them in performing financial statement analysis.

20067. How Analytics Can Enhance Your Commercial Credit and Business Processes
Speakers: Steve Gregg and Sue Sheehey, D&B
When making commercial credit decisions, many factors come into play. How long has this company been in business, and what are their annual sales? How well does this business pay its other creditors? What do their financials look like? Most trade creditors today build rules and judgmental decision processes around these types of elements, but did you know that many scoring models rely on the very same factors, and can bring a higher level of consistency to your processes? Come join this high-level education session on commercial credit scoring, and find out how you can increase your ROI.

Speaker: Randy Tabor, Experian Business Information Services
What does it take to be successful in today's highly competitive business environment, where cost drives decisions, change is a given and doing more with less is the norm? Hard work is important; however, it won't ensure success. What guarantees success is understanding and applying the key business relationship factors that influence clients and coworkers to value us as essential partners. We interact with people every day. And the more effectively we can transform those interactions into meaningful connections, the more successful we can become. In this interactive session, you will: learn about "The 7 Actions of Connections" required to successfully establish, develop, and maintain business relationships; receive a template you can use to map and track your connections; and experience a powerful way to connect with people quickly that will differentiate you from others. By the end of this session, you will walk away with a strategy for building connections that you can put into practice immediately!

CONCURRENT EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
Sessions 20070–20077 are valid for .15 CEUs and CCE Recertification points.

20070. Bankruptcy 2012: What's Hot, What's Not!
Speaker: Bruce Nathan, Esq., Lowenstein Sandler PC
The trend toward quick Section 363 sales or prepackaged or pre-negotiated, pre-arranged chapter 11 plans, instead of the traditional more rarely used lengthier chapter 11 cases to restructure the debtor's business and its balance sheet through a plan. Trade creditors dealing with an uncertain economy frequently confront the risk of their financially troubled customers filing bankruptcy. Chapter 11 cases are now moving with lightning speed through quick Section 363 sales or prepackaged or pre-negotiated, pre-arranged Chapter 11 plans, instead of the traditional more rarely used lengthier Chapter 11 cases to restructure the debtor's business and its balance sheet through a plan. This session deals with the speedier Chapter 11 process and the steps trade creditors should be taking to assert control over the case to maximize their recovery. Bruce also presents a few war stories recounting high stakes battles against debtors and their secured lenders that have significantly impacted trade creditor rights. The discussion includes: 1. Current developments concerning a trade creditor's Section 503(b)(9) priority claim for goods received by the debtor within 20 days of bankruptcy, including recent litigated issues and court decisions and the impact of a creditors' committee in determining the collectability of this claim. 2. Current developments concerning preference claims and defenses, including the new value and ordinary course defenses, and how a creditors' committee could assist in eliminating the risk of preference lawsuits. 3. A trade creditor's ability to relieve itself of its obligation to extend credit under a long-term supply agreement, purchase order and service agreement. 4. Chapter 9 municipality bankruptcies, including who is an eligible Chapter 9 debtor, how Chapter 9 works and its impact on trade creditors. The trend is toward quick Section 363 sales or prepackaged or pre-negotiated, pre-arranged Chapter 11 plans instead of the traditional more rarely used lengthier Chapter 11 cases to reconstruct the debtor's business and its balance sheet through a plan.

20071. Dealing with Difficult People
Speaker: Bruce Christopher, Bruce Christopher Seminars
Bambi vs. Godzilla! Difficult people are everywhere. They can be customers, coworkers, bosses, neighbors, even spouses. This program humorously reveals the six basic difficult personality styles that are out to drain you and your organization of vital energy. You will learn what they do, why they do it, and what you can do about it. Find out how to stay empowered in the face of negative, reactive and draining people.

20072. The European Legal Framework for Collecting A/Rs in Key Strategic Countries Across Europe
Speakers: Robert Schulze, Schulze Brutyan Law Office and Thomas Voller, Voller Rechtsanwälte
Join FCIB's European team of legal experts from EuroCollectNet, to understand how different legal frameworks affect the collection of A/Rs in key strategic countries across Europe. This session commences with experts giving a lively and interesting "whistle-stop tour," that delivers an overview of the differences in various countries...what works in the Netherlands will not work in Germany, etc. Find out how to execute A/R collections in a more cost effective manner and maximize return on revenue. Topics covered include: the influence of European law on various countries; debt enforcement in Europe and how the right tools help to save you time and money; costs of litigation around Europe-cost variances by country; and retention of title to goods not enforceable in all European countries. Subjects further include: doing business in Russia; are U.S judgments enforceable in Europe; and alternative methods to resolving disputes across European countries.

20073. Best Practices to Quickly Analyze Large Credit Risks
Moderator: Al Carmenini, CreditRiskMonitor, Inc.
Panel: Ed Bell, PhD, CBA, CICP, W. W. Grainger Inc., Camilo Gomez, PhD, CreditRiskMonitor, Inc. and Leonel Torrejon, CICP, OfficeMax
These unprecedented economic times challenge today's credit pro beyond anything any of us could have imagined in the past. Credit professionals are increasingly concerned with increasing financial risk while facing the challenges of ever shrinking resources. A team of experts presents case studies to illustrate time-proven best practices they personally use to quickly analyze the financials of large companies. Learn techniques for quantifying associated risk and matching it to your own company's risk threshold. The panel also shares tips and techniques to proactively satisfy the challenging risk analysis CFOs demand today. They impart their expertise, such as what has worked for them, lessons learned and the pitfalls to avoid along the way. Together the panel will share their respective insights on how to apply the techniques presented to quickly assess the risk these companies present to your portfolios by reviewing the financials, ratings/scores, recent news, industry peers, etc.

20074. Beyond the Spreadsheet: Using Advanced Features in Excel 2007 and Excel 2010
(This is an encore of session #20064.)
Speaker: Barbara Kimberlin, TrainUp.com
This session covers topics including complex formulas: logical (If, Nested If, and SumIf) and lookup (Vlookup and Hlookup), along with two-dimensional lookups. Participants learn about conditional formatting (font color based on cell value, highlights), filter and sorting features (color, pivot tables, slicer, powerpivot), along with charts (sparklines and X/Y axes). Direction on macros (recording, assigning to a button, and adding a macro to a new tab) is also provided.

20075. Top Tips to Leveraging the NACM Web Tools
Speakers: Robin Schauseil, CAE and NACM-National Staff
NACM has amazing tools on the National website, but do you know how to use them? Join representatives from the NACM-National staff as they help you navigate their online NACM road map, certification practice exams and designation (CBA, CBF, CCE) forms. Get a glimpse of how the Mechanics Liens & Bond Services (MLBS) tools work. Learn how to stay connected through NACM's blog. And did you know the Credit Manual, Business Credit magazine and most textbooks are word-searchable? The Resource Library is amazing! Come learn to leverage these and many more tools available from your association.

20076. Communicating Credit's Value to Management
Speaker: Kathleen Quill, CAE, CBA, NACM Houston
Credit and finance professionals do not always effectively communicate their contributions and value-add to management. Based on interviews and surveys with management and credit managers, the session provides some simple, easy to implement ways to report regularly to management and convey what matters. Sample and template report forms are shared to facilitate the communication process.

20077. Ethics in Collections
Speaker: Toni Drake, CCE, TRM Financial Services, Inc. and Lynnette Warman, Esq., Hunton & Williams LLP
Collectors Gone Wild! With all the social media available comes many opportunities to research your clients and affect their reputations. How far should credit professionals go to further their collection efforts? Learn the issues and the potential ramifications that may come up as you begin to use this new tool.