Overview

Join your small business loan fund peers in Denver, June 28 - 30, for the 2017 EDFS Peer Learning Conference!

Click here for a draft agenda.

Register by June 16 to receive a $50 discount on the fee!

The EDFS Peer Learning Conference brings together business loan fund staff that are working in rural and small metropolitan regions to hear best and promising practices from loan funds around the nation, learn about federal program updates from agency staff, and engage in meaningful and relevant discussions and information sharing with their peers.

This very hands on conference agenda is being developed to meet the needs of loan fund managers that are working to assist small businesses around the country to thrive and make a positive impact to their local and regional economies, and to be part of the evolving global marketplace. The focus of this conference is to convene small business loan fund staff and provide a format for intense information sharing and idea exchange, hear about best and promising practices that might be replicated elsewhere, and to create an environment for rich and meaningful peer networking.

Whether you are managing an EDA RLF, ARC Business Development RLF, USDA IRP or RBEG, CDFI, one of the various SBA loan funds, or other program, there will be information of interest to you or your lending staff.

 

Questions?: Contact Laurie Thompson at 202-624-5948 or [email protected]

Registration

Registration for this event started on April 06, 2017 and is currently Open.

Fee Schedule:

• Early Bird Registration Rate (before June 16 ): $300.00
• Regular Registration Rate (after June 16 ): $350.00

Register Online

Agenda & Presentations

Please note the agenda is being finalized and may change, so visit this page often to be sure you have the most current agenda.  Speaker presentations will be added after the conference.

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.   |   Registration

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. |  Welcome, Self-Introductions and Conference Overview

With attendees from almost 20 states representing various types of loan funds that serve diverse populations and cover the full gamut of geography, we will spend a bit of time getting to know each other.  Come prepared to introduce yourself to the group and offer up one interesting fact about your loan fund to get the conversation started.

9:30 – 10:45 a.m. | Today’s Small Business Lending Environment

Across the US, small business loan funds are thinking innovatively as they develop programs to meet the diverse needs of their borrowers.  Some are incorporating heavy doses of technical assistance while others are looking at new industries and types of businesses to lend their support.  While they are experience similar challenges and obstacles as their counterparts, they are succeeding at meeting their goals to assist businesses in the startup and growth phases so they can provide jobs and incomes to local residents.  The four panelists will talk about their funds’ unique approaches to lending, providing ideas and food for thought to the conference attendees.

Panelists:

• Matt Burthold, Director of Commercial Lending, Lewis and Clark RDC, Mandan, ND
• R.T. Brown, WCEDP Project Manager, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, Brattleboro, VT
• Bryan Venable, Social Enterprise Manager, Panhandle Area Development District, Scottsbluff, NE
• Carolyn Jones, WP RLF Program Manager, Montana Department of Commerce, Helena, MT

Moderator: Laurie Thompson, Deputy Executive Director, NADO, Washington, DC

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. | Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Marketing Strategies

Raising the funds to lend to small businesses—both startups and those ready to expand—is tough.  And so is getting that money out the door and into the hands of local businesses that are ready to borrow and pay back small business loans.  Identifying your many audiences, developing the specific messages you want you want to convey, deciding what platforms to use (social media, printed materials, presentations and word of mouth, news releases, special events, broadcast media, and so on), figuring out a budget, and measuring results are just some of the things that need to be considered as you develop a marketing strategy.

Speaker: Alisa Zimmerman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Colorado Enterprise Fund, Denver, CO

12:00 – 1:45 p.m. | Luncheon: Helping Businesses Thrive in the Centennial State

For over 25 years, Colorado Lending Source has plugged away, making loans and providing assistance to small businesses across the state.  In 2016 alone, they approved 270 loans that created 1,845 jobs.  Their clients hail from rural communities and business revitalization districts.  They have made loans to businesses that are owned by millennials and veterans, women and minorities.  They have lent money to startups and businesses ready for expansion and growth.  Their work spreads across 27 counties and 65 cities.  They are making a significant impact in the business financing landscape across the state.  Hear about their sources of loan capital, strategies for getting the money to borrowers, the types of loans they offer, and how they work with entrepreneurs and business owners.

Presenter: Mike O’Donnell, Executive Director, Colorado Lending Source, Denver, CO

2:00 – 3:00 p.m.  | Providing Meaningful Technical Assistance

Small businesses are the backbone of the US economy, and without assistance from RLFs across the country, many would not be able to startup and thrive.  And, while the process of applying for a loan might inherently include a heavy dose of technical assistance from the RLF staff to the business owner, there is often a need to continue providing training and assistance to borrowers throughout the course of the loan.  Not only will this benefit the business, but it will help avoid glitches in loan collections for the fund.  This session is designed to provide examples and ideas for technical assistance programs that RLFs can offer to their clients.

Speaker: Annie Roethel, Business Launch Boot Camp Trainer, Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute, Denver, CO (Invited)

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. | Break

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. | Conversation Café

Recognizing that the best learning at a conference often occurs during informal conversations among peers, the Conversation Café will foster peer-to-peer learning as you share your experiences, solutions, ideas, and strategies for overcoming your top challenges. Come prepared to share your most pressing challenges—offering how you’ve overcome them, or seeking solutions from your colleagues.

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.  |  Networking Reception 

THURSDAY, JUNE 29

7:30 – 8:00 a.m. | Continental Breakfast

Continue to exchange information and ideas with your peers over a light breakfast.

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.  | Basics of Business Credit Analysis

Designed for anyone working with potential borrowers and responsible for reviewing the applicant’s credit situation as part of the loan application, review and approval process.  The session will cover the full gamut from the types and sources of information needed for an accurate review and decision making process; identifying ways to mitigate business lending risk; understanding what to look for on balance sheets to determine the financial health of a business; and knowing how to use key tools and ratios to make effective credit decisions.

Trainer: Vin Dicara, DiCara Training and Consulting, Brunswick, ME

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. | Break

 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Analyzing Financial Statements

Financial statements present an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of a business. This session will provide critical tips about the various kinds of information provided on the business’ balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and cash flow statements.  During the session, which was crafted for those new to the lending industry as well as those in the field for a while, the trainer will go over ways to use common ratios and other financial calculations to full comprehend the financial well-being of the business; things to look for in the statements that may be red flags for consideration during the lending decision making process; what to look for that is not provided in the statements as you delve into the business’s ability to re-pay loans; and offer up key questions to ask during the financial statement review process to help determine if the applicant is loan ready.

Trainer: Vin Dicara, DiCara Training and Consulting, Brunswick, ME

12:15 - 1:15 p.m. | Lunch and Learn

Want to learn more about strategies your peers have implemented to overcome challenges and obstacles, or to create new opportunities for borrowers (both present and potential)?  Over a casual lunch, attendees will be able to continue conversations from the morning sessions, exchange ideas and solutions, and learn from each other.

1:15 – 3:15 p.m.  | Cash Flow, Collateral and Guarantees

Cash flow, collateral and guarantees are key elements of a business’ ability to repay a loan—and the loan application review process should help the lender determine if the business will generate enough sales to provide the cash flow needed to repay the loan as scheduled.  If the cash flow projections reveal the business might not be able to cover the debt payments, then the lender will be faced with considering pledges of collateral or personal guarantees from the borrower.  This session will examine how loans are repaid, including the various challenges each repayment situation presents.

Trainer: Vin Dicara, DiCara Training and Consulting, Brunswick, ME

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.  | Break

3:30 – 5:00 p.m. | Structuring Good Loans

All small business loan funds strive hard to prevent loans that end in default or involve lengthy struggles with delinquent payments.  This session will cover the key elements of loans that are structured in a manner that assures success for the business as well as repayment to the loan fund.  A review of the various business types and structures combined with a discussion about the various ways that loans are repaid, and an overview of the importance of operating cycles and permanent working capital will help attendees at all levels of experience enhance their skills at structuring good loans.

Trainer: Vin Dicara, DiCara Training and Consulting, Brunswick, ME

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

8:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Avoiding Bad Loans/Loan Workouts

Sometimes, no matter how much review and analysis of a prospective borrower’s business plan was undertaken, businesses fail and loan payments cannot be made, forcing the lender to figure out how to help the borrower make payments on the loan.  This session will look at the various macroeconomic factors that can adversely impact the business, and offer up ways to identify loans that might become problematic in an attempt to head off default or delinquency at the pass.  Attendees will learn about ways to help borrowers get back on track through various loan workout scenarios, as well as the various lending pitfalls to avoid.

Trainer: Vin Dicara, DiCara Training and Consulting, Brunswick, ME

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. | Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  | Federal Program Update

The always popular closing session at the EDFS conference, the Federal Program Update, will give attendees many opportunities to hear from agency staff about updates to their programs.  There will be ample time for questions and answers, and discussions with the panelists.

Federal Representatives:

• Eric Cobb, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Denver Regional Office (Invited)
• April Dahlager, USDA Rural Development, Colorado Office (Invited)
• Janét Miller, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Denver Regional Office
• Frances Padilla, U.S. Small Business Development Administration, Denver Regional Office
• Patrick Waggoner, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Denver Regional Office

Moderator: Josh Shumaker, Legislative Associate, NADO, Washington, DC

12:30 p.m. | Conference Adjournment

Travel & Venue

Sponsors & Exhibitors