On March 24, 2022, the second of four Construction Credit Summits hosted by Levelset was held in Seattle, Washington at the Cedarbrook Lodge. This summit provided over 260 additional credit, finance and accounts receivable professionals with another opportunity to connect with their peers, learn more on cybersecurity, Washington State Lien Law and Credit Management education.
About the Construction Credit Summit
In 2022, Levelset is hosting four Construction Credit Summits to bring together credit and collection professionals in the construction industry for a day of learning and networking. These free summits are being held in four cities:
- Houston, Texas (January 20)
- Seattle, Washington (March 24)
- Sacramento, California (June 23)
- Tampa, Florida (September 22)
Visit the Construction Credit Summit page to register for an upcoming event
Each event features a day of education, followed by an evening of nationally-recognized construction industry experts discussing various topics, including:
- Mechanics lien law
- Tax legislation
- Cybersecurity
- Detection & prevention of fraud
- Credit policies and procedures
- How to overcome being overwhelmed
- Dealing with employee turnover and labor shortages
- Credit card surcharges
Lien Law, Cybersecurity, and Credit Management
David George Brooke, “That Gratitude Guy”, delivered the keynote address in Seattle, and talked about living a life of gratitude, or creating what he calls an “attitude of gratitude.” He shared how practicing gratitude daily can completely shift one’s attitude toward life.
It teaches us how to focus on the positive and appreciate what we already have. In addition, Brooke touched on the importance of building a balanced life, which includes accepting the highs and lows people experience in order to move forward.
Afterwards, David Linville of the Linville Law Firm led a session on Washington State Lien Law. He discussed the timelines for protecting lien rights in the state and shared insights to ensure that rights are enforceable.
He also explained how to use waivers to reduce exposure to liability against nonpayments from contractors or customers, and stressed the importance of having a thorough understanding of lien laws enabling credit professionals to both enforce and defend lien rights.
Check out the guide to WA Lien Laws
Later, attendees took part in Levelset’s “Expert Panel.” Thea Dudley and Allan Francis led the panel of 13 experts as they talked about industry changes since the pandemic, challenges and changes they have noticed and adjusted for in 2022, and what they anticipate in the near future.
Holly Morgani, Regional Credit Manager at SRS Distribution, also participated in the panel, offering perspective from the attendees’ viewpoint which helped incorporate the challenges and demands of what they do everyday.
Thea Dudley teaches credit & collections
Join the free certificate course to learn the foundations of credit & collections in construction with 30-year industry veteran Thea Dudley.
Partners & event sponsors
Attendees gained insight to new software tools from HighRadius, Bectran, Billfire and BlueTape, and had the opportunity to learn about different ways to collect on past due accounts from C2C Resources. They reviewed different types of credit reports with CreditSafe, and identified where financial information found could be utilized to approve and process their customers and new credit applications. Additionally, they learned about a new option for industry groups and education from NACM BCS.
Levelset was also there to inform attendees about our new risk reports which include risk data and lien information, our Legal Guard program that helps those who’d like to streamline their legal processes and expenses, and our platform and to show them how easy it is to manage the dashboard and get through their notice and lien deadlines seamlessly.
Download resources from the Houston Construction Credit Summit here
Construction credit pros get together
Wanda Borges of Borges & Associates led the Cybersecurity and Fraud session and shared insights on how cybersecurity ties into construction.
Key takeaways:
- Take a prevention-first approach to cybersecurity
- Conduct a network security audit to spot weak links
- Train your subs and suppliers on best practices to avoid a hack of financial information
- Update and patch software regularly
- Train all employees on phishing attacks and how to avoid them
- Back up your data regularly
Following the Cybersecurity and Fraud session, Thea Dudley led a discussion on the top things that keep a credit manager awake at night. Dudley assured credit professionals that they are not alone in feeling stressed and having to justify hard decisions that are made on a day-to-day basis. She encouraged attendees to utilize their network for support and advice on dealing with various situations.
Check out Thea Dudley’s Fundamentals of Credit Management course
Book Signings
During the expert panel discussion, David Brooke shared that he was unaware of the challenges that credit professionals faced, and was inspired by the strengths that we possess. He reiterated the relevance of his gratitude journal, which was created to help others “unleash gratitude’s power” through daily reflections.
Brooke dives deeper into the idea of practicing gratitude on the That Gratitude Guy podcast, where guests are invited to discuss the impacts of implementing gratitude into their personal lives.
Thea Dudley was also present for the event, signing copies of her book, “The Credit Overlord’s Guide to Credit & Collections: How to deal with cranky customers, bad bosses, and snarky sales reps as a credit professional in construction.”
Dudley’s book is a step-by-step guide to aid credit professionals get paid. It simplifies the resources and tools that are available to help professionals reduce financial risk, including: negotiation, navigating a debtor’s bankruptcy, evaluating credit worthiness and more.
What’s next?
Gathering the Payment Professionals Community together was both fun and informative. It was great having the opportunity to meet credit professionals in person and discuss future plans and catch up with others I’ve met over the years! This event has greatly aided efforts in continuing to gain resources for credit professionals, and provide a place for us to gather and learn from each other.
The next summit takes place June 23rd near Sacramento, California at TopGolf in Roseville.
This summit will also be packed with a lineup of industry experts, including: D’Ann Johnson, Corporate Contracts and Credit Manager, A-Core Concrete, who will speak on Detection and Prevention of Fraud, and Mark Johnson, Trial Attorney, Lanak & Hanna, who will discuss California Lien Law.