2025 March Forum Agenda
Monday, March 17, 2025
8:00am – 10:00am
Platinum Partner Breakout Sessions
Four of our Platinum Partner will be offering optional Breakout Sessions on Monday morning. There is no additional cost to attend these sessions, and your interest in the sessions can be included on your Forum registration form.
CLICK HERE for details about the sessions being offered.
Monday, March 17, 2025
10:00am – 11:00am
SAP Best Practices Round Table Session
Moderated by CRF
Learn and share experiences with others in this peer-to-peer best practices discussion. Discussion topics include:
- What version/modules are you using?
- Implementation & Migration to S4/Hana
- And more!
CLICK HERE for details about this session.
Monday, March 17, 2025
11:00am – 12:00pm
Bankruptcy Basics: Insights and Strategies
Presented by Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C.
Join Jeremy Kleinman from Friend of the Foundation Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. for an engaging and informative training session on bankruptcy. This session will cover foundational concepts of bankruptcy law, practical approaches for navigating the important milestones of a typical bankruptcy, and strategies to maximize recoveries and protect assets. Attendees will gain valuable insights into legal frameworks, procedural processes, and the role of bankruptcy as a tool for financial restructuring and recovery. This session is intended to help new credit professionals gain familiarity with the processes, prohibitions, and potential pitfalls of bankruptcy and enhance their understanding of bankruptcy law.
Please indicate your interest in attending this session on your Forum registration form.
Monday, March 17, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
We’re kicking off the Forum with a Welcome Lunch! Join us for another chance to network with your peers and fuel up before the Forum sessions begin!
Monday, March 17, 2025
1:00pm – 1:15pm
Welcome/Opening Comments
Monday, March 17, 2025
1:15pm – 2:00pm
Private Equity Insights
Presented by Bradford J. Sandler, Esq, Partner, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP
This subject continues to have a growing presence with account acquisitions, and practitioners want to better understand what to expect whether your company is managing acquired accounts or being acquired. Brad brings years of experience with dealing with PE and will provide insights into the impact and transitional expectations on both ends of the acquisition process. He will also share tips and trends from recent PE bankruptcies.
Monday, March 17, 2025
2:00pm – 2:45pm
A Fresh Perspective on Credit Risk Management – Harnessing, Aggregating and Turning Data Into Credit Risk Decisions
Presented by Bill James, Director of Customer Strategy, Creditsafe USA Inc
This session will cover how to integrate internal data, external data and crowdsourced data into your credit decision process. Whether you are starting this journey to create your own credit decision tree or fine-tuning an existing credit processes, Bill will discuss unique data sources and what to do with all that data that flows through the Credit-to-Cash team.
Monday, March 17, 2025
2:45pm – 3:00pm
Break
Grab some coffee, tea, water or soda…chat with attendees…then return refreshed for another session!
Monday, March 17, 2025
3:00pm – 3:45pm
The Path to Modernization
Presented by Ali Teixeira, Senior Product Marketing Manager, & Jeff Price, Commercial Solutions Consultant, Experian
This session will explore the evolution of credit management from manual processes to modern, automated systems. Key milestones include digitization, fraud detection systems, online credit applications, and automation using advanced tools like ML-driven scoring and real-time data integration. These innovations streamline operations, enhance accuracy, and improve customer experience. Join us to discover actionable steps for transforming credit management into a resilient, efficient, and customer-focused framework.
Monday, March 17, 2025
3:45pm – 4:30pm
Expert Insights on Managing Regional & Global Shared Services During an ERP or Software Transformation (Part 2)
Presented by Bob Anderson, Director – Order to Cash, Hubbell; Ken Cruz, President, KC Associates; Neil Rae, CRO, Cadex; Michael Koehler, Solution Architect, Serrala, Nat McCall, Senior Customer Success Manager, Sidetrade
In the dynamic landscape of global business operations, managing regional and global shared services during an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or software transformation presents both significant challenges and strategic opportunities. This presentation offers industry professionals and practitioners a comprehensive perspective on navigating complex transitions while maintaining operational excellence.
Monday, March 17, 2025
4:30pm – 5:00pm
General Membership Meeting
As a member of the Credit Research Foundation, we invite you to hear from CRF’s new President on the “state of the state.” Learn about the exciting things CRF is working on, what we’ve accomplished coming out of the Pandemic and what projects the Research Committee is working on. Join us and be an informed member!
Monday, March 17, 2025
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Networking Reception
Join us for a networking reception to cap off the first day of the Forum. Enjoy cocktails, appetizers and great company!
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
8:00am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Fuel up with coffee, juice and breakfast before heading into the morning sessions! This is also a great opportunity to chat and network with other attendees.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
9:00am – 9:15am
Opening Comments
Opening comments and reminders from the CRF team.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
9:15am – 10:00am
Driving Cash Flow in Various Environments: Proven Strategies from a Practitioner’s Journey
Presented by Matt Neibart, Finance Sr. Manager, PepsiCo
Discover actionable insights on maintaining and enhancing cash flow in today’s volatile economic landscape, directly from a Fortune 50 company. Learn how Matt Neibart implemented effective strategies like stakeholder ownership, data-driven scorecards, and process optimization to drive financial performance across his organization. This session provides a deep dive into practical techniques and proven processes that empower businesses to achieve sustainable cash flow, even in uncertain times. Don’t miss this opportunity to uncover the tools and frameworks used by an industry leader to ensure financial stability and growth.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
10:00am – 10:45am
Mitigating Risk with Put Protection Irrevocable Insurance: Pros and Cons of a Key Risk Management Tool
Presented by Scott Friedman, Chief Credit Officer, Pulse Ratings
Join us for an insightful learning session designed to explore Put Protection Irrevocable Insurance as a critical strategy for mitigating financial risk of your strategic accounts. This session will provide a deep dive into how this powerful tool works, its benefits, and its limitations, equipping professionals with actionable knowledge to make informed decisions.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
10:45am – 11:00am
Break
Provided by CRF and Altus Commercial Receivables
Grab some coffee, tea, water or soda…chat with attendees…then return refreshed for another session!
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
11:00am – 12:00pm
Hands-On AI Experience in AR and Credit
Presented by Andrew Behlmann, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP
This session will provide a first-hand live demo of various AI models with practical applications within the Accounts Receivable and Credit functions. Andrew Behlmann will take requests from the audience and demonstrate how AI can be used as a supplemental resource to gain insight and manage the OTC cycle.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Provided by CRF and Handle.com
Refuel and refresh to prepare for the afternoon sessions. And network while you fill your stomach!
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
1:00pm – 1:45pm
Practical Guidelines to Managing the AI Process Within Your Company
Presented by Andrew Behlmann, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP; Charles Edwards, VP of Credit Operations, SRS Distribution; Kathleen McGee, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP; Rob Sherman, Chief Revenue Officer, Vengroff Williams LLC
This roundtable of experts will summarize best practices for managing artificial intelligence (AI) implementation within organizations, with a specific focus on using automation for credit risk assessment. The discussion highlights the importance of establishing clear governance frameworks, ensuring data quality and integrity, and aligning AI strategies with business objectives. Experts emphasize the need for transparency in AI decision-making processes to mitigate bias and comply with regulatory standards.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
1:45pm – 2:30pm
Uncovering Escheatment
Presented by Michael Kenehan, Managing Director; Anne Rachko, Director, Andersen
With states ramping up regulations around escheat liability, this session covers best practices, mitigation techniques, and common misconceptions. Mike will share insights on handling regulatory communication and preparing for escheat obligations.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
2:30pm – 3:00pm
Break
Provided by CRF and Altus Commercial Receivables
Grab some coffee, tea, water or soda and a snack…chat with attendees…then return refreshed for the final sessions!
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
3:00pm – 3:45pm
The Top 3 Leadership/Management Philosophies
Presented by Yesinne Alvarez, Trade Data, Partnerships & Alliances, Creditsafe USA Inc
This session explores three prominent leadership and management philosophies—transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and servant leadership—highlighting their core principles and impact on organizational success. Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating teams, while transactional leadership emphasizes structure, performance, and reward-based management. Servant leadership emerges as a standout approach for effective team building, prioritizing the growth, well-being, and empowerment of team members.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
3:45pm – 4:45pm
2025 Economic Update
Perspective provided by Steve Isberg, Ph.D., Chair of Accounting Department, Towson University
Dr. Steve Isberg, Senior Research Fellow at CRF and Chair of the Accounting Department at Towson University, will explain current economic indicators and how to interpret that information to make informed credit & risk management decisions.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
8:00am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Join us for coffee/tea/juice and breakfast to fuel up for the final day of the Forum!
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
9:00am – 12:00pm
Open Forum
The Open Forum is often one of the most highly rated sessions at our live events. This is an open discussion session giving all attendees a chance to participate – ask questions and/or provide answers to others. As always, this Open Forum session allows for immediate feedback from your peers on the questions/topics that are important to YOU!
Please be sure to submit any questions or topics you would like to discuss on the registration form or send them directly to Angela McDonald.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
12:00pm – 5:00pm
National Building Materials Wholesale Best Practices Group Meeting
This is an independent, members-only group for senior level Credit & A/R professionals to engage in best practice processes and benchmarking conversations in an anti-trust compliant environment. The meeting includes lunch followed by an Economic overview presentation focused on the Construction and Building industries delivered by Macro-Economist, Richard Hastings.
For information about this group, to become a member or join as a first-time guest, please contact Matt Skudera.