Dave Schaefer, CEO, Orion First
Dave is the founder and CEO of Orion First Financial, which provides contract servicing and collection services to alternative lenders, banks, and independent financial institutions. Dave is also the founder and CEO of Mintaka Financial, a commercial finance company specializing in serving the needs of small businesses across the United States through an exclusive network of originators that share ownership in Mintaka.

Dave is active with the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) currently serving as Vice Chairman of the ELFA Board of Directors and past Chairman of LeasePAC (the industry’s federal political action committee).

Congressman Derek Kilmer (WA-06)
Kilmer serves as the United States Representative of Washington’s 6th Congressional District and is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Prior to his service in Congress, he worked for global consulting firm McKinsey & Company and then for the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, working to grow jobs in our region.

Congressman Kilmer has focused on getting our economy and our Congress back to work. Understanding that Washington is the most trade dependent state in our nation, Derek’s focus has been to empower our workers, their businesses and the laws governing them. He is pushing to ensure that small businesses have access to the types of capital which supports their growth and creates jobs.

Ralph Petta, CEO, Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
Petta serves as Chief Operating Officer for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 550+ member organizations in the $903 billion equipment finance sector. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Petta is responsible for providing coordination, direction and oversight of ELFA programs and services designed to add value to the association’s member organizations.

Mr. Petta, an authority in the business of equipment finance, has been with the association since 1987.