The National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers (NAELB) Leasing School, established to provide students with the practical skills and knowledge needed to operate a brokerage, has graduated its first class.
“Our industry has long needed this intense, detailed education, focused on equipment leasing brokerage,” said Bud Callahan, NAELB Leasing School director of education and president and owner of National Equipment Leasing Co., Inc. in Indianapolis. Classes are intentionally kept small so instructors can give students individualized attention, he said. “I am convinced we have the best school and support in the industry, hands down.”
Students from a variety of backgrounds received 40 hours of classroom education -- and many more hours of instruction outside class -- in all aspects of sales training, marketing, and the legal, ethical and social responsibilities of commercial equipment leasing and lease brokerage.
Mike and Kim Sapp of Franklin, Tennessee, were among the first graduates. They signed up for the first session, held this past November in Irvine, California, to prepare for opening their own leasing brokerage, and recommend it to anyone considering the same career path.
“The NAELB School provides excellent direction for those starting a career in leasing,” Mike Sapp said. “The insights, advice, and specific steps provided by the instructors are extremely beneficial. You get the opportunity to immerse yourself in the collective knowledge of each instructor.”
Callahan, who was among those instructors, said sharing what he has learned in 35 years’ industry experience and as a past NAELB president was a joy. “Seeing students graduate, and graduates putting what they’ve learned to use in making a living and career, is extraordinarily fulfilling,” he said.
"We are thrilled with the reception we got from our first group of students!" said Leasing School Co-Chair Gary Greene, CLP, BPB, who is also general manager of Lease $mart in Ocala, FL. “Our students were professional in every respect, with lots of classroom participation that enhanced the learning experience. Graduates have been introduced to some of our mentors and they’re already working on funding transactions together. The solid and useful education our students received - was EXACTLY what we were shooting for.”
Greene is referring to the year of mentoring the NAELB Leasing School provides following the intensive week of hands-on classroom training. School tuition also includes a year’s membership in the NAELB and attendance at one of the organization’s major industry conferences. Among other benefits, membership in the NAELB provides access to funding sources – the banks and firms that provide a broker’s “inventory” of funds which help graduates’ clients.
The NAELB Leasing School was designed by industry experts specifically to help those who want to enter this business achieve productivity quickly, with fewer time-consuming and expensive mistakes.
Tuition ranges from $18,950 to $28,450 per student, with various discounts available. Reservations for future classes are now being taken. The next scheduled sessions:
- Orlando, FL, in the second week of February
- Dallas, TX, in the second week of March
- Phoenix, AZ, in the last week of April
For additional information about the NAELB Leasing School, contact Linda Kester at 855-411-ELBS (3527) or Linda@NAELBSchool.com, or visit www.NAELBschool.com.