The National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) hosted the Midwest Regional Ice Fishing event this year on February 5th in Minneapolis, MN. Chad Sluss, NEFA CEO, said, “The event offered attendees a lunch and learn workshop, four hours of fishing on Lake Minnetonka and a networking dinner at Lord Fletcher’s restaurant."

The day started with a collaborative workshop, hosted by Channel Partners Capital, where RJ Grimshaw, Able Leadership, shared practical insights on integrating AI into equipment finance operations. The session, "Revolutionizing Equipment Finance Sales with AI: Tactical Tools in Action," focused on empowering professionals to drive innovation from within their organizations.

"This wasn't about replacing jobs, it's about amplifying human excellence," Grimshaw explained. "We explored how finance professionals can become internal champions of innovation, using AI to solve real challenges while staying true to their organization's values."

The interactive session demonstrated how tools like ChatGPT and Claude can enhance daily operations without disrupting existing workflows. Participants learned practical applications for:

• Building effective client communications
• Streamlining credit analysis processes
• Creating data-driven marketing content

"The most valuable innovations often come from within," Grimshaw noted. "Today's workshop was about giving professionals the tools to lead change in their organizations, regardless of their role."

Following the educational workshop, attendees made their way to Lake Minnetonka where they enjoyed four hours of fishing, networking and lots of laughs. Attendees could win prizes for guessing the depth of the ice, first fish, largest fish, smallest fish, most fish caught, and no fish caught. After ice fishing, everyone went to Lord Fletcher’s to share stories of the monster fish they caught (or lost), connect with industry colleagues, and have a wonderful meal to conclude the day.

Daryn Lecy, Oakmont Capital Services and title sponsor for the event said, “This year’s event was the largest in our history since we started the ice fishing event over 10 years ago. I look forward to this favorite gathering of tremendous people, getting outdoors to network, and having a great time on the lake each year!”

Sponsors of the event include:

Title Sponsor

• Oakmont Capital Services

Supporting Sponsors

• Channel
• Dedicated Financial GBC
• ECS Financial Services
• Solifi

Education Host

• Channel