Four equipment finance experts will face off in a debate at Equipment Finance Connect 2025 over whether the industry is doing enough to support borrowers on Thursday, May 15, at 2:10 p.m. ET. 

The conference takes place May 14-15 at the JW Marriott Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. It is the only event for both equipment dealers and lenders. 

View the full agenda here. 

Two lenders, a dealer and an adviser join “The Great Equipment Finance Oxford Debate: Does the Equipment Finance Industry Do Enough to Support Borrower Needs and Challenges?” to discuss: 

• Strategies to work through common challenges facing borrowers; 
• Managing risk and reward when working with new clients; and 
• The role of dealer-lender collaboration to meet customers’ financing needs. 

Meet the panelists 

•  Jay Darden is a regional sales manager at Farm Credit Express, which provides agriculture equipment financing and works with more than 750 dealerships throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Darden oversees sales efforts, relationship manager training, new technology enhancements and market share analysis.  
• Bob Rinaldi is president of Rinaldi Advisory Services whose specialties include merger and acquisition planning, improving enterprise value, marketing and new product development. Rinaldi Advisory Services provides consulting services to a range of equipment finance businesses, including independent lessors, banks, service providers and manufacturers.  
• Joseph Turner is senior vice president of strategic market development in First Citizens Bank’s equipment finance division. He joined the unit in 2019 and primarily serves the agriculture, golf and turf, and health care markets. 
• Skip Owen is director of sales at dealership chain Hills Machinery, where he manages the F&I department and leads the heavy-equipment sales team. Hills Machinery has 12 locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.  

Equipment Finance Connect features two days of networking and educational sessions focused on best practices to enhance finance operations. Sessions include technology demonstrations, roundtable discussions on optimizing finance and insurance portfolios, best practices in strategic planning, and panel discussions on advancing technology and enhancing finance operations. 

The third annual Equipment Finance Connect at the JW Marriott Nashville in Nashville, Tenn., on May 14-15, 2025, is the only event that brings together equipment dealers and lenders to share insights, attend discussions on crucial industry topics and network with peers. Learn more about the event and register here.