Welcome to a new regular feature on AccountsRecovery.net. The collections and debt-buying industries are tight-knit communities, but there is a lot that we do not know about each other. To rectify that, we will be posting profiles of members on a regular basis. If you are interested in being profiled, please contact me via email.
Name
Wesley J. Alford, aka Wes
Company
Consumer Recovery Solutions, LLC
Length of time at current company
October 2015. We just opened the doors.
Length of time in industry
25 years
How did you get your start in the industry?
I was living in Washington State. The weather is horrible and I was working as a framer for a construction company. We were in between jobs and I replied to an advertisement in the newspaper. I interviewed with no office experience. In my interview, they offered me a position as long as I agreed to pay back $3,000 that I owed in medical debt. Pretty embarrassing in a job interview. I accepted the job, paid off my debt, and here I am 25 years later.
What is your career highlight so far?
Helping a client decrease their operating expenses by 40%, increasing their net revenue by 30%, and pulling them out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy with my plan in three months.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
Michael Mathis of Sentry Credit, Inc., in Washington.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Negotiate deals.
What do you like most about this industry?
It’s ever-changing. There is never a dull moment.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
Giving more recognition to those individuals and companies that do a great job representing the industry as a whole.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I always wanted to be a hedge fund manager.
Describe a typical work day.
No day is typical. Between operations, collecting, sales and marketing, client services, networking, and assisting clients on purchasing portfolios, I wear several different hats.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I am a national and world news addict. I have to get at least an hour of late night news. Fox News preferably, and working in my head in middle of the night. I like working.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
To show empathy not sympathy. Listen more than you talk.
What are you currently reading?
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I spent six years traveling the U.S. and Canada visiting collection agencies working as a trainer, compliance manager, and consultant.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Dave Barrett
