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Matt Stroh left his first job in collections feeling like the industry wasn’t a good fit for him. But a little distance and a little time changed his perspective and he’s made the most of his second stint at Credit Collections Bureau in Bismarck, N.D. Read on to learn more about Matt, why you may want to ask him to make your next batch of Christmas cookies, and how he doesn’t let his day plan him.
Name: Matt Stroh
Job Title: Executive Collection Director
Company: Credit Collections Bureau
Length of time at current company: 14 years, 3 months
Length of time in industry: 22 years
How did you get your start in the industry?
I started with Credit Collections Bureau in Bismarck, N.D. the summer after high school and worked here for one year and decided it wasn’t a fit for me. A year later, I relocated to the Minneapolis area and started working in collections again while I attended college for a few years. In 2011, after seven years in the cities, I decided to relocate back to North Dakota and started working for Credit Collections Bureau again.
What is your career highlight so far?
There are many, but the highlight for me is: The positive impact I’ve been able to make on many of my co-workers lives and the relationships and friendships I’ve been able to build with them along the way.
When or how are you most productive?
With the help of coffee! … I’m most productive in the morning and when I have a new project or something new to implement to help our company grow.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
Rozanne Andersen, she makes learning about extremely not-so-fun-stuff fun to listen to. She is an incredible resource for everyone in the industry. Her ability to educate, explain, and break down the rules and regulations affecting all of us is unbeatable.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Make chocolate chip cookies.
What do you like most about this industry?
The ability for anyone to be successful and make a great living.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
The public’s lack of perception of the importance of our industry & the positive impact debt recovery has on the pricing of everything.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
FLYING! Commercial or Corporate pilot
Describe a typical work day.
Review my calendar/to do list, emails, and plan out and prioritize my day. I try to plan my day and not let the day plan what I’m going to do. Every day is different, I could be in meetings, programming something with our software, driving to our other locations in Bismarck and Rapid City, helping a member of my management staff or a collector, implementing new technology, attending a sheriff’s auction, conducting training, working on a special project, and the list goes on. My days are always full!
What is your guilty pleasure?
A good dirty martini
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Don’t take advice from anyone who doesn’t have what you want.
What are you currently reading?
(I enjoy audible ha!) Mel Robbins- “Let Them“
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
Seeing and exploring the world with family and friends is my passion in life. It’s what living is about!
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Rozanne Andersen
