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With software, all things are possible. Which means that, as far as Jeff Gordy is concerned, there is always a solution. Solving problems is just one of the things that he loves, maybe as much as a good bourbon. Read on to learn more about Jeff, how his faith has helped his career, and why he likes the afternoons most of all.
Name: Jeff Gordy
Job Title: Head of Information Technology / CIO
Company: FCR Collection Services
Length of time at current company: I started with FEDChex (the parent company that later became FCR Collection Services through restructuring and acquisition) in 2000. So, all together I’ve been working at FCR for 26 years. In fact several of the folks I work with were there before me and so we have a very long tenured team!
Length of time in industry: I primarily worked on ATM and ACH software for the first 6 years at FCR and then transitioned into working with the collection team after that so roughly 20 years.
How did you get your start in the industry?
FEDChex originally built a full life-cycle treasury management system for retailers, handling cash via armored carriers and check processing with custom software my team developed. To close the loop on failed electronic payments, we created an in-house traditional collections company named “FEDChex Recovery” which we later changed to FCR Collection Services. “FCR” being a shortened version of FEDChex Recovery. That in-house agency became both my entry into the industry and where I still work today.
What is your career highlight so far?
I have many. Starting young and learning to work within a team and eventually lead a team is fun to look back on. I love studying leadership and personal growth and trying to get better every year. However, if I have to pick one highlight it would be FCR sending me back to grad school for a masters degree in cybersecurity. It was a generous thing for the company to do and I found a deep love for security and breaking into things.
When or how are you most productive?
Nowadays it is whenever I type “claude”. But before that existed it is the afternoons when most of the day’s issues have been resolved or addressed, most meetings are done, and I have time to sit and think and work without much distraction.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
In the collections industry, Mike Gibb of course! Seriously the effort that Mike puts into this industry, in connecting us together, sharing information, and raising the bar for every company involved is incredible.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
I won’t say better, but one thing I do think I am particularly good at is problem solving in creative ways when we are stuck. I think it helps having a software engineering background where I know that just about everything is possible giving the right people and tools and so I approach every request we receive from clients or internally with a default ‘yes’ and then figure it out.
What do you like most about this industry?
I like the variety of projects I get to work on. Every day is different and most days are WAY different that I could have expected at the start of the day. That keeps things fresh and typically fun for me.I value the opportunity to help our clients achieve successful recoveries while also assisting patients in navigating and meeting their financial responsibilities.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
This is going to be a broken record statement, but we serve a very vital role in the financial services space and yet have a poor reputation. I feel like most of the bad actors that caused that reputation have long gone out of business and I would like to see us collectively viewed in a better light. I think that would help with access to vendors and technology who view us skeptically and don’t want to work with us.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I wouldn’t say no to being CIO of SpaceX
Describe a typical work day.
I live in Colorado and the rest of the company leadership is in California. I start my day at 7:30 and that often gives me about an hour in the AM before others are at work and requests start coming in. I try to use that time effectively and get to a point where I’m available to help with anything that comes up the rest of the day. We use Slack extensively for internal communication and once everyone is in and online I’m often troubleshooting corner cases with our data or system functionality. In between I work on whatever current larger project is active, handle meetings, and if I can eat at my desk & get a workout in during lunch. I like to do that four days a week, but three seems to be all I can consistently muster. Afternoons tend to be quieter and I can focus more on projects.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I wish I could say something healthy like “a cup of tea in the afternoon”, but the honest answer is good bourbon.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Lower your expectations. It’s not a negative thing. If taken seriously it helps in so many areas of life and relationships.
What are you currently reading?
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles. I’m about one-third of the way through and the writing is fantastic.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I’m a Christian and very involved in my church and I feel that my relationship with Jesus has shaped the trajectory of my life in how I interact with and care for others and generally strive to do a good job and be a better person for His glory. I’m also an introvert who loves people. But I’ll likely walk past you at a conference without saying anything because…. small talk. It’s scary.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
I’ve enjoyed listening to Jason Chang from Harris & Harris speak about data science. I think it would be fun to learn about him and his career.
