In this episode of ACS Portfolio Perspective, Andrew Pace sits down with Ron Elwood, Senior Vice President at Navitas Credit, to explore what it takes to build and sustain a leading third-party origination platform in today’s competitive equipment finance market.

With more than 25 years of industry experience — starting in credit underwriting and rising to executive leadership — Ron shares how Navitas achieved record-breaking performance in 2025 while many competitors struggled. From disciplined underwriting to strategic broker partnerships and the evolving role of AI, this conversation offers practical insight into managing risk without sacrificing growth.

Ron also discusses his leadership role within the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) and why industry involvement is critical for long-term professional fulfillment.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Transitioning from credit analyst to sales-focused leadership
• Why “relationships over transactions” wins in the broker channel
• What “stick to your knitting” means in competitive markets
• Credit discipline through COVID and the 2025 downturn
• Recognizing red flags early and pivoting quickly
• AI in credit decisioning and portfolio insights
• The impact of auto-scoring and the “Internet of Things”
• The long-term value of NEFA involvement
• Why equipment finance remains one of the most resilient industries

Notable Takeaways:

“If you are a funding source in the space and you have a long-term mentality… you really do have to keep that balance in mind in order to protect the business.”

“It’s hard not to be optimistic just based on how resilient we’ve proven to be over the years.”

“True fulfillment in what we do in our career really can come from community impact.”

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