And the Award Goes To...

Collector, Sep 2008

ACA International honors 2007/08 award winners

Each year, ACA International honors several of its members and units for going above and beyond the call of duty to improve their association and industry. Award winners were recognized Wednesday evening, July 23, 2008, at the Opening General Session of ACAs 69th Annual Convention and Exposition at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Fla.

ACA awards signify excellence and the continuing pursuit of quality and professionalism in the credit and collection business. Receiving an ACA award symbolizes a member's commitment to the association and to the industry. Winners should be commended and applauded not only for their efforts during the past year, but for all of their contributions.

Member of the Year

The ACA International Member of the Year Award is presented to the ACA member or members identified as having done the most for the credit and collection industry during the past 12 months.

This year's recipient, Michael Bates from West Des Moines, Iowa, has been a tireless driver of Telephone Consumer Protection Act reform. Without his leadership in the credit granting community, ACA would not have been able to overturn the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC's) prohibition of the use of autodialers for communicating with U.S. consumers by way of their cell phones.

For the past three years, Bates has put his personal and professional reputation at risk in garnering support from the banking community, the American Bankers Association, the lobbying community and Wells Fargo Bank, where he serves as in-house counsel. He personally arranged meetings with FCC commissioners and staff for the sole purpose of moving ACAs request for clarification forward. He is the consummate consensusbuilder and a bright point of light within our creditor and attorney membership who deserves to be recognized by all of us.

James K. Erickson Continuous Service

Given in honor of James K. Erickson, a distinguished ACA past president who won numerous awards, the Continuous Service Award is presented to the ACA member who, through positions of leadership, has made contributions to the association in each of at least 10 consecutive years.

This year's recipient, Mark Davitt, IFCCE, MCE, from Fairport, N.Y., was honored for his impressive list of accomplishments and service. He started on the ACA Board as a national director in 1997 and was elected ACAs treasurer in 2002. He moved through the ranks of the Executive Committee and became ACAs president in 2005/06. He served on the ACA Holding Company Board and on the ACPAC, Legislative, Strategic Planning, Ethics and Honorary Member Committees. His accomplishments in government affairs were recognized with a Gold Beacon Award in 2000. He has earned both Scholar and Fellow Degrees, is an ACA Certified Instructor and holds the IFCCE and MCE designations.

ACA International Education Foundation Fellow

Created in 2000, the ACA International Education Foundation Fellow Award recognizes an individual or association unit judged to have made the most significant contribution during the year as an advocate of a foundation program or toward the general achievement of the foundation's goals.

Tom Haag, IFCCE, from Madison, Wis., is the 2008 ACA International Education Foundation Fellow Award recipient. He has been one of the foremost supporters of the foundation. Haag has worked to build support for the foundation among fellow ACA members and has promoted a positive image of the credit and collection industry.

Honorary Membership

Honorary Membership is presented to ACA members who are no longer active in the collection industry and who have made noteworthy achievements in, contributions to and furtherance of the association and the credit and collection industry.

Recipient Harold Leydens, IFCCE, from Jefferson City, Mo., served on four different ACA committees and has earned Scholar and Fellow Degrees as well as the International Fellowship of Certified Collection Executives designation. Recipient Rufus "Bud" Reitzel Jr. from Warren, Mich., was a founding member of the American Asset Buyers Association, which later became ACAs Asset Buyers Division (ABD). He served on the ABD Committee and is known by many as the "Dean of Debt" for his pioneering work in the debt buying industry.

David Rosenberg Award for Political Participation

The new David Rosenberg Award for Political Participation recognizes the member who has made the most significant contribution of time and talent to political and grassroots legislative campaigns. It is named after ACA member David Rosenberg, whose passionate and determined grassroots activism has made ACAs political action committee, ACPAC, the success it is today. The award will be presented every other year by the ACPAC Board of Directors. Each state is encouraged to submit a nominee for statewide recognition and consideration for the national award.

This year's recipient, Jay Rickman Sr., from Columbia, S.C., has made unparalleled personal contributions of time, talent and resources in assisting friends of the credit and collection industry in their quest for elected office. He has been a valued champion in advocating for the passage of industryfriendly legislation. His passion and dedication to serving the ACA International family is a shining example of how political and grassroots activism pays huge dividends for our entire industry.