Richard M. Contino, Principal
Richard M. Contino is an internationally-recognized equipment leasing expert, with an extensive legal, business, marketing, tax, transaction structuring, financial and management background. He is an advisor on all types of start-up and on-going equipment leasing business activities for lessors, lease lenders and syndicators, equipment vendors, lease investors and corporate lessees. He is former General Counsel of De Lage Landen, Wayne, Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of The Rabobank Group, and the 14th largest equipment lessor in the U.S.
Mr. Contino is the author of eight books on business, negotiating, and equipment leasing, including The Complete Equipment-Leasing Handbook, Amacom Books, 2002, and most recently Equipment Leasing and Financing: A Product Sales and Business Profit Strategy, Business Expert Press, 2019. He has conducted private on-site and publicly-held business success, communication, finance, and negotiation seminars throughout the United States for professional organizations (e.g., American Management Association, Equipment Leasing Association, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, National Seminars Group, Practicing Law Institute, and University of California Graduate School of Law) as well as corporations (e.g., AT&T, EXXON Corporation, NYNEX, and Texas Instruments Corporation).
Mr. Contino holds an LL.M. in Corporate Law from New York University Graduate School of Law, a Juris Doctor from University of Maryland School of Law, and a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is admitted to the Bar in the District of Columbia, Maryland and New York, is a member of the American Bar Association, and is Listed in Who’s Who of American Law, Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders, and Who’s Who in the World. Mr. Contino is also a Captain (retired) in the United States Air Force.
Dana Pasternak, Principal
Mr. Pasternak has worked his entire career in the equipment leasing and secured asset finance industry. He has held various business development, capital markets and senior executive positions with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, and Verizon Capital Corp. and/or their predecessors companies. He was a Managing Director at Fleet Bank in 2004 when he departed upon its merger with Bank of America to form Fairfield Capital Group, LLC.
Fairfield Capital has as its focus providing advice and raising secured debt and equipment lease capital to assist manufacturers, vendors, and users to sell, acquire and/or use large-ticket capital equipment. Fairfield Capital’s target clients are typically highly levered or late-venture stage companies. This historical client base has been greatly expanded within the last decade to include new and startup companies focused on renewable energy and the decarbonization of the domestic and world economies.
Mr. Pasternak holds a B.S. degree in Physics from Fordham University, a B.S.E.E. degree from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Jay Waters, Principal
A leader in equipment leasing and real estate financing for over 35 years, Mr. Waters has experience in all aspects of leasing, from small transactions to large transactions in excess of $50,000,000, and real estate financings up to $75,000,000.
His wealth of experience in both direct and indirect lending ensures he delivers competitive rates, creative lease and real estate structures, timely response, and committed involvement from inception through successful completion of every transaction.
Mr. Waters has worked his entire 35+ year career in the secured asset finance industry, holding various executive positions with equipment finance and leasing businesses in the bank-affiliated, and commercial finance industries. He was also a principal with a publicly traded company subsidiary that provided equity in equipment leases across the country.
He is active in providing capital market functions to lenders, as well as brokers and developers. Mr. Waters has worked with companies, such as GE Capital, Heller Financial, Cheyenne Leasing (a joint venture with Genesee Brewery, providing equity for major lenders for equipment leases for investment grade credits), Security Pacific Leasing and M&T Bank.
Mr. Waters holds a BA from Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL.
Penelope Holt, Executive Vice President, Marketing
Ms. Holt is accomplished in supporting start-ups and rapidly moving them to fast growth and profitability. As a marketing innovator, she is able to reboot stalled enterprises or mature businesses.
She has worked on both the client and the agency side to provide wide-ranging marketing support across disciplines, from market strategy and powerful positioning, to go-to-market planning, creative, advertising, PR and digital strategies.
As co-founder and CMO at BorrowersFirst, Ms. Holt established this FinTech online lending platform with an on-your-side consumer marketing strategy and brand that achieved profitability within 9 months of launch. She has also served as a marketing executive at a range of FinTech and SaaS companies to ensure go-to-market excellence.
As a Marketing partner to eBay merchant business development, she has supported the growth of top retailers & brands on eBay and establishment of top-seller tools & communications to drive seller transaction volume
Penelope served as a full-time Marketing Partner and Advisor to PayPal and Bill Me Later executives to establish market positioning, message platform, and enterprise sales strategies.
Ms. Holt holds degrees in Linguistics and English from York University, England. She is the author, co-author, and editor of numerous books and publications.