A Teaching Organization: Asset Based Lending Consultants Raises the Bar for Professional Development in ABL

Asset Based Lending Consultants (ABLC) is a service provider for the asset-based lending industry best known for its leadership in the area of field examinations. However, at its core, ABLC is a teaching organization driven by the leadership of Donald Clarke, who has spent the last 50 years working to improve the world of ABL.

ABLC’s focus on education is one of the key ways it is driving the industry forward. As a niche product, ABL is not taught in most college curricula, Clarke says, making it imperative for firms in the space to provide comprehensive training to all employees, particularly those early in their careers.

With roughly 20% of its employees at the entry level, ABLC provides a robust development trajectory for early-career professionals. Beginning at the field examiner trainee position, all new entry-level hires are enrolled in the Asset-Based Lending Institute (ABLI), an accredited education program ABLC launched in 2023 to educate professionals about the ABL product. Through the program, employees are taught skills across underwriting, account management, field examination, financial statements and more, learning the intricacies of ABL in far less time than it might take elsewhere. Upon completion, students are awarded a post graduate diploma and can be fast tracked themselves towards an MSC in finance and management courtesy of a strategic partnership with the University of Central Lancashire in the UK.

“It takes about two years from college to get a person really proficient in ABL,” Clarke says. “We can bring them out and cut that two years down to six months. We allow them time to complete the ABLI program so that they’re learning the theoretical part of it while doing the actual physical part of it with us in the field.”

As Clarke explains, the education ABLC employees receive through the ABLI is then supplemented with on-the-job experience; every new hire is paired with an experienced senior field examiner through a formal mentoring program. ABLC also facilitates and finances its employees’ memberships in trade organizations like the Secured Finance Network and provides a clear progression path from trainee to senior level roles. According to the company, its holistic approach to professional development, particularly with younger professionals, is built on a desire to go beyond giving people jobs to facilitate career journeys.

On the recruiting front, for its early career roles, ABLC takes a two-pronged approach, combining digital strategies through LinkedIn with direct engagement at industry-based seminars. Regardless of what role the company is hiring for, it targets individuals who exhibit adaptability, a willingness to learn and an ability to thrive in a teamwork-oriented environment.

Although much of its education acumen is utilized in house, ABLC is also dedicated to supporting the growth and future of the ABL industry as a whole. Enrolling in the ABLI is a mandatory requirement for all new hires at ABLC, but the institute is available to any and all interested in sharpening their ABL skills, including those still in college.

“There’s nothing that prepares a student to go right from college into this product because it’s so unique,” Clarke says. “We’re allowing our students in their senior year to take ABLI as a supplement to their course requirements.”

By creating a dedicated institute that teaches ABL principles and prepares professionals for careers in the field, ABLC is advancing a dynamic sector of the U.S. economy. Coupled with its stellar internal training practices, ABLC aims to continuously set the standard for professional development in ABL. •