Leadership

Mr. Grimshaw is the Chief Revenue Officer for Orion First. Prior to joining Orion, RJ served as President and CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance from 2013 until December 2023. During this time, he led the transformation of the 35-year-old company, which saw its assets grow from $14 million to $250 million.

In addition to his achievements at UniFi, RJ is actively involved in the equipment finance industry. He currently serves as Treasurer for Equipment Finance Cares. He has previously served on the board of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, participated twice in the Industry Future Council (IFC), and volunteered on many committees with ELFA and NEFA. RJ currently authors thought leadership articles for Equipmentfa.com, NEFA Newsline, and Equipment Finance News.

Before his impactful work at UniFi, Grimshaw developed his leadership and strategic skills through senior roles at EverBank and Key Equipment Finance.

RJ’s professional focus encompasses a wide range of critical areas, including sales training, strategic planning, market evaluation, operations efficiency, risk mitigation, credit scorecard development, profitability and operational improvement, employee engagement, and portfolio collection enhancements. This comprehensive skill set underscores his holistic approach to leadership and his ability to drive significant improvements across various dimensions of a business.

Ms. Kirstin Elmer is a Vice President of Business Development for Orion First where she focuses on commercial collections and backup servicing. With over 20 years of experience in the equipment finance industry, her background in sales management, hiring, training, coaching, and developing high-performing teams, before and after the Covid disruption, gives her an educated perspective on remote work and its impact on individual performance, teamwork, and revenue.

Kirstin was the fourth sales rep hired at Ritchie Bros. Financial Services and held several leadership roles, including Funding Manager, Trainer, and Sales Manager, with as many as 21 direct reports. Prior to that, she worked at Financial Pacific Leasing for 10 years in direct sales. Kirstin obtained her CLFP in 2007 while at FinPac.

She currently lives in Washington State. In her free time, she enjoys singing and dancing, taking photographs, and experiencing other cultures through travel.

Kim’s professional experience includes business development roles at both direct lender and service provider companies. As a sales professional, Kim has been active in the industry for over a decade, attending industry events, growing her professional network, and developing the connections needed to drive growth in small business lending. Kim is tasked with developing and expanding relationships with servicing clients at Orion First.

Kim earned her BA degree from Washington State University and resides in Gig Harbor with her family.

Ms. Wood is the Senior Vice President of Client Services for Orion First, LLC providing expertise in customer service and operations to the collections department. Since joining Orion in 2002, Jenny has held a variety of responsibilities throughout the company including, collection of accounts up to 90 days delinquent, supervision of front-end collections, personal property and sales tax compliance, as well as various areas of customer service.

With 20 years of leasing experience, she provides the skills, professionalism, and accountability necessary to manage Orion’s customer and client accounts at the highest level. Active across the industry, Jenny serves as the President of the board of the Certified Leasing & Finance Professionals Foundation (CLFP), the leading certification promoting exceptional standards of professional conduct and technical expertise. She also serves on the Women’s Council of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), where she works to increase the participation and leadership of women across the association and the equipment finance industry.

Jenny currently resides in Tacoma and enjoys spending time with family, and friends, traveling, and watching professional football.

Mr. Sedlacek is Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management and brings valuable executive management, lending, and sales acumen to the Orion First, LLC leadership team. He is responsible for all collection activities and collection performance of the company. His duties also include, developing and achieving short and long term commercial collections contingent growth; to lead, manage and develop all aspects of customer service, collection and advanced collections staff.

With nearly thirty years working in the lending industry, Tony’s experience in business finance includes workout negotiation, loan restructure, asset recovery and contract enforcement. Previously, as a consultant to Orion, Tony provided oversight of marketing strategies while generating interest by targeting banks, lessors, and investors looking for alternative ways to manage an existing or start up equipment finance portfolio. His skills and experience in lease and loan enforcement for commercial equipment brings added depth to the Orion First team.

Tony obtained his CLFP in May 2000 and he currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Coelene. They enjoy spending time with their four grown children and growing number of grandchildren, playing golf and raising an 8lb Yorkie named Divot.

Mr. Marcoe is the Chief Operating Officer at Orion First, LLC, responsible for overseeing the company’s operations and ensuring alignment with its strategic goals. In this role, Paul ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of all operational processes, driving business growth and operational excellence. Previously, Paul served as the Chief Technology Officer, providing the overall technology vision and IT strategies at Orion.

Paul is an accomplished, results-driven executive with 28 years of progressive experience within a demanding, fast-paced financial services industry. His expertise spans operational management, strategic planning, process optimization, and leadership development. Paul has a proven track record of implementing business-aligned strategies, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving technological innovation.

Paul is a graduate of Western Washington University with a degree in Business Management and Information Systems. He also earned the distinction of Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) in 2013.

Paul loves spending time with his family, volunteering for Sunny Sky’s Animal Shelter, and working on his skills as a passionate nature and landscape photographer.

Mr. Cote is President of Orion First. His responsibilities include leading the teams managing business development, client relationship management, contract operations, and Orion’s finances.

Quentin’s 31 years in the finance industry and proven track record in private investing, specialty finance, structured finance, capital markets, and finance company operations provide him valuable relationships, experience, and expertise in helping Orion deliver its services and further develop its offerings.  In his past roles, Quentin has served as Vice President at State Street Bank, Director at Sherman Financial Group, Managing Director at Babson Capital Management (now Barings), and Head of Private Investments at Cambridge Place Investment Management.

Quentin works to support strong partnerships with our clients and help the business development team acquire new relationships.  Additionally, he is supporting new product and process development to ensure that Orion stands as a leader in delivering portfolio insights, strong performance, and a rewarding obligor experience.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and the MIT Sloan School of Management, Mr. Cote currently resides in Boston with his wife. His hobbies include spending time outdoors, golf, lacrosse, and travel.

Mr. Schaefer is the founder and chief executive officer of Orion First, which has become an industry leader since its formation in 2001. His focus is on growing Orion into the leading loan and lease servicing company in the United States. He is a strong advocate for capital formation focused on the small and medium business market.

With a career spanning 45 years in the commercial finance industry, Dave’s leadership experience has been influenced by a broad range of roles including business development, treasury, operations, technology, accounting and portfolio management. He has been involved in both prime and sub-prime markets. Prior to establishing Orion, he was president, and a member of the Board of Directors of Financial Pacific Leasing Company Dave also founded Checkmate Certified Collections in 1975, a consumer and commercial collection agency.

Dave’s passion for the value small and medium businesses bring to their communities is a driving force behind his volunteerism. Dave joined the Small Business Council of the US Chamber of Commerce in 2021. Dave served on the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) board of directors from 2009 through 2019. He served as the chairman of LeasePAC, a federal political action committee advocating for the industry. He served as chairman of the board in 2018. He formerly served on the board of directors of the United Association of Equipment Lessors (now the National Equipment Finance Association). He obtained his Certified Leasing and Finance Professional certification in 1996, making him one of the industry’s earliest CLFPs.