Meet Barbara Condit, CCE.(Certified public accountants)

Barbara's been working in the credit field for 31 years in an assortment of industries, which include the automotive, building material/ready mix, corrugated container, hardware and waste services industries.

Her original goal was to become a Certified Public Accountant, but the direction of her life changed after graduation from high school, with marriage and family responsibilities. In 1973, she had the opportunity to work as a credit clerk at Owatonna Tool Company. "This was the beginning of my credit career," says Barbara. She was later promoted to Credit Analyst, and worked there until 1986 when she accepted the position of Asst. Credit Manager at Pacific Ready Mix (later RMC Lonestar). In 1992, Barbara moved on to the position of Credit Manager at Tharco Container, where she worked until 1996, when she and her husband made a decision to move back to Minnesota to be closer to their children.

After moving, she accepted the position of Credit Manager of Our Own Hardware in 1996. In what became a familiar scenario to many of us in the '90s, less than one year after starting with this company, Barbara and other employees were told that the company had been sold to HWI (Do It Best) and their jobs would end. Barbara started her next job in 1998 as Manager of Financial Services Credit and Collection for BFI Waste Services of the Twin Cities (Allied Waste), where she has remained as the Manager of Financial Services, Credit and Collection.

"Handling the credit functions within each industry has varied--yet given me a well-rounded background in the field," says Barbara. "In one industry, we would use D&B reports to set credit limits; while in another industry, we used Mechanic's Lien Law rights to protect our accounts receivables. In yet another industry, we used UCCs to secure our positions. I believe that no matter what industry you work in, you must find a way to sell each customer." She says you can do this by using your company policy, and by becoming a positive force within your company ... working to develop a "team environment" with the Sales force. "This way," she adds, "you can service your customer's needs, and meet--or exceed--your company goals."

Barbara notes many changes during the course of her career: some good, some less favorable. For example, access to improved, more up-to-date credit reports via Internet vs. fax is a favorable change, and she finds the use of the Internet to communicate with customers and collect moneys due a real improvement. She's pleased with the growing array of methods of payment, such as credit card payments, checks over the phone, auto-pay via the Internet, EFT payments and lockbox services. However, she finds the growing lack of ability to receive credit information from financial institutions to be an issue: "Simply stated--fewer companies are responding to your request for credit ...