George Schnupp, CCE.(member profile)

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George recalls his interest in business first showing while he attended Elgin High School in Elgin, IL. "My academic career path was directed toward the field of finance," he said. "I developed an interest for understanding the business enterprise and those operational decisions that impacted the financial position of the organization."

But where does a teenager gain the work ethic needed for such a field? By working as a painter and drywall journeyman! Throughout high school and college, George worked for a small private contractor, which also gave him insight into the operational decisions that a business must make every day, and further cemented his desire to work in finance.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, George's first job was in finance and credit. "I also had the foresight, understanding and curiosity that computer processing was the direct path to career advancement," George said. His current position as the U.S. director of credit at Anixter Inc. has him in charge of a decentralized credit team of 55 members, with six regional credit offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, which allows the team to be close with their customers.

"I have been in finance and credit for 29 years," said George. "The credit profession has changed over the years with an ever-increasing focus on financial statement analysis and risk assessment, as well as documenting the credit process. Credit managers today play a key financial role in managing the companies' investments in accounts receivable and inventory. It is all about working capital."

Credit's Evolution

In addition to the shift in focus, the field of finance and credit has also had to adapt to the increase in demand for technological advancement. "Relationships are built on personal conversations and meetings with our customers, not on an email," George said. "Technology, when embraced, has brought efficiencies into the credit function that have eliminated many repetitive tasks and allowed credit managers to focus more attention on the higher payoff tasks and the quality of their credit decision making."