In Memoriam: Albert ‘Bert’ Goldberg
October 11, 1956 – November 27, 2021
Born in Los Angeles, California, the eldest of three sons to Norton Goldberg and Marlene Smolwit, Bert was raised in the northwest part of the San Fernando Valley. He graduated from Chatsworth High School in 1975, where he was a member of the school’s championship swim team. He went on to obtain a B.S. degree from Cal State Northridge in Accounting Information Systems. While attending Cal State Northridge, Bert worked during the summers as a lifeguard at Castaic Lake where he would form friendships lasting the rest of his life.
Possessing a life-long enthusiasm for travel as well as an independent spirit, Bert embarked on a solo bike tour of Europe after a brief tenure as a computer programmer in the San Fernando Valley. After returning from Europe, Bert moved to Shell Beach in 1982 with a group of former lifeguards into a small rental house ironically located on Castaic Street. Initially working for a contractor at Vandenburg AFB, Bert left to work at a small San Luis-based software company known as Distinctive Solutions. Taking a leave from the company after a couple of years, Bert again followed his wanderlust by embarking on a year-long backpacking adventure throughout Southeast Asia, India and China. Upon returning, Bert brought his optimism and world view back to Distinctive Solutions, earning an MBA from Cal Poly and eventually becoming the company’s president.
Specializing in software development and gaining an expertise in the factoring industry, Bert formed and held a user group meeting each year, which he began to enjoy so much more than software development. He spun this portion of the company off and became Founder and Executive Director of the International Factoring Association, which has gone on to become the largest association of commercial finance companies in the world, an achievement that reflected Bert’s energetic and positive outlook as well as the personal warmth he extended to others. Members include factoring companies, asset-based lenders and other receivables finance companies. Since 1999, the International Factoring Association has provided a forum for member organizations to meet and discuss issues and concerns, share best practices, disseminate information and promote a single voice to the marketplace. The initial user group meetings of roughly 25 people turned into annual industry conferences with more than 800 attendees.
In 2009, Bert founded another organization, the American Factoring Association (AFA), with the sole purpose of educating the public and policymakers in the availability of working capital for financing America's small businesses and to conduct efforts in support of increasing working capital financing. The AFA, through its continued advocacy and education efforts aimed at lawmakers and regulatory agencies, protects the factoring community by educating various congresspeople, senators and policymakers in Washington, D.C., about the value of Factoring.
As successful as Bert’s accomplishments in the business world were, Bert would be the first to explain that they all paled with the two greatest accomplishments in his private life: marrying the love of his life, Cheryl, on Nov. 10, 1996, and the birth of their lovely daughter, Maleah, a year later. Bert and Cheryl brought out the best in each other. They both knew on their first date that they had found “the one.” His family was the foundation of Bert’s life and would be his guiding light through the darkest of times.
In 2012, Bert, an avid kite surfer, was in a freak kite boarding accident in Pismo Beach and became a paraplegic. This was a defining moment for Bert, as one can either choose to lay down and give up or stand up and live. He not only chose to stand up and live but excelled in everything he put his mind to do. He persevered and made a beautiful new life, and you would never know he was in a wheelchair. He has shown everyone that it is not what you have been dealt in life but how you move forward. Never one to shine a spotlight on himself, Bert nevertheless became a larger-than-life inspiration to his friends and business associates. He was a life-long advocate for the hard working but less fortunate, and Bert quietly sponsored individuals and charitable organizations and was on the Board of the Central Coast Follies, who donated each year to worthy causes. He was determined to not let his limitations define him; rather, he decided he would do what he needed to so that he could travel cross country on his own, drive his own car with hand controls, run his incredibly successful business and even ride every ride at Disneyland that he wanted to, whether it was ADA compliant or not!
For many of you who knew Bert, he was an amazing man, brilliant, funny, generous, compassionate, successful, happy, a stealth philanthropist and down to earth. He was always there to lend support or advice. So many of his friends and business associates didn’t just like Bert, they LOVED Bert. He was that kind of guy.
His tragic final battle with cancer took from us a remarkable friend, brother, husband and father. He was a lover of life and a believer in the good of people. By his force of personality and by his personal example, he taught us all to have hope in the face of despair and to always hold dear the ones you love. He was one of the strongest and most inspirational people one can think of when it comes to building something, facing adversity or seeing the optimistic side. He has done so much for not only the factoring industry, but to everyone he met. His infectious good nature, his positivity and his ability to bring people together has been an inspiration. Not only in work and industry contracts, but in his personal relationships, it was his kind, welcoming personality that actually made people feel that they were important and welcomed. And, of course, there was his mischievous sense of humor, which will be missed the most.
Bert is survived by his wife, Cheryl, his daughter, Maleah, his brothers, Mark Goldberg and Steve Goldberg, his sister-in-law, Dana, and his nephews, Jonathan and David.