Remembering Bert Goldberg
Everyone in the factoring community owes a debt of gratitude to the late Bert Goldberg for everything he did to help the industry flourish. Commercial Factor reached out to several of Goldberg’s closest friends and confidants to share what he meant to them.
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DEAN LANDIS
PRESIDENT, ENTREPRENEUR GROWTH CAPITAL
I met Bert when I began using Distinctive Solutions software, which I am guessing was about 1991 or 1992. He had this easygoing way about him, and although at the time it was a vendor/client relationship, there was always a deep-rooted caring side to him. He wanted to help me, my company and everyone in the industry. It was no wonder that he left software sales to start a trade association. He already knew all the players, we all really liked him and he started something from nothing. He was a true entrepreneur.
My first IFA conference was in New Orleans. I remember because my wife, who was several months pregnant, came along. As always, Bert was wearing many hats, not the least of which was helping my wife, who fainted while exercising at one point during the event.
Bert was smart, kind, generous and tireless. He wanted everyone to succeed and always put others’ interests before his own. He created an industry trade group from nothing and turned it into a huge success. For people like me who straddled both the ABL and factoring industries, I always felt most at home with my IFA colleagues. He served as our leader, our linchpin and our clearinghouse and always did so with a gentle demeanor and a heartfelt smile.
I am so happy and proud of Bert for turning the IFA into such a success. This was no easy task given the diversity and strong opinions of its membership. It is probably one of the few associations whose members unanimously cherish their organization. This came from our friendship, admiration and gratitude toward Bert. After all, there were a bunch of us that entered the factoring industry in the early ‘90s and professionally grew up together. Over the years, we weathered a lot of storms together, shared a lot of stories, made our way up the ladder and/or started something on our own.
To me, Bert represented the best of people. He got along with everyone and had everyone’s interests at heart. When he had his accident, he never felt sorry for himself and maintained the smiling demeanor that everyone knew. Even when faced with the fight for his life, he was a profile in courage.
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STEVEN N. KURTZ, ESQ.
PARTNER, LEVINSON ARSHONSKY & KURTZ, LLP
CO-GENERAL COUNSEL, INTERNATIONAL FACTORING ASSOCIATION
It’s both difficult and therapeutic to write a memorial about a close friend of more than 20 years. It’s sad because I really miss him, but his memories and friendship will always bring me a smile.
I first met Bert in 2001, a little before the IFA conference in Scottsdale, AZ. We made an instant connection at that conference and our relationship morphed from meeting a really cool dude that I liked to becoming a dear friend. I am eternally grateful for Bert giving me a chance and essentially making my career.
Bert was a lot of things to different people. For some, he was a friendly face seen once a year. To others, he was a business match maker, career builder, tech support, and for many others, he was a deeply cherished friend. Bert is responsible for building a large community and legitimizing an industry that was on the outer fringes. Although imitated by others in the business world, Bert could never be duplicated and was always steps ahead of his competition.
Bert’s favorite sport before his accident was kitesurfing. Bert’s passion for this sport reflects a combination of high intelligence, focus, technical skills, Zen-like calm and a sense of humor — which was Bert’s essence. Bert used to chide me all the time and try to get me to do this crazy sport. I received many a call to let me know that Bert reserved a board and lesson in Pismo Beach, CA, and that I need to come up that very instant.
I tried it – my first and only time – after an IFA conference at Coronado Island, CA. Kitesurfing requires all kinds of mental and physical attributes that are way beyond most peoples’ abilities, but Bert was an expert.
Bert knew how to persevere. After being paralyzed from the waist down after a kitesurfing accident, he never got discouraged, worked hard at his recovery and continued to lead a good and full life. Then, in the spring of 2021, he was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer and had to focus on therapy. While the prospects for recovery were admittedly bleak, Bert continued to try.
Bert has stated multiple times that he did not regret a single thing. As things got closer to the end and he was barely able to text, he still was positive and uplifting. Bert passed the day preceding Chanukah 2021 and will be deeply missed, but his memory and everything that he built will always remain.
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DEBRA ZUKONIK
CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF CREDIT OFFICER, DARE CAPITAL
Most of my friends outside of factoring know I essentially lend money to companies, but thanks to Bert, I have an entire network of friends who understand and respect the stress and risk of what we do. Bert was invested in making sure we all had that community to turn to in good times and bad. He brought us all together and helped us learn from each other, forging lifelong relationships between competitors and partners alike.
When Bert first started a user group for Distinctive Solutions in the 1990s, I was fortunate to be able to attend one – and it changed my life! Those user groups eventually grew and morphed into what we now know as the IFA. I don’t think even Bert envisioned what the association would become and the lives it would touch. He just kept bringing us together, listening to our needs and fulfilling them until it became the powerful force it is today.
By continuing to build the IFA, Bert gave us all in the factoring industry the priceless gift of community, as we now have the opportunity to meet and build lasting relationships with factors across the United States and other parts of the globe. As I think about the enduring relationships and the amazing opportunities I would never have had without the IFA, I am so very, very grateful for the man who built it. I know my life would not have been as rich and rewarding without the relationships made possible through the association that Bert built.
I had the pleasure of knowing Bert for more than 25 years and, just like many of you reading this, I was brokenhearted to learn of his illness and untimely passing. He was one of the strongest men I’ve ever known, both in body and character. I will certainly miss him for all he did for the factoring community, but I will miss him most as one of my dearest friends.
I’m so thankful Bert was in my life.
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OSCAR ROMBOLÀ
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ECAPITAL
Bert and I started working on my idea of opening the first IFA chapter to be located in Canada way back in 2008. He provided me with all the support, experience and knowledge with regards to dealing with IFA members. We discussed tons of things and, ultimately, Bert told me to “go and do it.”
We wanted to create a true forum for members and colleagues in the industry where we can talk about common issues. Bert’s support and advice was greatly appreciated, as we were treading in uncharted waters. Moving forward, we hold eight meetings a year, one social golf event and one end-of-the-year celebration. We have become a source of education as well as an advisory source to new factors in Canada and to our U.S. friends coming into the Canadian market.
Over the years, Bert has provided me the opportunity of participating on the IFA Advisory Board as well as running Canadian sessions at the IFA Annual Conference. Bert also gave me the inspiration and support to continue to promote the industry beyond borders when he introduced me to a Chinese delegation, and as a result, the idea of chapters has expanded to China as well. This type of cross-border talent makes the association truly international. Bert understood the potential in bridging those borders.
Bert brought the factoring industry together in a manner rarely found in professionals. Always considering alternatives to challenging situations, Bert brought reason and constructive solutions to every problem. Bert and his team built the industry, and with his own personal challenges, he showed how challenges can be also opportunities. Bert’s tenacity, hard work and devotion to his work provided me the inspiration to continue to grow the Canadian chapter throughout the years. I will miss his demeanor and calm, strong, rational way of looking at challenges. When you were in a meeting with Bert, his tone and style used to calm the group in an efficient and firm way. He taught us all the importance of keeping the industry together, promoting education, networking and friendship to protect our companies, our practices and our growth.
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GREG SALOMON
PRESIDENT, OXYGEN FUNDING
Some people do their jobs well, but some people go beyond making it a nine-to-five mentality and do jobs they like and are intentional about it. Bert was one of those people. When you meet that rare kind of person, you gravitate toward them – and when they’re gone, you miss them all the more because they’re so difficult to replace.
Bert was definitely someone I gravitated toward, both for the things we had in common and the things we didn’t. I’d often go visit him in San Luis Obispo, CA, near the IFA headquarters, and spend time with Bert and his wife, Cheryl. I’m a Southern California guy myself, so we formed a nice little friendship and made lots of great (and funny) memories over the years.
Bert meant a lot to people besides just me, especially in the factoring industry. I don’t know if the factoring industry would be the tight-knight community it is today without somebody like him bringing us under one umbrella to be purposeful and ethically driven. He led with all the qualities you’d want in a leader. He was even-tempered, determined, purposeful, dependable, genuine and affable. He wasn’t someone that felt like he needed to shout to get attention. He also didn’t like conflict or drama, so the fact that he bridged the gap between so many competitors is a testament to how effective he was as a leader.
Bert was ethically driven to hold industry leaders to a higher standard of doing business the right way. The industry has probably grown 20 times since Bert started the IFA, yet our standards of working with each other and enjoying competitive balance has remained through his guidance.
Bert loved what the IFA stood for and made good relationships with so many of us out of his genuine interest in people and the lending we do for business owners and entrepreneurs. When it came down to it, Bert was a force for good, both for the factoring business and in life overall. He just wanted to make things better, do the right thing and keep improving without ever getting complacent. I’m going to miss him for that along with the friendship we shared and all he did to help every single person in the factoring industry.
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GLEN SHU
PRESIDENT, BAY VIEW FUNDING
PRESIDENT, SPECIALTY FINANCE GROUP, HERITAGE BANK OF COMMERCE
I knew Bert for more than 20 years and considered him both a friend and a well-respected colleague. He was kind, thoughtful and genuinely caring; his door was always open and you could call him anytime to discuss anything.
I remember being on conference calls with Bert and he just had a way of creating a positive and inviting environment that embraced everyone’s perspective so nobody felt threatened or intimidated when sharing their ideas. He put so much of his own energy into creating those types of spaces all throughout the IFA so alternative lenders like factors and others had a place to come together, share ideas, network and learn from one another. Even more impressive was that he successfully brought competitors together to work in a collaborative environment for the betterment of the industry. This was one of Bert’s many achievements, which, in my view, strengthened our industry and allowed us to gain increased respect and recognition throughout the commercial finance world.
I’m going to miss his strength and leadership, but also the gentle, kind, big-hearted person who never stopped working for all of us in the specialty finance community.
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COLE HARMONSON
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, DARE CAPITAL
Bert had this magnetic quality about him that could bring people together, even folks like us in the factoring industry who can be maverick types and not play well with others. That ability was his superpower because he could be Switzerland and find common ground and a shared vision for the factoring industry when there wasn’t one before.
When Bert called you, it was impossible to say no to whatever he needed, and that wasn’t because he was coercive. He was just so subtle in the way that he brought folks together. And because of his dedication to every member of the industry, you always wanted to help him out. That subtle approach didn’t mean he didn’t have a strong presence, because he definitely did, but he still managed to always be gentle and accommodating so that you felt comfortable with him, especially since he was always fully present in any conversation he had. And when you spoke with Bert, not only did you feel like he was giving you his full attention, but he had the ability to draw you in and to communicate his point with strength without being overbearing.
His ability to be more neutral or to take a softer approach is something I learned from and it has really helped me in my professional life. You don’t always have to take strong, unflinching positions outside of advocating for your customers. He always kept his focus on the user experience and the benefits of collaboration. That was an underrated skill of his and has definitely helped me in my journey as an entrepreneur and a leader. I wouldn’t have learned how to approach business that way without Bert.
Bert’s legacy will be what he created through the art of bringing folks together and remaining focused on supporting the factoring industry. He’s going to be missed.
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ALLEN FREDERIC
MANAGING DIRECTOR – CORPORATE FINANCE, INFINITY FINANCIAL GROUP
Over the last 20 years, Bert became one of my closest friends, both in and outside of the factoring industry. We would regularly speak on the phone, with the calls often starting with conversations about the industry or the IFA, but we’d eventually find 30 or 40 minutes had passed as we got to joking and laughing and reminiscing about the fun we had over the years, particularly the many dinners we shared while traveling for IFA events.
Bert was the happiest person I’ve ever known. He never got down or depressed, even in the face of adversity. He could always find humor during intense situations, which he faced quite a bit of while leading the IFA, since members might call and yell at him or complain about something. To his credit, Bert would always take it in stride and listen. I never saw him get mad or lose his cool. In addition to his loving and joyful personality, he was an exceptionally loyal person — he’d do anything for anybody. When you were with Bert, he would always be talking about his wife, Cheryl, and his daughter, Maleah. He was a great, great family person.
As the first president of the American Factoring Association, I got to work pretty closely with Bert and see how he built the IFA from the ground up. I really consider Bert the father of recourse factoring because before him, there wasn’t any sort of association like the IFA. We didn’t have schools, meetings, networking events or any of that stuff before Bert. And that all started with an idea. That’s the way Bert was. He could take an idea and make it a reality.
On a professional level, I feel like we all lost the greatest champion for our industry that we’ve ever had, but on a personal level, I feel like a lost a brother. I’m so thankful Bert was in my life.