The Secured Finance Network’s Chapters share highlights from the past year, including golf outings, educational events, and networking activities. To join a regional SFNet Chapter, click here.  

Houston
The Houston SFNet Chapter elected its first female Chapter President, Cassandra Mott, partner, Blank Rome. Additionally, the Chapter hosted over 20 college interns at its June Lender’s Panel at Brennan’s in Houston. The Chapter is focused on cultivating the next generation of talent—an important effort to engage and mentor future finance professionals.

Midwest
The Midwest Chapter had a banner year with 21 events, the most ever, and saw its largest attendance in 15 years at its Annual Golf Invitational at the Harborside International Golf Center. One of the Chapter’s 2025 goals was to expand its Milwaukee presence, which it did by hosting five events in the Milwaukee area. Events included two lunchtime DineArounds, a Lender Panel and Reception, Milwaukee Summerfest with the TMA Chicago/Midwest Chapter, and a Breakfast Networking Event with an espresso cart and pastries. 

The Chapter’s committees planned three new events for 2025– Pickleball, Brewers vs. Cubs Game Day Social, and a Volunteer Outing at Nourishing Hope.

Pickleball drew many young professionals, brackets were set up and prizes awarded to the winners. Afterwards, attendees had the chance to socialize and share the latest industry knowledge over refreshing drinks and sandwiches.

The Brewers vs. Cubs Game Day Social brought together professionals from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas to network, enjoy some laughs, and watch their baseball teams compete. It was a reminder of the spirit of connection across the industry. The feedback from the Volunteer Outing at Nourishing Hope was that it was a rewarding experience. Nourishing Hope is one of the largest and longest-operating hunger relief organizations in Chicago. Volunteers helped to prepare food boxes for clients and packed orders for Nourishing Hope’s Online Market, as well as other miscellaneous warehouse tasks.

On September 25, the Midwest Chapter held its annual Fall Education Event at the Sidley Austin LLP offices, which offered panoramic views of the iconic Chicago skyline. The event featured a dynamic panel discussion with distinguished leaders from the Midwest asset-based lending (ABL) community. These panelists brought a wealth of experience and perspective, engaging attendees in a thoughtful conversation around the current state of the ABL market. Topics ranged from pressing market issues and the evolving competitive landscape to emerging trends shaping the future of ABL. The discussion was both informative and forward-looking, offering attendees valuable takeaways on how to navigate the shifting terrain of secured finance.

The Chapter looks forward to wrapping up the year with its annual Holiday Party on December 4 and having the SFNet’s 82nd Annual Convention in Chicago in 2026.

Michigan
Following the recognition as one of two 2024 SFNet IMPACT Awards - Chapters of the Year winners, the SFNet Michigan Chapter prepared to reach greater heights in 2025. The Chapter’s board focused on further combining its efforts on sponsorships, memberships, and programming to help ensure its members and community can benefit from the tremendous value SFNet provides.  Thanks to the continued support of the Chapter’s annual sponsors, the Chapter has again been able to offer exceptional programming opportunities, resulting in the highest level of membership for the Chapter to date.

This past year, the Chapter hosted ten successful events, providing valuable networking opportunities to 30 to 80 attendees at each event. At the annual Post-Holiday Party in January, the Chapter welcomed over 80 guests, which also launched our membership drive by allowing members and their guests to attend free of charge. The Chapter also hosted a number of social events, two informative and timely panel discussions co-hosted by the TMA Detroit Chapter, including an interactive panel discussion on “Private Credit: A Different Kind of Lending” and a discussion on “Article 9 Sales: Providing an Effective Alternative for Buyers, Lenders, and Distressed Sellers,” as well as a roundtable discussion event in which 16 new members were recognized and welcomed.

As 2025 has proved to be a very busy year, SFNet’s Michigan Chapter board remains dedicated to monitoring the current market and the needs of business professionals to ensure that our chapter continues to grow.

(Please click here to continue reading (starting with SFNet's New England Chapter on page 32.)