As we begin to wrap up 2021 and place a bow on the year, we can’t help but look back and reminisce on all of the events Capitol Lien had the privilege of attending, sponsoring, and exhibiting. Whether it had been in person, or virtual, it was great to be able to network and share Capitol Lien’s valuable resources with professionals in multiple industries, across multiple platforms.
The year started off slow, coming off of the pandemic from the previous year, everyone was weary on whether or not to plan an event in person or stick to the virtual route. Some events we were able to enjoy in Q1 were webinars and virtual network meetings put on by the Minnesota Paralegal Association (MPA) and National Public Records Research Association (NPRRA). Capitol Lien attended multiple events for Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Risk Management Association (RMA), and Secured Finance Network (SFNet) over the past year. These have been wonderful associations to support at both the local chapters and the national level.
As summer approached some exciting events such as golf tournaments were on the horizon. It’s been fun to see the resurgence of the sport in these last few years as a perfect outdoor activity to bring professionals together. These events are always great fun to catch up with clients and friends. This year it rained the entire day of the TMA/SFNET Annual Golf Tournament. This was comical in that it was a drought up until that day and on the one day you would not want it to rain, it rained hard! That did not stop the majority from golfing. The RMA 23rd Annual Golf Tournament took place a few weeks later on a beautiful day. There was a great turn out and the sunscreen we provided came in very handy for attendees.
2021 opened many new doors for us. We had the chance to explore two organizations that we haven’t in the past, National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) and the Bank Holding Company Association (BHCA). Both organizations put on wonderful events and had highly educated people in their industry to meet and greet. NEFA held a Minnesota Chapter Event at Brit’s Pub in Minneapolis. The BHCA hosted a very elegant event, their Fall Seminar Lunch, which brought together the banking community.
The Small Business Association (SBA) held their Minnesota Lenders Conference in September at the Marriott after taking the prior year off. Like many, SBA Lenders have had to pivot with countless changes since the beginning of the pandemic. Luckily, so many of these lenders proved successful in getting money out to small businesses that really needed it during these times to keep their doors open. We chose to both Sponsor and Exhibit with this group.
In addition to being part of several different state-level paralegal associations, we were able to connect with paralegals coast to coast through the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) 2021 Virtual Joint Conference in the spring and then again at the NFPA Annual Convention in October. It is always great to catch up with friends from across the country.
To round the year off we have some great holiday get-togethers coming up; the MPA 2021 Holiday Happy Hour, SFNet’s Annual Holiday Party, and last but certainly not least the TMA & RMA Annual Ugly Sweater Networking event for charity.
We are so grateful to have been able to participate in all of these events, and many others not mentioned. Capitol Lien is excited to see what the future holds for these amazing organizations, big and small. Until we meet again in 2022, Happy New Year!