Columbia Ultimate Art of Success Conference Focused on Collection Industry Excellence

Columbia Ultimate, the industry expert in providing software and integrated solutions for collecting money, concluded its 2008 Art of Success Client Conference.  The three-day event held in Portland, Ore., achieved record attendance bringing together collection agency owners, IT staff, government representatives and healthcare professionals from across the country. 

At Art of Success, Columbia Ultimate clients gained knowledge on techniques to drive organizational excellence and to retain a lasting competitive advantage through delivering higher levels of client satisfaction.  The conference included a series of sessions and workshops on leadership and technology innovation, as well as discussions on latest industry trends and issues. Columbia Ultimate also shared upcoming enhancements to The Collector System as well as product updates for solutions in the healthcare and government sectors. 

“Through the knowledge gained from attending Art of Success, we’ve been able to be more competitive, serve our clients even better and reduce cost through new efficiencies.  It’s an event that we look forward to attending each year to reconnect with peers and leaders in the industry to ask, discuss and learn about the critical issues that are impacting our industry,” said Genevieve Freeman, President of MEDCAH, Inc.

Highlights included a keynote speech from famed business leader, speaker and author Jim Cathcart, who discussed the importance of building and cultivating relationships to achieve desired goals.  The conference also hosted Shelly Brady, an author of the New York Times bestseller “Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter,” who spoke about inspiration and the ability for each of us to make a positive difference.

“Art of Success continues to serve as a valuable platform for the collection industry to gather, interact, learn and be inspired from and by one another and from industry leaders,” said R. Fred Houston, president and CEO, Columbia Ultimate.  “Government regulations, technology innovations, and greater cost reduction initiatives are transforming the collection industry.  We will continue to evolve and expand Art of Success based on client feedback, and aim to bring the latest information and resources to our network of clients and partners.”

About Columbia Ultimate
Columbia Ultimate is the industry expert in providing software and integrated solutions for collecting money. Since 1979, collection agencies, debt buyers, banks, healthcare and retail organizations have relied on Columbia Ultimate’s comprehensive line of software and services to increase efficiency, profitability and success with their collections. In addition, Columbia Ultimate is the leader in providing revenue recovery solutions for state, county and local governments across the country.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Wash., with an office in Atlanta, Georgia, Columbia Ultimate is a privately-held company with more than 550 clients worldwide. For more information, visit www.columbiaultimate.com.