Some individuals find riding motorcycles exhilarating, especially as they gain more experience with the machines. But just like with vehicles, sometimes these individuals do not keep up with their financial responsibilities mandated in a contract, triggering a repossession.

As an executive who has spearheaded growth of powersports leasing as well as streamlining processes for when defaults occur, MotoLease managing partner and chief operating officer Emre Ucer has been selected as the 2017 Repossession Executive of the Year, an honor sponsored by Consolidated Asset Recovery Systems (CARS).

Ucer will be a part of the festivities at Repo Con during Used Car Week, which begins on Monday in Palm Springs, Calif.

“Consolidated Asset Recovery Systems is honored to present Emre Ucer with the Repossession Executive of the Year Award,” said Terry Groves, co-founder and senior vice president at CARS. “Emre is an integral part in leading change and growth within MotoLease. His knowledge and experience in collections, repossessions and remarketing sets him apart as one of the leaders in the powersports industry.

“Under the leadership of Emer, MotoLease has streamlined various aspects of the repossession and remarketing process, which has proven to be a worthy investment,” Groves continued. “He partnered with Consolidated Asset Recovery Systems utilizing the IBEAM compliant management platform, which allowed MotoLease analytic metrics to refine the entire lifecycle of an asset.

“Recoveries encompass one of the most challenging jobs of the finance industry, and MotoLease handles these obstacles successfully because of Emer’s expertise and leadership,” Groves went on to say.

While new-vehicle leasing is a significant part of the financing activity at franchised dealerships, leasing is gaining momentum in powersports, too. Ucer explained why MotoLease is capitalizing on that potential as a company that specializes in working with customers who have had credit challenges in the past.

“Leasing is a new concept in powersports even though it is a perfect fit for a lot of the riders,” Ucer said. “Most consumers start riding in smaller engine size motorcycles and move up to bigger vehicles as they gain experience which makes leasing a great option to consider because it makes changing vehicles possible every few years without worrying about negative equity.

“When we started MotoLease in 2010, there was no leasing option in powersports, and now 7 percent of the financing in the industry is provided as a lease, and we provide 80 percent to 90 percent of the leases in the industry,” he continued. “It is very exciting to be part of this shift, and we believe that we can increase the share of leasing in total financing up to 30-percent level in a similar way to the auto market.”

As the company works toward the 10-year mark in business, Ucer praised the team MotoLease has in place.

 “We do not offer any tangible products such as vehicles, appliances or furniture. The consumer experience with MotoLease is based on the service that our people provide,” Ucer said. Without our team, MotoLease doesn’t exist.

“We focus on making the dealer and end-user customer experience as good as it can be,” he continued. “Some consumers may not have the best credit profile, and some dealers may not have the largest volume, but I’m proud to say that our team treats everyone with the same high level of respect, same level of attention and fairness.

“There is always room for improvement, but MotoLease accomplished so much in the last few years because of our team, and our team is still very motivated and excited to do much more in the coming years,” Ucer added.

Ucer boasts 20 years of professional experience. Before coming to MotoLease, Ucer was chief operating officer at Loan America. He also served as COO for Select Payments/Westwood Group.

Drawing on his background, Ucer shared a message to a young manager who is just embarking on a career in powersports finance on how to flourish in this business.

“As an industry, powersports is behind auto playing the catch up game for the last few years, which creates a lot of opportunities on all fronts including dealerships, manufacturers, finance and service providers,” he said.

“It is a great time to get involved in powersports to make a difference and advance a career probably faster than any other vertical,” Ucer continued. “That being said, there are no shortcuts; success comes when good ideas are combined with hard work.”

When not engrossed in his MotoLease responsibilities, Ucer enjoys spending time with his young children ages 4 and 6 and an occasional round of golf. He also has participated in club level auto racing as a hobby, but business and family commitments have curtailed that activity a bit.

“But I try to do few races a year,” he said.

Now perhaps along with a checkered flag, Ucer can add the 2017 Repossession Executive of the Year Award to his mantle.

“I’m honored to receive this award on behalf of my team at MotoLease. I’m delighted for the recognition of how much our team accomplished in the last few years. We always have room for improvement, but we greatly appreciate the recognition,” Ucer said.