How long have you been a pawnbroker? Family owned and operated since 1958
How long have you been a member of CAPA? 30+ years
Why did you join CAPA? My father Sam Krasner was a member when I was much younger and worked closely with Dennis Hooker and we’ve been members ever since.
What do you enjoy most or you like most about being a member of CAPA? The interaction and news through the CAPA google group. And the group in general always on top of the recent legislation from Sacramento.
What do you love most about being a pawnbroker? Interaction with all types of people in our community.
Who inspires you? Family, friends, and clients.
If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose? My father taught me all I know as a pawnbroker how to treat people like I like being treated.
What’s one thing – either industry-related or not – you learned in the last month? That I need to twist my upper body more when golfing.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? My sense of humor and bringing it to work to lighten the mood of customers that need to put a smile on their faces.
How long have you been in the refining industry? 19 years
How long have you been a member of CAPA? 9-10 years
Why did you join CAPA? Loved what the association was doing within California. Great leadership and initiatives for the betterment of the industry. As a vendor partner, I wanted to be involved and am glad to co-chair CAPA’s Vendor Council.
What do you enjoy most or you like most about being a member of CAPA? CAPA isn’t an association, it’s a true family. Being at the conventions or walking into a CAPA pawnshop, it’s like being home with your friends and family.
What do you love most about being a pawnbroker? We’ll I’m not a pawnbroker but I love helping pawnbrokers maximize their returns on refining.
Who inspires you? My wife
If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose? That’s a great question. I’ve had many mentors throughout my career and my personal life. Greatness can be found within almost everybody. I choose to take the best from everyone who surrounds me collectively and be mentored by the environment I am in.
What’s one thing – either industry-related or not – you learned in the last month? Change is inevitable, it’s a part of life. Many people fear change; others shy away from it. This isn’t something new but ultimately embracing change will bring you peace.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? I studied piano growing up and am a classically trained concert pianist.
What do you enjoy most or you like most about being a member of CAPA? Safety in security, numbers matter, also platform to watch for crooks and con men and share information.
What do you love most about being a pawnbroker? I love my clients, love to help people, and amazingly they thank you after they make my car payment.
Who inspires you? Jesus Christ
If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose? My hardworking mother who always told me this: “Work for the day will come when you cant anymore.”
What’s one thing – either industry-related or not – you learned in the last month? I could be on the other side of the counter, so treat others as I would like to be treated.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? I am an inventor with a US Patent in water chemistry and don’t have to work.
CAPA is proud to announce that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1317 (Bradford) to prevent our customers’ personal identifying information from being stored in the DOJ’s California Pawn and Secondhand Dealer System (CAPSS). CAPA also wishes to thank Senator Steve Bradford who authored SB 1317 and advocated for its passage among legislators in the final weeks of the Legislative Session.
Pawnbrokers provide a valuable source of short-term credit to individuals who may not otherwise have credit, savings, or money to pay for an unexpected expense such as a car repair or medical emergency. According to a 2019 report, at least 9 million households in the United States are “unbanked”, and consumers with credit scores below 650 made up approximately 28% of the United States population. Pawnbrokers are essentially the “financial safety net” for this population, as everyone who seeks a pawn loan can borrow money regardless of creditworthiness.
Under existing law, the personal identifying information of pawn customers must be reported to the State’s Department of Justice and stored within the CAPSS database. Pawnbrokers have been concerned for years that law enforcement has used the CAPSS system to track individuals rather than stolen items. Furthermore, we been alarmed by the number of high-profile data breaches which have exposed hundreds of millions of Americans to identity theft. If the personal information of our borrowers was to be exposed, the impact of identity theft would be especially devastating. With the passage of SB 1317 into law, pawnbrokers will report “items only” and all transactions will be confidential unless an item is alleged to be lost or stolen.
Pawnbrokers can now assure our customers that their transactions are” strictly confidential” stated Jan Schneider, President of CAPA. “CAPA is proud to have initiated this change in law to safeguard the personal information of our customers and protect them from the growing threat of identity theft and other predatory schemes.”
Pawnbrokers will still be required to collect the personal information of pawn customers which includes finger-prints, government identification and a home address. In the event an item is alleged to be stolen, this information will be available upon request by law enforcement.
“We continue to support the goal of the CAPSS system – assisting law enforcement with cases involving property theft,” stated Tony DeMarco, Legislative Chair. “However, protecting property should not outweigh the importance of protecting our customers. SB 1317 achieves the balance of protecting both. Now we will report items only.”
How long have you been a member of CAPA? Around 20 years
Why did you join CAPA? We enjoy supporting our industry, our industry representatives, and working with other like minded professionals all working to protect, preserve, and prosper in the Pawn Industry.
What do you enjoy most or you like most about being a member of CAPA? All of the fellowshipping with the many friends and family members we have assimilated over my lifelong journey in the Pawn Industry.
What do you love most about being a pawnbroker? Helping other, always on every level.
Who inspires you? My wife.
If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose? Rick Wessel
What’s one thing – either industry-related or not – you learned in the last month? Change is constant.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? I was a sound engineer for years down in Maui
How long have you been a member of CAPA? 16 years I think
Why did you join CAPA? My grandfather, Shelly Wainer, was a long time member of CLSDA and sent me to one of the conventions when I first came to work for him. I learned so much, met great people and saw value in being a part of the network. I was impressed by Jon Webster, Robert Verhoeff, Jordan Tabach-Bank and Sam Shocket and I left feeling like they all inspired me very much to want to do my best to run a successful shop. Shortly after, I met Jan Schneider, Diane Taylor and Jen Grossi and they really made me realize how women could be successful in this industry. Lastly, I’d say that Kim Andosca was a HUGE reason I was able to attend many of the conventions and she played a big part in making me feel like family when I felt pretty out of place most of the time. Had I not had the opportunity to be part of her team during the conventions all those years, I don’t think I would have been able to realize the full value of CAPA.
What do you enjoy most or you like most about being a member of CAPA? I have found so much value in attending the conferences, being a part of this community, and all the resources made available to help navigate the laws. It is important to me that we are proactive in being a part of the discussion regarding any laws that pertain to our industry and CAPA provides that voice for us and is very good at it. I like that we can celebrate our wins together and also rant about the industry when we’re having “one of those days.”
What do you love most about being a pawnbroker? I like being able to help people out of tough situations, the relationships I develop with my staff and customers, and finding the perfect piece of jewelry for the occasion/person.
Who inspires you? My son Jack. Anyone that is authentically themselves and genuinely wants to do better. People who practice kindness and compassion.
If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose? Sharon McMahon, Tabitha Brown, Natalie Barron, Marianne Williamson, Brene Brown, Michelle Obama
What’s one thing – either industry-related or not – you learned in the last month? I’ve learned that I am not catering to my Spanish speaking customer base as much as I should be. I have also learned that it does not seem to matter to consumers whether Google reviews are genuine or paid for/incentivized.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?I was a Senator and then Vice-President of my student body at San Diego Mesa College and I traveled many times to both Sacramento and Washington D.C. to lobby for student rights. On September 11, 2001 I was serving as Vice-President of my school. I was also a member of our Model United Nations Team while I attended Cal State San Marcos and loved every minute of it.
