Key Government Finance, KeyBank Help Finance Beaumont School Expansion

We’re pleased to announce that Key Government Finance and KeyBank have teamed up with The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority to help finance improvements at Cleveland’s Beaumont School. Bonds to finance a campus expansion and improvement project at Beaumont School are being underwritten by KeyBank’s Business Banking and purchased by Key Government Finance, Inc.

The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Board of Directors agreed to issue up to $8,160,000 for the project, which includes construction of a new science and technology building, and facility upgrades to enhance access for people with disabilities.

“We are always proud to provide financial support for projects that enhance educational facilities like Beaumont School, particularly when it means making science and technology more accessible to young women,” said Amy Gross, senior vice president of Key Government Finance. “We are also pleased to be involved in any project that contributes to the local economy and creates jobs in Key’s hometown of Cleveland.”

Click here to read the full announcement.

Patti Ann Sullivan Appointed to Board of Massachusetts Business Aviation Association

Patti Ann Sullivan, Key Equipment Finance’s vice president of corporate aviation finance, is a new director on the board of the Massachusetts Business Aviation Association (MBAA), a not-for-profit association founded to promote and advocate for business and general aviation interests within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The MBAA gives voice to the needs and interests of corporate flight departments of major corporations, as well as those of individual aircraft owners. To learn more, read here.

Vendor Finance Leaders Weigh In On State Of Industry, What Lies Ahead

Brian Madison, Key Equipment Finance senior vice president of manufacturer and vendor alliances, joins four other industry leaders to weigh in on the state of the vendor finance market in the current issue of The Monitor. See what Madison and others have to say as they reflect on 2012 and offer insights into the remainder of 2013 in the full article, available here.

Industry Roundtable Expresses Optimism, Uncertainty in 2013

A roundtable of equipment financing leaders including Key Equipment Finance’s Adam Warner recently shared their views with the Equipment Finance Advisor.

The industry publication assembled four notable industry leaders to give their take on how equipment finance is faring so far in 2013. Besides Warner, the participants included Tom Jaschik, Rick Remiker and Jim McGrane. Collectively, the group spoke to the issues and opportunities as they appear at the close of the first quarter of 2013. The major themes include the continuing impasse in Washington, margin compression and lease accounting convergence.

Warner said in this excerpt: “I am surprised that the industry is doing as well as it has been with limited growth in the GDP. And I continue to be surprised that the industry has outpaced GDP growth for the past 18-24 months. At some point, I think this has to catch up and if the GDP doesn’t start moving at a more robust clip, we’re going to see more of a slowdown in demand in the U.S. Still in all, I think there’s an underlying sense of optimism that keeps poking its head out and then reality strikes and folks get discouraged again.”

Read Warner’s comments and the entire roundtable package here.

Railroad Financial Posts Q&A With Key Equipment Finance Rail Expert

Railroad Financial recently published an interview on the rail finance market with Andy Falcone, Key Equipment Finance’s director of North American rail.

“The railroads have done a great job since the last downturn with respect to becoming much more efficient and being prepared to capitalize on the economic recovery,” Falcone said. “As the housing market turns around, and as the domestic automobile business comes back, rail is in position to take considerable market share from trucking and barge.”

Read the article in its entirety here.

Kristina M. Decker Joins Key Government Finance as Vice President, Federal Sales

Key Equipment Finance is welcoming Kristina M. Decker to its Key Government Finance team as vice president of federal sales. In this role, Decker will grow the company’s government equipment financing presence in the information technology sector, working to enhance capabilities, expand relationships, and increase client efficiency and profitability through government equipment financing solutions.

“Kristina brings 14 years of experience in the dynamic government IT environment,” said Art E. Hyman, senior vice president and head of federal finance for Key Government Finance. “She is a proven sales leader and trusted advisor who knows how to coordinate resources and drive initiatives, and I look forward to working with her to deliver financing solutions to more federal government IT customers.”

Read full release here.

Equipment Finance Advisor Highlights Green Bus Technology Case Study

The Equipment Finance Advisor recently published a case study article demonstrating how financing solutions from Key Equipment Finance combined with clean-tech battery-electric buses from Proterra Inc. can help municipalities and transit agencies “green” their fleets.

Municipalities and transit agencies want and need to upgrade or expand their aging fleets but typically don’t have the budget to do so, according to the article. The pressures they face include increasing ridership while reducing fuel use and lowering emissions. To achieve these goals, they need buses that are easy for their drivers to operate, lightweight, quiet, long lasting, safer, and easier and less expensive to maintain.

“In transit, it’s a unique situation,” explains Ian Shackleton, vice president of sales and marketing for Proterra Inc., maker of the United States’ only zero-emission battery-electric fast-charge transit bus, the EcoRide™. “The majority of transit agencies buy with federal funds, which cover about 80% of the cost. However, with shrinking budgets or stagnant budgets, transit agencies haven’t been able to keep up with their purchasing.”

Read the article in its entirety here.