{{Short description|Financial services company}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox company | name = GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation | logo = GreatAmerica Financial Services Logo.svg | logo_size = 200px | type = Private | foundation = 1992 | location_city = Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA | locations = Marshall, Minnesota<br />Milton, Georgia<br />Northbrook, Illinois | key_people = Tony Golobic, Executive Chairman | industry = Financial services | num_employees = 730+ (2023) | homepage = [https://www.greatamerica.com www.greatamerica.com] }}
'''GreatAmerica Financial Services''' is a national commercial equipment finance company that provides financing and consulting services in the United States, and some of the U.S. Territories.
==History== The company was founded in 1990. In 1992, the company relocated from Michigan to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and became GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation. At that time, there were only four employees, which included founder Anton (Tony) Golobic, his wife Magda, and two others.<ref>{{cite news|last=Patterson|first=Maureen|title=The Time of Her Life: Polish immigrant Magda Golobic achieves the American Dream|newspaper=The Woman Today|date=June–July 2004}}</ref> In November 2012, the company adopted the new trade name GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation.<ref>{{cite web|title=GreatAmerica Announces New Trade Name|url=http://www.monitordaily.com/greatamerica-announces-new-trade-name/|work=Monitor Daily|date=November 14, 2012 |publisher=Xander Media Group, Inc.|accessdate=15 November 2012}}</ref>
thumb|left|Façade of GreatAmerica Building in Cedar Rapids
GreatAmerica is the largest independent, family-owned national commercial [https://www.greatamerica.com/ equipment finance] company in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Monitordaily |url=https://www.monitordaily.com/ |access-date=2022-06-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> and is dedicated to helping manufacturers, vendors, and dealers be more successful and keep their customers for a lifetime. A $3 billion company with life-to-date finance originations of $16.9 billion in the office equipment, communications, light industrial, information technology, automotive service and repair, and franchise industries. In addition to financing, GreatAmerica offers non-financial services under its Platform Services division, which includes GreatAmerica Portfolio Services.
In 2004, an investment group including GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation and CEO Tony Golobic purchased the GreatAmerica Building for $16 million.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ford|first=George C.|title=GreatAmerica buys downtown C.R. building|url=http://business380.com/2011/06/30/greatamerica-buys-headquarters-building/|publisher=SourceMedia Group News|accessdate=October 5, 2011}}</ref> During the Flood of 2008, the company activated their disaster recovery plan and relocated staff and resources to pre-arranged recovery sites. Staff did not return to the GreatAmerica building in downtown Cedar Rapids for 68 days.<ref>{{cite web|last=Derraugh|first=Murray|title=How Business Resumption Planning Can Help Your Company|url=https://www.swandelandassociates.com/documents/when_the_floodgates_burst.pdf|publisher=ABF Journal|accessdate=October 21, 2011}}</ref>
In late 2009, GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation surpassed $1 billion in assets.<ref>{{cite web|title=GreatAmerica Leasing Surpasses $1 Billion Mark in 2009: The Strategy Behind the Growth|url=http://www.monitordaily.com/greatamerica-leasing-surpasses-billion-mark-2009/|work=Monitor Daily|publisher=Xander Media Group, Inc.|accessdate=October 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424020553/http://www.monitordaily.com/greatamerica-leasing-surpasses-billion-mark-2009/|archive-date=April 24, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2009 GreatAmerica launched the Master Managed Services Provider subsidiary company, Collabrance LLC,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collabrance.com|title=Collabrance {{!}} Master Managed Services Partner {{!}} Master MSP|website=www.collabrance.com|language=en|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref> as a value-add service to their Strategic Solutions Group.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.channele2e.com/channel-partners/msps/collabrances-it-services-msps-managed-services/|title=Collabrance's "White Glove" IT Service for MSPs: A Closer Look - ChannelE2E|date=2017-05-11|work=ChannelE2E|access-date=2018-09-14|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.channelfutures.com/growth/greatamerica-collabrance-new-master-msp|title=GreatAmerica, Collabrance: A New Master MSP?|date=2011-10-27|work=Channel Futures|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thegazette.com/2012/12/12/cedar-rapids-greatamerica-financial-services-expands-it-services-unit|title=Cedar Rapids' GreatAmerica Financial Services expands IT services unit|work=The Gazette|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref>
In June 2011, the company purchased the GreatAmerica building from River Cedar Properties LLC for $22.5 Million<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cedarrapids.iowaassessors.com/parcel.php?gid=919760 |title=Cedar Rapids City Assessor |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=City of Cedar Rapids |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref>
In November, 2017, GreatAmerica announced that it surpassed the $2 billion mark in assets and concurrently reached its 25th year of uninterrupted organic growth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.greatamerica.com/news/greatamerica-financial-services-reaches-2-billion-celebrates-25th-anniversary|title=GreatAmerica Financial Services Reaches $2 Billion: Celebrates 25th Anniversary}}</ref>
In 2022, GreatAmerica expanded its presence in the franchise financing business by acquiring Illinois-based IRH Capital LLC, a 20-year veteran in the franchise financing industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.com/companies/cedar-rapids-based-greatamerica-buys-franchise-financial-business-irh-capital/|title=Cedar Rapids-based GreatAmerica buys franchise financial business IRH Capital}}</ref>
In August 2024, GreatAmerica sold Master MSP, Collabrance LLC, to The 20. The20 retained the Collabrance brand and all Collabrance employees. <ref>{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2024 |title=the20.com/blog/the-20-acquires-collabrance/ |url=https://www.the20.com/blog/the-20-acquires-collabrance/ }}</ref>
{{clear}} thumb|Photo of IT Support, inside GreatAmerica
==References== {{Reflist}}
<!--- Categories ---> Category:American companies established in 1990 Category:Privately held companies based in Iowa