Channel Finance 25: Companies A to G

Overview: The VAR Guy’s Channel Finance 25 is an annual survey from Nine Lives Media Inc. The survey allows VARs to quickly find and explore potential funding opportunities that improve cash flow, speed customer buying decisions, and drive profitable growth.

Neither The VAR Guy nor Nine Lives Media Inc. specifically endorse the companies and funding options mentioned below. This report is meant as a potential first-step guide for VARs that are seeking funding ideas. As with any potential financial engagement, readers should thoroughly research their options before pursuing potential engagements. Since financial needs vary greatly from company to company, the publishers of this report are not in a position to recommend or endorse any specific funding sources.

Channel Finance 25: Companies A through G

Arrow ECS partners with four financial services companies: Castle Pines Capital, de lage landen, GE Capital and IBM Finance. Through those partnerships, Arrow ECS offers a range of financial solutions to meet VARs’ working capital needs. Also, Arrow ECS also offers a fee-based credit and collections program (full receivable outsourcing). All VARs need to get started is a completed credit application and two years of financial statements.

• Get to Know: Wayne Peters, director of leasing services, Enterprise Computing Solutions Segment
• Address: 50 Marcus Drive Melville, N.Y., 11747
• Phone:  631-847-2000
• Web: Arrow ECS financial page
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/arrowecs

Avnet Technology Solutions offers leasing and receivables services to meet channel customers’ needs, giving VARs greater flexibility to take on larger, more complex deals. Through receivables services alone, Avnet Technology Solutions facilitates more than 2,500 transactions each year.

• Get to Know: Jolea Kidd, VP of credit and collections
• Address: 8700 S Price Road, Tempe, Ariz., 85284
• Phone: 1-800-409-1483
• Web: Avnet Support Services page
• Facebook: Avnet’s FaceBook page
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AvnetAdvantage

Axis helps VARs’ customers to secure funding for hardware and software sales and removes the financial responsibility from partners.  Plus, Axis helps partners secure vendor and distributor MDF funding. Since 2003, more than 1,000 small, midsize and large businesses have leveraged Axis services.

• Get to Know: Joseph Paquet, VP
• Address: 53B Green Street, Portsmouth, N.H., 03801
• Phone: 603-294-4979
• Web: http://www.axisbusiness.com

Founded in 2002, Calder Associates helps VARs and solutions providers with mergers and acquisitions, accounting, and law. The company has a network of qualified buyers with more than $8 billion in down payment capital.

• Get to Know: Richard Stopa, managing partner
• Address: 106 Apple Street, Suite 114, Tinton Falls, N.J., 07724
• Phone: 703-652-4458
• Web: http://www.calderassociates.com

Castle Pines provides financing solutions to VARs. The company’s areas of expertise include IP communications and distribution finance.

• Get to Know: Lloyd Squire, senior VP, business development
• Address: 116 Inverness Drive East, Suite 375, Englewood, Colo., 80112
• Phone: 303-209-1940
• Web: http://www.castlepinescapital.com/

The CharTec “Hardware as a Service” (HaaS) program helps VARs and MSPs to obtain custom equipment and licensing for end-customers. CharTec also provides sales training to channel partners, ensuring the partners deliver warranty and technical support to end customers. CharTec has assisted partners with roughly $4 million in HaaS (hardware as a service) financing in 2010.

• Get to Know: Alex Rogers, CEO
• Address: 1600 Mill Rock Way, Bakersfield, Calif., 93311
• Phone: 866-544-2772
• Web: http://www.CharTec.net
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CharTec

Cisco Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems. In addition to financing and leasing assistance, Cisco Capital supplies refurbished equipment to partners and end-customers. In early 2011, Cisco Capital also introduced zero percent financing for small business unified communications equipment.

• Get to Know: Kristine Snow, president, Cisco Capital
• Address: 170 West Tasman Dr., San Jose, Calif., 95134
• Phone: 408-526-4000
• Web: http://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/ciscocapital/index.html

CIT is a bank holding company with more than $35 billion in finance and leasing assets. For more than 100 years, CIT has provided lending, advisory, and leasing services to small and middle market businesses. The company works closely with IT vendors, distributors and resellers on a range of financing and leasing solutions. CIT also offers DigitalEdge, a web-based tool for quote generation, credit application submission, e-mail notification of credit decision, lease document generation, sales tracking and portfolio management.

• Get to Know: Debbie Haeringer, director of marketing, CIT Vendor Finance
• Address: One CIT Drive, Livingston, N.J., 07039
• Phone: 973-740-5000
• Web: http://www.cit.com

CSC Leasing Co., founded in 1986, is an independent lessor of technology equipment. Seventy-percent of CSC’s business starts with VARs and channel partners. The company’s corporate offices are located in Richmond, Va. with branch offices in Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, and the Metro DC area. CSC generated roughly $20 million in financing for channel partners in 2010, up from about $15 million in 2009.

• Get to Know: Matthew Thompson, account manager           
• Address: 6806 Paragon Place, Suite 170, Richmond, Va., 23230
• Phone: 804-673-1000
• Web: http://www.cscleasing.com

With over 35 years of experience in the IT market, De Lage Landen’s Office Technology Global Business Unit supports VARs worldwide. In addition to operating and finance leases, De Lage Landen offers inventory finance and other asset based financing. Partners can receive online quote approvals and notifications, submit applications, and manage lease portfolios over the web. Typical financing deals involve multi-function printers (MFPs), servers, PCs, storage, network, telecom and software solutions.

• Address: 1111 Old Eagle School Road, Wayne, Pa., 19087
• Phone: 610-386-5000
• Web: http://www.delagelanden.com

• Timely and predictable turnaround on credit submissions and documentation
• Dependable execution across a range of transaction sizes
• Reports that put data at partners’ fingertips
• Private label and co-branded programs

For more details please visit: http://www.everbankcommercialfinance.com/

To help smaller VARs gain a competitive edge, GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF) created the Small-to-Medium-size Business Finance program (SMB Reseller Finance). With SMB Reseller Finance, VARs can increase purchasing power and working capital while potentially avoiding additional expenses. The SMB Reseller Finance program includes:

• Credit approvals from $50,000 to $500,000
• Credit turnaround in as quick as one business day
• Majority of vendors offer 30-to-60 day free interest programs
• 30-day free programs have option to extend to 60 days at competitive rate
• Immediate order release upon credit approval and faxed signed documents
• Streamlined financing agreement and credit application
• Dedicated customer service representatives
• Access to other GE programs such as PO Finance (STAR) to enhance growth

• Get to Know: Christine Tombolesi, portfolio management director, GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance
• Address: 901 Main Ave., Norwalk, Conn., 06851
• Web: http://www.geitfinance.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cdftechnology
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/CDFTechnology

GreatAmerica is a national commercial equipment finance company serving VARs and MSPs. GreatAmerica was originally incorporated in Michigan in 1990, and moved its headquarters to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1992 to become GreatAmerica Leasing Corp. The company now has more than 300 employees with offices in Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, and Missouri. GreatAmerica provides financing and consulting services in all 50 states and some U.S. territories. Key areas of expertise include rental programs (hardware & service bundles), managed print services (MPS), managed services, managed voice services and hardware as a service. The company managed more than $500 million worth of channel financing deals in 2010.

• Get to Know: Marty Klees, senior VP /general manager, communications and data group
• Address: One GreatAmerica Plaza, 625 First Street SE, Suite 800, Cedar Rapids Ia., 52401
• Phone: 866-471-0955
• Web: http://www.greatamerica.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GreatAmerica/95766191053

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