What Equipment Leasing Services does

Equipment Leasing Services (ELS) is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based equipment finance company founded in 2000 that originates leasing and financing transactions for middle-market businesses primarily across the Southwest United States. The company provides five core products: Capital Lease, TRAC Lease (specifically structured for commercial vehicles and trailers), FASB-compliant Operating Lease, Equipment Sale-Leaseback (releasing up to 70% of the original purchase price), and Equipment Finance Agreement (EFA). Transactions range up to $10,000,000 in size with terms of 24-84 months, and ELS does not impose industry restrictions on eligible equipment.

ELS's underlying operating model is a direct origination platform that is internally funded and underwritten locally, bypassing traditional bank lending channels. The technology stack is minimal: a content/lead-generation website (equipls.com), downloadable PDF credit applications, and a straight-forward underwriting process backed by experienced credit staff. The company's go-to-market is sales-led, combining direct outreach with longstanding referral relationships with middle-market, regional, and community bank partners. ELS generates revenue primarily through lease payments collected over multi-year contracts, with revenue model best characterized as transaction-based.

ELS is led by a family-influenced team, including CEO Alex Powell, CEO/Managing Member Scott Powell, and Operations Manager/Managing Member Kathleen Powell, alongside EVP of Equipment Finance Kevin Cooney, Director of Portfolio Management Dallas Meade, Director of Commercial Finance Evan Behm, and Contracts Manager Gayla Fanning. On May 27, 2026, ELS was acquired by Trinity Capital Inc., a Nasdaq-listed alternative asset manager, and now operates as a standalone portfolio company within Trinity's equipment finance platform, retaining its existing leadership, brand, and origination model.

Name

Equipment Leasing Services

Legal name

Equipment Leasing Services

Website

https://equipls.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Equipment Leasing Services is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based equipment finance company founded in 2000 that originates capital leases, TRAC leases, operating leases, sale-leaseback, and equipment finance agreements for middle-market businesses in manufacturing, transportation, construction, and aerospace across the Southwest US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equipment Leasing

NAICS

Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (5324), Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321)

SIC

Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359), Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Equipment & Tool Leasing (Consumer) (FSAKANAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Used Vehicle Leasing (Pre-Owned Lease Programs) (TLABAAAG)

Keywords

• Equipment leasing
• Equipment financing
• Capital lease
• Sale-leaseback transactions
• Commercial vehicle financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Equipment Leasing and Financing: ELS generates revenue through equipment leasing arrangements including capital leases, TRAC leases for vehicles, operating leases, and equipment sale-leaseback transactions. Revenue comes from lease payments over 24-84 month terms with transactions up to $10,000,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Equipment Leasing Services (ELS) provides equipment leasing and financing solutions to middle-market businesses across the Southwest United States. The company offers capital leases, TRAC leases for commercial vehicles, operating leases, equipment sale-leaseback transactions, and equipment finance agreements, with transaction sizes up to $10,000,000 and terms of 24-84 months.

Product overview

Equipment Leasing Services (ELS) offers a suite of equipment leasing and financing products designed for middle-market businesses across the Southwest US. The portfolio consists of five distinct financing products: Capital Lease for businesses seeking ownership, TRAC Lease for commercial vehicles, Operating Lease (FASB Lease) for accounting flexibility, Equipment Sale-Leaseback for accessing equity in owned equipment, and Equipment Finance Agreement (EFA) for secured financing. ELS serves diverse industries including manufacturing, transportation, construction, aerospace, medical, and more, with lease terms of 24-84 months and transactions up to $10,000,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capital Lease A financing option allowing businesses to use equipment now and own it later, spreading payments over time while gaining ownership benefits. At term end, the lessee may own the equipment or purchase it for a nominal amount.
• TRAC Lease A Terminal Rental Adjustment Clause lease specifically structured for VIN-numbered commercial vehicles and trailers used at least 50% for business purposes. Enables customers to set the residual value to determine monthly payments, with options to purchase, trade-in, or return at term end.
• Operating Lease A FASB-compliant lease where payments are recorded as operating expenses, potentially having less impact on certain bank covenant calculations. Offers flexible end-of-term options including purchase at fair market value, upgrade to newer equipment, extend the lease, or return the equipment.
• Equipment Sale-Leaseback A transaction where a business sells its owned equipment for cash while entering a contract to lease it back from the purchaser. The seller retains ownership at term end and can access up to 70% of the original purchase price.
• Equipment Finance Agreement (EFA) A financing structure where the debtor owns the equipment and the creditor holds a security interest in the asset.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transactions up to $10,000,000
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Currency: A digital equipment financing platform offering fast, online lease and loan origination to small and middle-market businesses. Comparable in serving the same customer segment, but with a tech-first approach that contrasts ELS's traditional PDF-based origination.

Direct peers

• Fleet Advantage: A commercial truck leasing and fleet management specialist providing TRAC leases and operating leases for transportation businesses. Highly comparable to ELS's TRAC Lease product and transportation vertical focus.
• Element Fleet Management: A major commercial vehicle and fleet management company offering TRAC leases, operating leases, and fleet financing — directly overlapping with ELS's TRAC Lease and transportation segment. Comparable in lease product design for commercial vehicles.
• TimePayment Corp: A US equipment financing company specializing in leases and loans up to $250,000 for small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable in direct-origination model and middle-market customer base, though typically operating at smaller ticket sizes than ELS.
• Balboa Capital: A direct equipment finance and small-business leasing company providing capital and operating leases up to multi-million dollar transactions. Highly comparable in targeting middle-market businesses with fast, relationship-driven underwriting.
• Marlin Capital Solutions: An equipment leasing and financing provider serving small and middle-market businesses with capital leases, operating leases, and equipment finance agreements. Directly comparable in product structure and customer segment.
• GreatAmerica Financial Services: A privately held equipment finance company specializing in commercial equipment leasing for middle-market businesses across the US. Closely comparable in product suite (capital/operating leases, sale-leaseback), customer segment, and relationship-based GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Wells Fargo Equipment Finance: One of the largest bank-affiliated equipment finance platforms in the US, providing leases and loans across virtually all equipment verticals ELS serves. Comparable in transaction size up to $10M+, but with national reach, institutional funding, and broader product capabilities.
• DLL: A global vendor and direct equipment finance provider serving agriculture, food, healthcare, and industrial equipment sectors. Comparable in offering capital leases, operating leases, and sale-leasebacks to middle-market businesses, with substantially broader geographic and vertical coverage.
• CIT Group / First Citizens Equipment Finance: A major equipment finance provider offering capital and operating leases across industries including transportation, construction, and manufacturing. Directly comparable in product breadth and middle-market focus, but operates nationally with a much larger balance sheet and brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equipment-leasing-services-scottsdale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Equipment Leasing Services