C.H. Brown

What C.H. Brown does

C.H. Brown Co., LLC (CHB) is a privately held, Wyoming-based equipment financing company founded approximately in 1980 and operating out of a single headquarters in Wheatland, Wyoming, backed by Platte Valley Companies, a community bank headquartered in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The company originates simple-interest Equipment Finance Agreements for commercial equipment — primarily vocational and OTR trucks, trailers, construction equipment (yellow iron), and, more recently, business-purpose aircraft — to small-business borrowers, owner-operators, sole proprietors, and start-ups that fall outside the underwriting criteria of mainstream banks and prime lenders, with a deliberate concentration on B-C credit range applicants.

Its core product is the Equipment Finance Agreement, sized from $15,000 to $325,000 as standard and up to $750,000 for aircraft, with rates ranging from approximately 8.9% to 22.9% depending on creditworthiness and average rate around 14.9%. Underwriting relies on a 100% human-based credit scoring model using FICO 2 Experian soft and hard pulls, with one-business-day credit decisions, pre-deal broker previewing, and life-of-loan servicing — CHB retains every funded loan on its balance sheet and does not sell portfolios or re-broker deals. Adjacent products include a Start-Up Financing Program (up to $75,000 with no Time-in-Business requirement), Last Mile Delivery financing, Concrete Pumping, Tow/Wrecker/Rollback, Dump Truck, and Yellow Iron / Construction Equipment financing.

CHB makes money through the net interest spread on its retained loan portfolio plus ancillary fees, and reaches customers exclusively through a Third-Party Originator / broker associate channel (175+ unique brokers as of 2021) with a multi-tiered Broker Bonus Program paying commissions up to 8%. The company has no direct dealer or end-borrower sales motion, has roughly 25-30 employees, operates in all 50 states (with Louisiana limited to titled power units), and earns revenue predictability from holding loans long-term rather than from transaction fee volume alone.

Name

C.H. Brown

Legal name

C. H. Brown Co., LLC

Website

https://chbef.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

C.H. Brown Co., LLC is a Wheatland, Wyoming-based equipment financing company that funds $15K-$750K simple-interest loans for trucks, construction equipment, and aircraft to SMB owner-operators and start-ups in the B-C credit range, exclusively through a 175+ broker network and backed by Platte Valley Companies bank funding lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Equipment Financing

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Sales Financing (522220), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded Lending & Credit (POS, Working Capital, Credit Lines) (FSAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) & Revenue-Based Financing (FSAKAGAD), Merchant Cash Advance & Payment-linked Lending (CRAFALAK)

Keywords

• Equipment financing
• Commercial truck loans
• Construction equipment lending
• Business aircraft financing
• Broker-originated lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheatland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs): CHB provides Equipment Finance Agreements which are simple interest loans for commercial equipment. They fund deals from $15,000 to $325,000 (standard) and up to $750,000 for aircraft. All funded deals remain at CHB for the life of the loan - they do not sell portfolios or re-broker deals to other funding sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

C.H. Brown Co., LLC provides Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs)—simple interest loans for commercial equipment including trucks, construction equipment, aircraft, and yellow iron, ranging from $15,000 to $750,000. The company operates exclusively through a broker/TPO network and retains life-of-loan servicing on all originated loans, with no portfolio sales. They specialize in B-C credit borrowers with rates from 8.9% to 22.9% determined by FICO 2 Experian credit scoring and deliver credit decisions within 24 hours.

Product overview

C.H. Brown Co., LLC is an equipment financing company that provides Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs) — simple interest loan solutions — for commercial equipment across multiple industries including transportation, construction, and agriculture. The company operates as a direct funding source, underwriting and financing using their own funding lines backed by Platte Valley Companies (a community bank). The core product portfolio includes commercial truck financing ($15,000-$325,000), construction equipment financing, aircraft financing (up to $750,000), and a dedicated start-up financing program (up to $75,000 with no TIB requirements). Broker partners access a multi-tiered bonus program while all clients benefit from soft pull pre-approvals and life-of-loan servicing where loans never sold to third parties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equipment Finance Agreements (EFAs) Simple interest loans for commercial equipment including trucks, construction equipment, aircraft, and yellow iron, ranging from $15,000 to $750,000. Originated through a broker/TPO network and serviced in-house for the life of the loan. Targeted at B-C credit borrowers with rates from 8.9% to 22.9% based on FICO 2 Experian scoring.
• Commercial Truck Financing Equipment financing for commercial trucks delivered through C.H. Brown's broker/TPO channel. Designed for trucking operators and small fleets needing financing for primary commercial vehicles.
• Construction Equipment Financing Financing for construction equipment such as excavators, dozers, backhoes, and other heavy machinery. Targeted at construction firms and contractors with B-C credit profiles.
• Aircraft Financing Equipment financing for general aviation aircraft for businesses and individuals seeking aircraft acquisition financing through brokers. Deal sizes up to $750,000 with flexible B-C credit tolerance.
• Start-Up Financing Program Equipment financing for new businesses that lack the operating history required by traditional lenders. Supports first-time equipment purchases including trucks, construction equipment, and other commercial assets.
• Dump Truck Financing Equipment financing specifically for dump trucks, serving contractors and trucking operators in the construction and hauling industries.
• Last Mile Delivery Financing Equipment financing for last mile delivery vehicles, supporting the growing e-commerce logistics sector with specialized commercial vehicle lending.
• Concrete Pumping Truck Financing Equipment financing for concrete pumping trucks, serving construction and concrete services businesses with specialized vehicle financing.
• Tow Truck, Wrecker & Rollback Financing Equipment financing for tow trucks, wreckers, and rollback vehicles, serving towing and recovery businesses with specialized vehicle financing.
• Yellow Iron / Heavy Equipment Financing Equipment financing for heavy construction equipment (yellow iron) such as excavators, dozers, backhoes, and skid steers. Targeted at construction companies and contractors.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AACFB (American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers)minorOthersCHB maintains membership in AACFB, displaying their logo on the website as a recognized industry association participant.
• NEFA (National Equipment Finance Association)minorOthersCHB maintains membership in NEFA, displaying their logo on the website as a recognized industry association participant.
• NAFA (National Aircraft Finance Association)minorOthersCHB maintains membership in NAFA for their aircraft financing program, displaying their logo on the website as a recognized industry association participant.
• IdeaBank MarketingminorOthersWebsite design and development partner credited in the website footer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stearns Bank Equipment Finance: Stearns Bank's equipment finance division underwrites and funds equipment loans nationwide for businesses across credit tiers, including near-prime and challenged credit borrowers. Same direct-funding, broker-distributed model with retained portfolios and similar asset-class breadth.
• North Star Leasing: North Star Leasing is a private equipment leasing and finance company serving small businesses through a broker network, with focus on truck and construction equipment. Substantial overlap with CHB's customer base and channel.
• Balboa Capital: Balboa Capital provides equipment financing and working capital to small and mid-sized U.S. businesses, distributed in part through a broker/TPO network. Comparable funding size, customer profile, and broker-led go-to-market in the SMB equipment finance niche.
• Dext Capital: Dext Capital (formerly Dextro Finance) is a non-bank direct equipment lender for commercial equipment, trucks, and specialty vehicles, working through broker relationships. Closely aligns with CHB on deal size, funding speed, and credit-tier focus.
• Commercial Capital LLC: Commercial Capital is a non-bank direct equipment funder for trucks, trailers, and construction equipment distributed through brokers. Closely matches CHB on funding size ($15K-$500K range), broker-led GTM, and SMB credit profile.
• TBF Financial (Transportation Breakdown Financing): TBF Financial specializes in financing for commercial trucks and trailers for owner-operators and small carriers, working through brokers and dealers. Highly comparable niche focus and credit-tier positioning to CHB.
• Ascentium Capital: Ascentium Capital is a direct non-bank equipment funder focused on B-C-D credit small business borrowers for commercial equipment, trucks, and specialty vehicles. Highly comparable business model: broker-channel origination, retained servicing, and similar credit-tier specialization.

Broad incumbents

• CIT Group (First Citizens CIT): CIT (now part of First Citizens Bank) is a major equipment and asset-based finance provider across transportation, construction, and industrial equipment. Same equipment finance category but serving a broader and generally more prime credit customer base than CHB.
• Wells Fargo Equipment Finance: Wells Fargo's equipment finance group is a large, established bank-affiliated funder for trucks, construction, and aviation assets. Overlaps with CHB in asset class and customer type but at vastly larger scale and with more conservative credit standards.

Emerging players

• Currency Capital: Currency Capital operates an online equipment finance marketplace connecting SMB borrowers with multiple funders, including non-bank lenders. Comparable end-customer profile (trucking, construction, OTR), though it operates as a multi-lender aggregator rather than a single direct funder like CHB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CHBrownequipmentfinance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ch-brown-co.-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 C.H. Brown