Key Equipment Finance, one of the nation’s largest bank-held equipment finance companies and an affiliate of KeyCorp, is proud to be selected as the 2013 Large Business of the Year by the Superior Chamber of Commerce, an organization that strengthens, supports and promotes economic vitality of its member businesses and the community of Superior, Colorado, where Key Equipment Finance is headquartered.

“We admire Key Equipment Finance for being a leader in their industry and for balancing that with their belief in supporting community and then putting action to those words,” said Pete Messimer, general manager of Superior Liquor, who presented the award.

Key Equipment Finance is a platinum sponsor of the Superior Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Key employees have served on the Superior Chamber board of directors for nine years and volunteered time to the Town of Superior each year for KeyCorp’s Neighbors Make the Difference Day. Past projects include landscaping Town 9 Park, rebuilding the disc golf pads in Autrey park, putting up fencing for the Superior Morgul bike race, and distributing 1,000 cow bells to race watchers along the course.

Key Equipment Finance got its start on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall in the 1970s as a three-person business financing equipment for local companies. Today, Key Equipment Finance has more than 500 employees around the globe, conducts business in 17 countries, and manages approximately $8.5 billion
in assets.

Amy Paine, a Superior resident who is Key Equipment Finance’s senior vice president of asset management, accepted the award on behalf of the company during the Superior Chamber’s Annual Dinner and Awards event.

“One of the foundations of Key Equipment Finance is the belief in supporting the communities where our employees work and live,” Paine said, “so it is a special honor to be recognized for these efforts in the community where our business is headquartered.”

Key Equipment Finance is one of the largest bank-based equipment finance providers in the U.S. The company provides tailored equipment lease and finance solutions for commercial clients and government entities. Through its vendor services unit, equipment finance programs are developed for manufacturers, distributors and resellers in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Key Equipment Finance also provides lease capital markets support for corporations looking to optimize risk and revenue. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, Key Equipment Finance manages $8.5 billion in assets and originates nearly $4 billion of equipment financing annually. The company has management and operations bases in Albany, New York; London, England;
Frankfurt, Germany; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Paris, France and Toronto, Canada. The company, which supports clients in 17 countries, employs  approximately 500 people worldwide and has been in the equipment financing business for 40 years.