Arboretum Group, LLC announced the opening of a new headquarters of Arboretum Commercial Finance, LLC in Atlanta, as well as the hiring of Robert "Chip" Leas to serve as the chief executive officer of Arboretum Commercial Finance.

Based in Portsmouth, NH, the Arboretum Group family of companies is a full-service organization that provides a full array of fund services in the alternative investment space with a focus on investments in business-essential, revenue-producing or cost-saving assets with high in-place value.

Arboretum Commercial Finance acts as the origination arm of the Arboretum Group, developing new investment opportunities, primarily in the United States and Canada, for affiliated and third-party investment funds. Arboretum Commercial Finance specializes in connecting investment funds with companies seeking financing for fundamental capital assets in industries such as medical, manufacturing, industrial, technological, energy, agricultural and transportation.

A component of Arboretum Commercial Finance's industry advantage is its ability to offer financing, typically ranging from $100,000 to $15 million, through several flexible financing structures including secured loans, capital and operating leases, sale-leasebacks, asset secured working capital loans, project financings and vendor programs.  

The Arboretum Group selected industry veteran Leas as CEO. He brings over 35 years of executive management experience, in both the public and private sectors, and will lead Arboretum Commercial Finance's business development and origination efforts. During his career in the financial services industry, Leas has been very active in multiple industry associations, having served as President of the Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors and Chairman of the independent leasing companies group of Equipment Leasing Association, and has held various board seats and directorships in numerous leasing and commercial finance organizations.

The opening of the Atlanta headquarters and the addition of Leas represent a dedication on the part of the Arboretum Group to further develop its growing origination team.

“Our decision to expand our origination capabilities reflects the significant levels of interest we're experiencing from our investor base that will allow us to expand on our U.S. investment pipeline,” Leas said. “The continued necessity and growth in the lower middle market for equipment finance and asset-backed lending creates positive long-term momentum for Arboretum Commercial Finance."