The Equipment Leasing & Finance Association (ELFA) announced that Nick Saban, seven-time national championship-winning college football coach and legendary sports leader, will be a keynote speaker at the association’s 65th Annual Convention. The session is in partnership with Channel, a leading independent lender in equipment finance and working capital solutions.

Saban’s appearance will be a highlight of the annual gathering for the $1.3 trillion equipment finance industry, taking place October 25–27, 2026, in Palm Desert, Calif.. Centered around this year’s convention theme—"Invest, Empower, Expand"—Saban will draw from his legendary career and leadership philosophy to share strategies on building resilient teams, empowering people, and driving sustainable organizational growth.

“As ELFA marks 65 years of hosting the premier gathering for equipment finance, we are focused on delivering the insights and vision our members need to navigate rapid industry evolution,” said James Cress, Acting President & CEO of ELFA. “No one understands how to execute at the highest level or sustain peak performance better than Coach Nick Saban. His message aligns perfectly with our ‘Invest, Empower, Expand’ theme, and we are thrilled to partner with Channel to bring his unmatched leadership perspective to Palm Desert.”

For Channel, the partnership commemorates a transformative year of innovation, growth and commitment to the industry.

"Nick Saban's record speaks for itself, but what has always stood out to us is how he built it," said Adam Peterson, Chief Executive Officer of Channel. "Across decades of coaching, he has developed players, staff, and leaders who have gone on to accomplish extraordinary things well beyond the field. That commitment to growing the people around him is something we relate to deeply at Channel. We have always believed that how you build matters as much as what you build, and supporting this keynote felt less like a sponsorship decision and more like a natural alignment."

“Equipment finance, while a large and scaled industry, has a small community feel that is uniquely focused on its people and relationships,” said Ryan Schlenner, Managing Director at Channel. “Sponsoring the ELFA keynote is a way for us to give back to a community we are proud to be part of. Nick Saban has spent a career building cultures where people consistently show up at their best, and the principles behind that translate directly to how all of us think about our own organizations. We are honored to help bring that conversation to this room.”