From Typewriters to Drones in 60 Years

 

 Kevin F. Clune, CLFP

 

“It’s not that hard to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack if you work hard, keep your promises, and deliver.” This was an oft-repeated lesson from my father, Robert E. Clune, who founded Clune Equipment Leasing in 1957. He followed up this advice by saying, “It’s amazing how many do not.”

As a typewriter salesman for IBM in the 1950’s, “Bob” Clune realized that his customers needed a means to finance their new equipment. Due to Dad’s entrepreneurial spirit and motivation to provide support for his wife and four small children, he decided to start his own business to fill this need.

As Clune & Company celebrates its 60th Anniversary, we are provided with an opportunity to reminisce about the origins of the company. Dad secured his own financing and formed an independent lease finance company with a business model that was unique to the industry. In 1973, Clune was a three-person company when a key employee was hired away by a bank, leaving Bob in a lurch. Since I was between College and Medical School, I was asked to “fill in” on what was supposed to be a temporary basis. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today Clune & Company is still family owned and independent, with myself serving as Chairman since 1991, but we have gone from financing typewriters to leasing a large array of capital equipment. The company can finance copiers, computer systems, medical equipment, office furniture, fork lifts, plumbing and janitorial needs, and even drones for surveyors. 

Clune now employs a multi-talented and long-tenured staff of sales and leasing agents, three of whom are Certified Lease Professionals, establishing them as knowledgeable experts in the industry. The company has expanded from serving a localized three state area to now working directly with both equipment vendors and leasing customers across the country.

While the leasing industry has expanded to include banks, manufacturers, and even equipment vendors who compete with Clune, their various lease contracts and conditions can vary greatly, since leasing is largely an unregulated industry. We take pride in the fact that our company is self-regulated in this environment and still adheres to Bob Clune’s principles of working hard and delivering on promises.

 

Kevin F. Clune, CLFP
Clune & Company