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The Benefits of Remaining an Independently Owned, US-Based Company in the IT Channel

Hannah O'Donnell, Vice President of Sales and Greg Van De Walker, Senior Vice president of IT Channel and Services weigh in

In a recent conversation with Vice President of Sales, Hannah O’Donnell, about private equity in the IT space, she stated, “You would be surprised how often I get asked if we are for sale.” The shifting sands of private equity can mean frequent changes in Master MSP ownership and changes in strategic direction, giving MSPs and subscriber customers a sense of uncertainty.

Currently, Collabrance remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of GreatAmerica Financial Services, a family-owned company in business for over 31 years, with over 700 employees and over $2.5+ Billion in assets. GreatAmerica is primarily a commercial equipment financing company but in 2008 GreatAmerica leadership saw a need to improve service levels and add value to their respective channels related to the IT space and created Collabrance as a response to that need.

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Image Above: Collabrance located in the 3rd floor of the GreatAmerica Building.

Our resolve to be the service gold standard in the IT space can be explained in our history. To help our partners in the imaging channel, we built a 100% Midwest-staffed Master MSP. GreatAmerica had the resources, staff and customer service expertise and created a Network Operations Center (NOC) and Help Desk along with the supporting infrastructure, so our imaging dealers could be in business in the managed services space within 60 days with virtually no upfront investment. Today, that commitment to being a 100% US-based facility continues to be a strong differentiator.

We are still very involved in the imaging channel and have successfully expanded over the last 14 years to work with MSPs across the country. The IT industry has noticed Collabrance’s achievements: we’ve received recognition from MSP 501, MSSP Alert, Data Blue Diamond, N-Able Super Elite, and the Channel Pro SMB Forum. 

Our ancillary services have helped our customers who have rewarded us with their trust and loyalty. And it’s clear we’re successful in our mission – Collabrance totes a 98% customer satisfaction rating.

Success, growth, and the relentless pursuit of excellence is in our DNA. We’re motivated by our customers’ success and the pride that comes from being a part of their journey. We constantly look for ways we can help our customers become more successful and keep them for a lifetime.

 

“While Collabrance has experienced record-setting revenue growth in the past 12 months, we stay true to our number one priority and mission of helping our customers achieve greater success,” said Greg VanDeWalker, Senior Vice President of IT Channel and Services. “Collabrance will continue to innovate and evolve to proactively meet the needs of our customers.”

At GreatAmerica, and in turn Collabrance, success, growth and the relentless pursuit of excellence is in our DNA. We’re motivated by our customers’ success and the autonomy that comes from being a part of their journey.

 
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Image Above: Technicians at Collabrance Help Desk and NOC located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Collabrance strives to add enterprise value to GreatAmerica, but we also serve a higher purpose as a strategic partner: we help each other become more successful. Today we remain an independently owned, US-based organization. Some of the benefits to our MSPs are:

  • Consistency of service
  • Deep knowledge of our customers’ needs and industry trends
  • Time zone coverage
  • Reduced security concerns
  • Skilled call agents

Our mission at Collabrance is Helping Our Customers Achieve Greater Success. We were founded upon the belief that by helping our customers elevate their own businesses, we all succeed.