Bleeding Yellow: Financing the Contractors Who Build America - 1st Source

The Industry

The construction industry is built on generational commitment, demanding work, and constant adaptation. Equipment has advanced through automation, GPS, and emerging AI capabilities, yet the foundation of the industry remains the same: skilled people doing difficult work in demanding conditions. Financing has evolved as well, from signing loan documents on the back of a contractor’s pickup truck to today’s faster electronic documentation and funding capabilities. At the same time, equipment costs have risen dramatically; a Caterpillar D8 that sold for about $10,000 when introduced in 1935 can approach $1 million today.

 The Lender’s Role

As lenders, our responsibility is to help contractors move quickly while maintaining the disciplined controls required to protect clients from fraud and payment risk.

That balance has become more important as technology reshapes how financing requests are approved, documented, and funded. Tools such as DocuSign, FedNow®, and Real-Time Payments (RTP®) give lenders new ways to serve contractors with speed, certainty, and convenience.

My Story

My connection to construction equipment finance began early in my career. After starting in accounting, my then-employer’s Regional President encouraged me to learn the equipment finance business from the operations side. My wife, our first child, and I moved from our New Jersey headquarters to the business center in Tempe, Arizona, where I began working in operations. At the first town hall I attended, the same Regional President commented if you cut his vein, he would “bleed yellow.” It drew a laugh, but the phrase stayed with me. Years later, when I returned to New Jersey to finance construction equipment, I understood what he meant. I met owners, dealers, and contractors who worked tirelessly to build their businesses and support the infrastructure that keeps America moving. I cannot think of a better industry to be associated with, and I am honored to play a small part in helping contractors acquire the equipment they need through best-in-class financing solutions.

The Role of 1st Source Bank

At 1st Source Bank, our mission is to help clients Achieve Security, Build Wealth, and Realize Their Dreams®. Our Construction Equipment Finance Division supports that mission by helping contractors finance the heavy equipment they need to operate, grow, and compete. With 35 years in the market and team members who bring more than 40 years of industry experience, we combine relationship-driven expertise with technology-enabled execution so financing requests can move efficiently from decision to documentation to funding.

Beyond Electronic Signatures

DocuSign changed the way financing documents are completed, but speed today extends beyond electronic signatures. At 1st Source, Immediate Payments help businesses send and receive funds in real time through The Clearing House Real-Time Payments (RTP®) Network and the Federal Reserve’s FedNow® Service, allowing funds to be available almost instantly.

For contractors and equipment vendors, that speed can improve cash flow, reduce payment uncertainty, and support faster equipment delivery when timing matters most.

Key benefits include:

  • Real-time payment status notifications and near-instant funds availability
  • Final and irrevocable settlement that reduces payment uncertainty
  • Customized payment limits and dual-approval capabilities for enhanced control
  • 24/7/365 availability, including weekends and holidays

 Common use cases include:

Immediate Payments can support time-sensitive business needs, including asset and equipment purchases, vendor payments, payroll, emergency payroll, employee reimbursements, intercompany transfers, and cash-on-delivery transactions.

 Understanding FedNow® and Real-Time Payments (RTP®)

FedNow® and Real-Time Payments (RTP®) are secure payment networks that enable funds to move directly between participating financial institutions in real time.

  • RTP® is operated by The Clearing House.
  • FedNow® is operated by the Federal Reserve.

Both networks provide secure, real-time payment processing and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

1st Source Bank can originate payments through either network and participated in the FedNow® Pilot Program, positioning the bank as an early adopter of modern payment technology for business clients.

How We Serve

Technology is essential, but relationship banking remains central to how we serve. Our local sales team is based across the country and work in the territories they cover, allowing us to meet clients in their offices or on job sites, when needed, while using modern tools to deliver a fast, efficient funding process.

I sometimes miss the days of signing loan documents in person and also understand how hard contractors work to build their businesses and how important timely equipment funding can be. That is why 1st Source Bank continues to invest in capabilities such as FedNow® and Real-Time Payments while maintaining the personal service contractors value.

Thank You to the Contractors Who Build America

I wrote this article for two reasons: first, to share how 1st Source Bank goes the extra mile to help contractors build their businesses, Achieve Security, Build Wealth, and Realize Their Dreams®; and second, to thank the dedicated contractors who build America. From strengthening infrastructure to supporting energy development, LNG facilities, and the data centers that will power the future of AI, their work keeps the country moving forward. It requires discipline, resilience, hard work, a few tears, and, for many of us, a little bleeding yellow. I love this industry, and I am grateful for the people who build it every day.