As our world becomes more global, CHB has expanded its reach. And yet, we still help people secure the equipment and vehicles they need to do the kinds of hard work the West is famous for. We’re just able to help a lot more folks in a lot more places! Knowing we helped a family construction company in West Virginia get a new skid loader, or provided the finances so a working dad in Omaha could purchase his semi-truck, is highly rewarding — and if you know the kind of hardworking Americans we’re talking about, then you understand that feeling, too.
At the same time, you can’t shake off the place you come from, and at our company, we wouldn’t want to. Our identity is rooted in the rural American West and in the state of Wyoming itself. We’re a product of our community. Without the men and women who worked hard for generations to make a living here, we would not exist to carry that work forward.
Like many places in the West, we are a working community. You’ll see more pickup trucks than sedans out here, driven by carpenters, welders, plumbers, and tradespeople of all kinds. Although a smaller and smaller minority of people are farming and ranching these days, you wouldn’t know it if you looked at our hometown, where agriculture is big business and much of what we eat is grown close to home.
If it sounds like a nice place to live, well, we agree. It produces hard workers who take a lot of pride in the kind of job they do. And yet, the part of the world we live in will surprise you — and so will the team at CHB. The West has always been a melting pot of culture and heritage, and so are we. Music and art are dear to our hearts, and we appreciate the diversity of perspectives you can get just by going for a cup of coffee or even just listening to conversations around our office. Whether you want to talk about bluegrass pickers, the pros and cons of black-and-white photography, or the finer points of military aviation, we’re here for you!
We think it’s the best of both worlds. Our feet are planted firmly on the ground, but we dream big, too. In this modern world, it takes all sorts: artists and planters, painters and scientists. It used to be that Americans built things and took pride in that work. CHB is tied to that infrastructure, from the heavy equipment used to construct a cutting-edge bridge, to the Peterbilt hauler that drives over it four times a week, to the tractor used to produce the food the semi-truck is hauling.
You’re reading this newsletter, which means that when we talk about people needing money to do big things, you already have someone who springs to mind. Maybe they’re the newest generational owners of a family transportation business, and they need to start replacing a worn-out fleet with new vehicles. Or maybe they’re first-generation entrepreneurs with a big idea, and they need some big equipment to make it happen.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Most lenders don’t understand what we know to be deeply true: If you want to succeed, you have to accept a little risk.
Why are we willing to take that bet when others aren’t? It all goes back to the “cowboy code” and story of the West, because the West was built on risk. Whether you’re setting out in a covered wagon with family for points unknown, heading south for the winter through unfriendly territory, or driving a stick of dynamite into a mountainside, the only “constant” to the lives of our forebears was risk itself.
Our company is a product of that kind of risk-taking, and just as we keep up the code of ethics and conduct that guided Westerners in the past, we also keep up the tradition of betting on others to hold up their end of a bargain. Because it wasn’t the place itself that made the West what it is today or made those risks pay off. It was the people who were drawn there. Today, we seek out those people and support their efforts across the globe. And we hope that partners like you will help us find them.
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