10/29/2026
What makes a financing relationship successful when times get tough?
In the latest episode of our Specialty Finance Group podcast series, Tom Reilly, Division President of Construction Equipment Finance at 1st Source Bank, discusses the importance of building lasting client relationships, navigating economic challenges, and focusing on people, not just transactions.
We're proud to showcase the expertise of our Specialty Finance Group and the commitment our team brings to clients every day.
Tom Reilly's boss once told him that if he cut his vein, he'd bleed yellow. Reilly didn't understand it — not until years of working alongside contractors, on their job sites and in their shops, made it personal.
On this episode of the Monitor Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Rita Garwood talks with Reilly, division president of Construction Equipment Finance at 1st Source Bank, about the relationship-first philosophy that's shaped 35 years in the industry, what's really driving equipment costs higher, and the one question he thinks every contractor should ask their lender before a big purchase.
In this episode, you'll hear:
• Why Reilly's team refuses to call financing a ‘deal’
• What's driving equipment costs from a $10,000 Caterpillar D8 in 1935 to nearly $1 million today
• The difference between same-day funding and a deal that takes weeks
• What contractors get wrong about matching loan terms to job length
• Why showing up in person still matters as financing goes electronic
Read the article: https://www.monitordaily.com/opinion/bleeding-yellow-tom-reilly-on-building-relationships-not-deals-in-equipment-finance/
Watch the podcast: https://youtu.be/V9uLvhcnT4s
Listen to the podcast: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/ea5K2OaGB7b