Sarah Kelly’s role at Dedicated Financial is to promote client/customer relationships by splitting her time in the office and on the road with clients. She is an integral part of the leadership team, providing valuable insight in processes and improvements as the director of sales. Kelly’s unique background offers her perspective that is not common amongst others in the industry.
She was born into the equipment finance world. It is, as she puts it, “literally a part of her DNA,” and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her father, Marc Keepman, founded KLC Financial. However, Kelly’s equipment finance journey was largely apart from her father; she worked with several other companies and ultimately landed as one of the four main directors that run Dedicated Financial.
Kelly cut her proverbial baby teeth in the finance world with KLC Financial, where she spent the first 10 years of her industry career. She started as a documentation specialist and climbed to the role of accounting manager. Through her tenure and multiple roles, she obtained knowledge that directly applied to every department that she worked with. This prepared her to communicate as a well-rounded leader. After KLC Financial, Kelly went on to serve as accounting specialist and then transitioned into business development with K2 Financial. These services honed her sales skills and taught her a lot about communicating customer service aspects to her department.
Outside of Dedicated Financial, Kelly spends time at events hosted by the American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers, the National Equipment Finance Association, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association and Equipment Finance Cares. She takes full advantage of the networking aspect of these events, developing relationships around the nation. Kelly has the exceptional ability to connect with anyone in the industry, regardless if they are a potential customer or not. Additionally, Kelly participated on a panel that shared invaluable insight on preparing for 2023 and the possible recession.
She is very passionate about giving back, helping others and enjoys being in service with the Feed My Starving Children charity, packing meals with her family.
Kelly’s most notable accomplishments are building processes around communication in surrounding departments and implementing systems that improve synergistic and cohesive partnerships. Kelly’s professional mission is to act as a force multiplier within her team and organization. She connects, communicates and inspires others around her. Kelly benefits others in the industry by approaching meetings and conversations with thoughts and ideas that provide a fresh and inspiring way to keep all roles inclusive for the team.
Kelly consistently works with her team to provide the highest quality customer service available.
“Sarah’s knowledge and creativity in the equipment financing industry make her a key asset to any company [or] team she is part of,” Lynnette Draheim, president at K2, Popular Equipment Finance, says. “Her ability to understand a customer’s needs [and] brainstorm all sides of the transaction to figure out a solution that works for both the customer and the company are invaluable.”
“Courage and assertiveness are necessary virtues in this industry. As a woman leader, I want the younger generation to know that they are heard and seen. It is necessary to move the bar higher by tearing down walls and breaking through barriers.”