A Century of Momentum: Mobilease Joins the Top 30

Rooted in a 100-year family legacy, Mobilease is redefining fleet and equipment financing through a “relationship-first” model that prioritizes speed, flexibility and the total cost of ownership.

Mobilease reached a major milestone this year, securing its first spot on the Monitor Top 30 Private Independents ranking. This achievement is the result of several years of deliberate strategic shifts, including a management team restructuring, significant technology updates and a return to the “basics” that define their success in core markets.

“Being recognized in this category is really a tribute to the foundation that is Mobilease, and the team and systems we have put in place to take us to the next level. The last few years have been spent identifying what we want our business to look like in the coming years.”

According to Luke Johnson, president, these changes have created a foundation for “large expansion” into new territories. The company’s culture is deeply influenced by its century-long history. Johnson and his brother, Peter, represent the fourth generation of their family in vehicle financing, a lineage stretching back to their great-grandfather’s Ford dealership in 1921. This background instills a “cradle-to-grave” philosophy centered on
people.

“Since our days as young kids attending dealership functions, one thing that we were always taught is that our employees and clients always come first,” Johnson says.

That principle continues to guide the brothers in how they make difficult decisions and run the business today. Since acquiring the company from their uncle, Gary Johnson, about a decade ago, they have evolved the brand from a traditional vehicle fleet provider into a diversified equipment powerhouse. What began as a single request from a fleet client has blossomed into a robust equipment division.

Today, Mobilease serves many clients who utilize their services exclusively for equipment. Their primary edge in this space is an “in-house” underwriting team that allows for a 48-hour turnaround on requests. Johnson emphasizes that “there is not a box that the deal has to fit in,” noting that their status as a private independent means they are not regulated like bank-affiliated lenders, allowing for far more creative structures.

As the industry navigates the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, Mobilease is leveraging the reinstatement of advanced depreciation to help clients allocate capital expenditure dollars more effectively. While the oil and gas sector has seen a slight downtrend, Johnson expects it to return to normal thresholds by late 2026, bolstered meanwhile by success in the rideshare and construction sectors.

By focusing on the “Total Cost of Ownership” (TCO) rather than just a transaction, Mobilease continues to scale its “relationship-first” model in an increasingly automated world. This consultative approach is especially valuable for smaller customers who may have previously assumed they were too small for specialized financial products. Whether managing toll programs, GPS systems or nationwide maintenance, the Mobilease team remains closely engaged with clients to support their long-term success. •