GreatAmerica Financial Services acquired the assets of IRH Capital, a franchise financing company. The acquisition will allow Northbrook, IL-based IRH Capital to expand its services and add a new industry focus to GreatAmerica’s business platform.

IRH Capital principal Keith Rabin will lead GreatAmerica’s franchise finance division, bringing more than 20 years of experience along with the entire IRH Capital team.

“For the last 11 years, we have enjoyed the solid and consistent support of GreatAmerica. This new beginning gives us added resources to allow us to deepen our service offering and expand our reach in the franchise market,” Rabin said. “We have very strong cultural alignment and a focus on helping our customer[s] achieve success.”

IRH Capital has been providing franchise financing for 20 years. The IRH Capital team will be the cornerstone of GreatAmerica’s franchise finance division and will report to Brian Bjella, senior vice president and general manager at GreatAmerica.

“IRH and team has deep industry knowledge and relationships with some of the healthiest franchise brands in the country,” Bjella said. “We are excited to provide additional resources to help fuel IRH’s continued growth within the franchise finance industry.”

“Our combined reputations for industry knowledge and exceptional customer service gives us an even stronger footprint in the franchise financing segment,” Tony Golobic, founder and executive chairman of GreatAmerica, said. “Keith and IRH have a strong reputation of doing business the right way and we are proud to have them join the GreatAmerica team.”

The sale was effective on Jan. 1 and the IRH Capital team will continue to conduct business out of its office in Northbrook, IL.