History
Midwest Wind Finance grew out of Founder Ken Valley’s 20 years of experience in rural community finance. In 1989 Ken founded Midwest Leasing & Finance to help rural business people obtain transportation and construction equipment, real estate and other assets needed to grow businesses and local economies. Since its founding, Midwest Leasing & Finance has assisted in financing approximately $200 million in transactions.
In 2001 Ken began to explore financing wind projects for some of his customers who were considering wind energy as a potential revenue source. Over the next three years he deepened his knowledge and connections in wind energy. Ken attended conferences all over the country and began to be recognized as an expert in the community wind field.
In 2004 Ken recognized that given the direction of the industry, there would be a viable opportunity for a community wind finance company, so he incorporated Midwest Wind Finance. Ken began investing in staff, resources and marketing, and the company gained very positive market acceptance. By 2006 the company was working with projects totaling over $500 million in project costs and had alliance relationships with financial institutions, turbine manufacturers, and industry resource specialists. Today Midwest Wind Finance is a nationally respected leader in community wind finance.