Forbes names EquipmentShare to list of best startup employers for third straight year

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COLUMBIA, Missouri — EquipmentShare, an equipment and digital solutions provider serving the construction industry, was named one of the top Missouri employers on the list of America’s Best Startup Employers 2022 by Forbes and Statista.

On the list of 500 companies, EquipmentShare (at No. 222) is one of just two Missouri-based businesses and is the only construction retail business.

Click here to check out the full list of 2022 Best Startup Employers.

Jabbok Schlacks, EquipmentShare

It’s the third consecutive year EquipmentShare has been included on the list. In 2021, EquipmentShare was one of just three businesses in the state of Missouri to be named on the list of America’s Best Startup Employers.

“We want great people at EquipmentShare, so we empower them to be the best by putting them in roles where they can succeed,” said Jabbok Schlacks, CEO and co-founder of EquipmentShare, discussing the company’s employee culture. “Our goal is to make sure our people are in roles where they can grow, make a difference and feel like a valuable part of the company. That’s a huge portion of what we do and why we do it, and it’s one reason why we’ve grown so quickly.”

Founded in 2015, EquipmentShare employs more than 3,000 team members nationwide and currently operates more than 115 locations across the United States. The company is headquartered in Columbia and employs nearly 600 team members in the state of Missouri alone.

[Editor’s note: A previous version of this story reflected the initial release of Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers 2022 list, which also included Kansas City’s Torch.AI, led by founder and CEO Brain Weaver. The publication has since updated its list to detail San Francisco-based Torch instead. Forbes has not yet responded to Startland News inquiries to clarify the discrepancy.]

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson meets with company leaders at Columbia-based EquipmentShare in January 2020 to discuss state government investment in Missouri innovation

The vast majority of companies on the Forbes list hail from California, as well as top startup metros like Austin, Chicago, Denver and New York City. The list also includes Wugen (No. 237), a St. Louis-based company that is developing universal “off-the-shelf” cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and was founded on technology licensed from Washington University in St. Louis.

To determine the list and its ranking, market and consumer analyst Statista identified 2,500 American businesses that had been founded between 2012 and 2019 and employ at least 50 people. Statista evaluated each organization based on three criteria, the first being employer reputation.

Statista reviewed articles, blogs and social media posts pertaining to each employer, searching for specific phrases, such as “corporate culture,” “diversity” and “employee engagement.” The firm then assessed employee satisfaction, evaluating online reviews, as well as growth, examining the organizations’ website traffic and headcounts over a two-year period.

The final list ranks the 500 employers that boast the best employer reputations, employee satisfaction and growth.

EquipmentShare has experienced explosive growth, which its co-founders, brothers Jabbok and Willy Schlacks, attribute to their team’s dedication.

Click here to read about EquipmentShare’s $230 million funding round in 2021.

Jabbok Schlacks and Willy Schlacks, EquipmentShare

“The No. 1 factor in our company’s growth and success is our employees,” said Willy Schlacks, President and co-founder of EquipmentShare.

The startup is dedicated to improving the way construction does business by partnering with customers to solve problems, the company described. More than a rental company, EquipmentShare is an equipment and digital solutions provider serving the construction industry. Through its award-winning fleet management technology and equipment rental, retail and service distribution, EquipmentShare solves the industry’s pain points with its cloud platform technology T3, which empowers contractors to work more efficiently. 

“EquipmentShare prides itself on providing a people-first workplace,” the company said in a press release. “Employees are not just names on the payroll at EquipmentShare. With a holistic focus on wellness of the mind, body and spirit, EquipmentShare believes if employees feel like they are well taken care of, they will turn that around and make their customers feel the same way.”

The approach helps the startup compete for top talent, said Leslie Adams, EquipmentShare’s lead recruiter.

“We are building the future of construction and a better place to work,” Adams said. “If you’re going to leave your family and spend a lot of your time at work, you need to like it. We want our employees to feel valued and, in turn, they will stay with us and do good work.”

With a focus on hiring more veterans and those who served the U.S., the company is currently recruiting for a variety of roles in equipment sales, technology installation, maintenance and service, software engineering and more.

Click here to learn more about EquipmentShare’s company culture or here to explore or apply for a career with the Columbia startup.

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