The nation’s fastest-growing construction technology and heavy equipment rental company has opened a $33 million branch in Lacombe, part of a $187 million expansion in Louisiana that officials say will create around 120 new jobs.
Economic development officials from the state and St. Tammany Parish gathered recently for a ribbon cutting at EquipmentShare’s Lacombe facility. The event kicked off the company’s ambitious expansion, which will eventually grow its footprint to 13 locations in Louisiana, officials said.
“Expanding across Louisiana allows us to work alongside the builders driving the state’s growth – from coastal resilience and infrastructure to energy and industrial projects,” EquipmentShare co-founder and CEO Jabbok Schlacks said in a news release.
Economic Development Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois, who tirelessly touts Louisiana as a place for businesses to invest, applauded EquipmentShare’s planned expansion. She recently said 58 new projects in the state could lead to 70,000 new jobs.
“EquipmentShare’s expansion is another sign of the confidence that leading companies have in our state’s business climate,” Bourgeois said in a statement.
The Columbia, Missouri-based company has also announced a similar expansion plans in Georgia and Montana. It will spend $266 million in those two states.
Started in 2015, EquipmentShare has 348 locations across the U.S. and plans to add nearly 400 more in the coming years.
“EquipmentShare’s decision to expand in St. Tammany underscores the strength of our regional economy and the confidence that innovative, high-growth companies have in our workforce and business climate,” said Russell Richardon, president and CEO of the St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation.
The company’s St. Tammany location, on Krental Road in Lacombe, sits just north of busy I-12. For months, motorists have noticed rows of heavy construction equipment parked at the site.
“Everything from scissor lifts to giant cranes – they rent it,” St. Tammany Economic Development Corp. spokesperson Kristin Durand said.
Durand said the Lacombe location is bringing 25 new jobs to the parish.
The company also said it will donate $2,500 annually to two charitible organizations, Miracle League Northshore, a baseball league for children with special needs, and Hogs for the Cause, which provides money and support for families battling pediatric brain cancer.
