A Game-Changing Partnership: EquipmentShare, Mizzou Build Deep Connection

On football game days at the University of Missouri, Memorial Stadium is the center of attention for the entire state. More than 60,000 passionate fans celebrate in the parking lots before filling the stadium to see the Tigers play. Millions more across the country plan their days around watching the broadcast. 

EquipmentShare will be hard to miss for all those people watching the Tigers. 

• As the preferred equipment vendor for the largest facility project in Mizzou athletics history, EquipmentShare’s machines fill the construction zone where a massive stadium expansion is rising above the north end zone. 
• As a field sponsor, EquipmentShare’s name and logo is on the 25-yard line on the south end of the field.
• As the provider of the T3® fleet-management platform, EquipmentShare helps Mizzou effectively deploy vehicles and equipment on the streets and parking lots around the stadium to keep game-day operations running smoothly. 

It’s all part of a deep connection between Mizzou and EquipmentShare, the company that has planted roots in Columbia while growing into a national leader in construction equipment and technology. 

“This is a holistic partnership with our flagship university in our hometown,” said Amy Susán, EquipmentShare’s company ambassador and spokesperson. “Mizzou competes for elite athletes, and to do that, they need elite facilities. We are the best-positioned partner to help athletic departments and universities like Mizzou build those facilities with the top, tech-powered machines. We also can connect their owned assets to T3 so they can get the most out of them and control the chaos commonly associated with construction projects.”

“For EquipmentShare, we see this partnership as a great way to connect with such a loyal group of people. Universities like Mizzou are national brands, but they’re very local brands too, so it fits perfectly with our commitment to communities.” 

A new era of college athletics

The landscape of college athletics has changed dramatically in the last 15 years, from conference realignment to the most recent major change — revenue sharing for the athletes. Athletic departments are now allowed to provide a total of $20.5 million to their athletes in addition to scholarships and other benefits.

That change has challenged athletic department officials, like Mizzou Chief Revenue Officer Blair DeBord, to tap more revenue streams, including corporate sponsorships. When the NCAA allowed on-field logo sponsorships in 2024, EquipmentShare was a natural choice for Mizzou.

“We are trying everything in our power to elevate Mizzou athletics and our standing within the Southeastern Conference and the national landscape in the next handful of years,” DeBord said. “It’s refreshing to have a partner like EquipmentShare that is building something so transcendent and having a CEO and president like Jabbok and Willy Schlacks, who are specific about wanting to build something like this in Columbia, Missouri. It would be very easy for them to decide this isn’t the place to do that, but I think it shows their vision and belief in the people here and what we can accomplish. That aligns exactly with what we think we can do at Mizzou.”

While the hometown connection between EquipmentShare and Mizzou is unique, the partnership’s opportunities and benefits apply to other universities. EquipmentShare is a nationwide company with more than 340 branches, and each one is connected to the community it calls home. 

For example, EquipmentShare is the official construction technology and equipment provider of LSU athletics and the official corporate sponsor of Texas athletics. And it is always looking to help universities and their athletic departments with their construction and logistics needs. 

Powering the Centennial Project

In September 2024, the University of Missouri approved plans for the $250 million Memorial Stadium Centennial Project that will enclose the north end of the stadium and add premium spaces and suites. The ambitious job began in November 2024 and needs to be finished by the 2026 season opener.

Considering the inflexible timeline, the university and general contractor Whiting-Turner needed a rental equipment partner with a huge fleet of ultra reliable equipment and a responsive service team. EquipmentShare won the job as the preferred equipment provider. 

“Truthfully, we just have a better product,” Regional Sales Manager Josh Helmstetler said. “We have a young fleet, so they’re getting newer equipment. And we’re proactive with service. I’ve worked with other companies that were more reactive and would only come out when things went wrong with a machine. Our goal is for Mizzou to come out of this saying, ‘We should use EquipmentShare on every project. They are the best option.’”

With about several dozen pieces of equipment on location, EquipmentShare assigned a service technician to treat the Memorial Stadium jobsite as his No. 1 priority. Territory Account Manager Katie Laxson is the point person who visits the jobsite at least once a week and attends monthly safety meetings to communicate regularly with all the contractors involved.

“I’m there to make sure the equipment is running well, to address it if there are issues and to make sure everybody is happy,” Laxson said.

That level of service might be out of the ordinary in the equipment rental business, but it’s standard operating procedure for EquipmentShare. 

Winning technology

Another major differentiator between EquipmentShare and other equipment rental companies is its T3 technology. T3 uses trackers and other hardware to gather data from equipment and vehicles, and its software converts that data into actionable insights for users in real time. T3 users can check their phone or laptop and immediately know where all of their connected equipment and vehicles are located, whether they’re being used and whether they’ll need maintenance soon — among many other uses.

EquipmentShare has expanded its T3 customer base beyond the construction industry to include trucking companies and other businesses, agencies and universities. Because T3 connects with any kind of equipment or vehicle, it’s the perfect management tool for mixed fleets.

“As we grow our partnership with EquipmentShare as a full, all-encompassing equipment company that can also help with data tracking, it made a ton of sense for us to understand and track who is using what equipment, when they’re using it and how much they’re using it,” DeBord said. “So rather than having somebody’s job be tracking this stuff, T3 does it for us.

“Our game days and when we’re getting ready for game days are so condensed, especially when you get to crossover season where you have football and all our fall sports going and then you have basketball and the winter sports getting started. So it just helps with efficiency to know exactly where vehicles and equipment are at the times you need them most.” 

It’s all part of a mutually beneficial partnership that’s just getting started. 

“I don’t think any of us really understood the capacity of EquipmentShare when we started these conversations last year,” DeBord said. “They can impact our operation not only as a sponsor but also as a one-stop shop for our equipment needs. To have a company that’s providing this level of service and this level of equipment that is also located here in our backyard — it’s just a win-win for everyone involved.”