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Since moving to Yuba City, California, EquipmentShare Regional Administrator Ashley Kassouf and her husband have visited the Off The Leash Dog Park almost daily. As the only dog park in the area, it’s a great place for their two black labradors, Bella and Gigi, to play and for the Kassoufs to socialize with other dog parents.
But in January 2025, the nonprofit company that leases the five-acre dog park from the California Department of Transportation received a notice. The price of its annual lease was rising from $100 to $1,790. It needed money or the park would close.
Kassouf was determined to prevent that from happening.
“This was super important to me,” Kassouf said. “If this dog park closed down, I wouldn’t have a place for my dogs to go. I’ve built relationships at this dog park.”
EquipmentShare is dedicated to building stronger communities through the support of local and national charitable organizations. It backs up that stated goal by offering each employee 16 hours of volunteer time off per year and allotting each of its branches a community engagement budget to spend on giving back locally.
Kassouf wondered if the company might be able to help. So she got in touch with Field Marketing Manager Liv Jackson, who helped procure $1,000 in exchange for EquipmentShare being allowed to post advertising signage at the dog park. And Tim O’Connell, the general manager of a branch in nearby Chico, agreed to contribute $1,000 of his branch’s community engagement budget to ensure the higher rent could be paid.
The stage was set for a celebration on May 3.
- Local businesses contributed gift baskets for a raffle and whipped cream pup cups for the four-legged attendees.
- Several team members from GM Matt Mortensen’s Sacramento branch attended the event and contributed to the raffle.
- EquipmentShare passed out branded collapsible dog bowls, bandanas and doggie bag dispensers.
- EquipmentShare presented the park’s board of directors with a check for $2,000 to keep Off The Leash open for another year.
“It feels good to be a part of a company that shows passion for something that matters to my community,” Kassouf said.
If you’re interested in working for a company that is committed to giving back to the communities it serves, check out the openings on our Careers page.
