EquipmentShare Celebrates Women in Construction

In March, we celebrate both Women’s History Month and Women in Construction. As a company working in the construction space, EquipmentShare is proud to employ dedicated and talented women in nearly every role on the team. 

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) founded Women in Construction Week in 1998 to further its mission of strengthening and amplifying the success of women in an underrepresented industry. Here are just a few of the phenomenal women who are a part of the EquipmentShare team:

Marcia Cottle

Marcia Cottle is the Distribution Center Warehouse General Manager in Columbia, Mo. Marcia works with the teams at the warehouse, as well as the e-commerce team at corporate, building a parts pipeline that supports both our rental operations and customer needs. She is responsible for managing the crew at the warehouse, training on safety procedures and developing standard operating procedures for the warehouse. Her position touches every aspect of the parts warehouse. Marcia has worked in the industry for more than 20 years and with EquipmentShare for three years.

“The construction industry as a whole is still a very male-dominated industry, but thanks to the technology we are building here, which includes the online marketplace for equipment parts and beyond, I have been able to create my own path for career growth,” Marcia said. “My goal is for EquipmentShare to be a ‘one stop shop’ for construction in the world of e-commerce.”

Melissa Fouts

Melissa Fouts has been in the heavy equipment rental industry for ten years and one of our general managers since June 2020. Melissa takes on the task of running our branch in Louisville, Ky., a position that allows her to mentor and help other women grow in this industry.

“Being a woman in construction is awesome,” Melissa said. “Women are fierce, determined and motivated by the drive to succeed. We bring an open mind and fresh perspective to the table. I see women continuing to achieve greatness in construction and other traditionally male-dominated fields and industries. We need to continue teaching our little ones, both boys and girls, that they can be anything they want to be if they work hard, study and strive for greatness!”

Rachel Hathaway

Rachel Hathaway is a senior software engineer for EquipmentShare and works primarily out of her historic home in Kansas City, Mo. Rachel has been with EquipmentShare for three years and is involved in supporting the T3 Fleet App — making sure that what the customer sees looks great and works well.

“I love finding problems so that I can come up with a solution,” Rachel said. “Obviously it’s not good to have defects, but I like trying to fix bugs. I like trying to find the source of problems – I have fun with it.”

Megan Smith

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Megan Smith is the EquipmentShare Department of Transportation (DOT) Analyst. Megan is responsible for monitoring and tracking EquipmentShare’s compliance with federal, state and local regulations to keep us in compliance with the DOT. Megan has been working in DOT compliance since 2015, and she has been part of the EquipmentShare team since 2020.

“I love working with people, and what a better way than to do it in the construction industry,” Megan said. “To me, being in construction means working as a team to ensure the job gets done as safely and efficiently as possible. Part of working with that team allows you to be confident in your abilities to make decisions, yet able to listen to others all while giving them respect.”

Thank you to all the women who make us a better company, a better way to rent and a better place to work!