Santa’s EquipmentShare Elves: Making Spirits Bright

“As the chief warehouse elf, it’s my responsibility to make sure that Santa’s work crews have what they need to make Christmas happen,” Marcia Cottle, chief elf and general manager of the EquipmentShare warehouse, said.

You know who she’s talking about. The jolly old guy who delivers toys and gifts to children of all ages across the globe each year on Christmas Eve, squeezing himself down chimneys and various other methods of home entry, across every time zone. All in one night. 

It sounds like a logistical nightmare. How can he possibly do it? A little-known secret to his success lies in his helpers, known as E.L.F. (EquipmentShare Logistics Force), who keep the magic going each year with our rental fleet and technology solutions. 

Santa serves as the construction foreman of work crews all over the world that are responsible for building Christmas magic. Santa and his team rent and buy countless machines, tools and technology to keep workshops and jobsites running smoothly. One of his favorite suppliers is EquipmentShare, headquartered in Columbia, Missouri. 

“E.L.F. takes care of shipping, receiving, ordering, quality control and occasionally we get into some mischief. But we always make sure Santa has everything he needs – year-round,” said Cottle.

Each member of Santa’s warehouse team is responsible for making sure parts and supplies are accurately inventoried, categorized, photographed and listed on the website so all customers, including Santa, can shop at their convenience.

The elf in charge of parts sales is Ethan Daller. Santa, like EquipmentShare, loves to hire veterans because of their transferable skills, integrity and work ethic. Daller is a U.S. Navy veteran and joined EquipmentShare in 2020. As a parts sales specialist, he ensures Santa’s work crews have what they need and that wish lists are fulfilled.

Ethan is Santa’s right-hand man at EquipmentShare and works with wish list makers online, on the phone and in person to get to the root of their problem or request and find a solution for it. 

“In my experience, when talking to customers, you have to make it personal,” Ethan said. “I build a relationship with them. When they call, I know their name. Santa really believes in personal interaction and making everyone comfortable, and that’s the kind of relationship I want them to have. Not only am I making wishes come true, I’m making sure they know they have someone who is going to help them year-round.”

As the sole EquipmentShare warehouse in the U.S., for now, it functions much like the North Pole – a dedicated hub to get presents in the hands of children and grownups alike. Many times, no matter the title or rank of elf, all hands are required on deck to make sure boxes are packaged, wrapped and ready to be loaded onto trucks and Santa’s sleigh.

EquipmentShare is also home to T3, the operating system for construction — it’s won major awards! The T3 platform is one of Santa’s secret weapons, allowing him to gain visibility and see exactly where his elves are being most productive, in addition to tracking his sleigh and packages. T3 technology is OEM-agnostic, meaning EquipmentShare can support it no matter who built it – even if it were the elves. Work orders and GPS tracking cut down on wasted time for the shop tech elves, because it gives them exact statistics for each machine. And should anyone accuse Santa of operating his sleigh in an unsafe manner, T3 Dash Cams can produce video evidence even the most skeptical can believe.

The warehouse isn’t the only place that needs some help and a few more elves. EquipmentShare — and Santa — are hiring. Do you know any reindeer games? Do you enjoy checking lists twice? Can you drive a one-horse open sleigh? We are always looking for more elves to join Santa’s team, and with more than 140 locations nationwide, you can find your calling almost anywhere. EquipmentShare elves are even given 16 hours of time to volunteer in their community, so is your heart ready to grow three sizes with us?

Bring your talents for sales, driving, service, engineering and many more roles to EquipmentShare. See our open positions.

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