Earlier this month, RSC Equipment Rental joined the crew of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in Kansas City, Mo., and provided numerous pieces of machinery, vehicles, lights, generators and more — even 300 hard hats — to help build a brand new home in just seven days.
The “EMHE” entourage descended on East 79th Street in Kansas City to the home of Stephen Johnson, who last year was one of six firefighters who risked their lives to save a paramedic who had been shot during a fire rescue mission. What’s more, Johnson is a single father of five, two of whom were neighbor boys he adopted when their mother died.
The blended family was living in the modest 1,200-square-foot ranch house, where three of the boys slept in the basement.
When word reached the Kansas City construction community that Extreme Makeover had selected the Johnson home, it generated an avalanche of responses from local businesses, corporations and individuals offering to contribute.
“Support from the community has been overwhelming,” said Kevin Green, president of Kevin Green Homes in Parkville, Mo., the project’s general contractor. “Everything from the nails to the grass to every drop of sweat has been donated.”
One of the major contributors was RSC Equipment Rental. The staff at RSC’s Kansas City store provided the exact equipment needed, even having some machinery specially shipped in from Arkansas and Liberal, Kansas — more than 400 miles away.
RSC was involved at the project’s earliest stages, after being approached by contractor Green, who is a loyal RSC customer.
“We became their on-site problem solver, before and during construction,” said RSC District Manager Larry Reeves. “It was wonderful to see everyone working together, pumped up and motivated.”
“The community really pulled together,” agreed Dan Doak, an outside sales representative at RSC’s Kansas City store. “It was great doing this for the firefighters.”
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based RSC Equipment Rental is No. 2 on the new RER 100.