H&E Equipment Services today announced the appointment of John McDowell Engquist as president and chief operating officer, effective January 1, 2021. Engquist will succeed current president, Bradley Barber, who has been president of the company since November 2, 2012. Barber will continue in his role as a director and CEO of the company. Engquist is the son of John Martindale Engquist, executive chairman of the company.
“John’s appointment as president and chief operating officer recognizes his exemplary performance throughout his career with H&E,” said Barber. “John’s operational expertise, valued insight and strong leadership qualities have been instrumental in leading our operations in various capacities for more than a decade. We look forward to John’s future contributions in this expanded role as we seek to maximize our operating performance in today’s challenging environment and beyond, as well as capitalize on strategic growth opportunities through branch expansion and acquisitions.”
Based in Baton Rouge, La., H&E Equipment Services is No. 7 on the RER 100.
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.
