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David Hendrickson’s connection to the U.S. Army goes back to the very beginning — he was born at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. As soon as he got out of high school, he enlisted and served from 1988-92, including a deployment to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm.

“I bleed O.D. green,” Hendrickson joked, referring to the Army’s olive drab uniforms.

Hendrickson’s connection to �ԹϺ����� isn’t quite as extensive, but he did join the company in its infancy in 2016. As �ԹϺ�����’s longest-tenured veteran employee, he has a unique perspective on what sets the company apart and why so many veterans feel at home here. 

“It’s stressful on vets to enter the civilian workplace, but when the word gets around that �ԹϺ����� is hiring and they’re willing to train and they look favorably on veterans, it sets us apart,” Hendrickson said. “Once they get here, they see there are a lot of vets at our company and they see there’s a Veterans Resource Group. That shows the commitment �ԹϺ����� has for vets and their willingness to go the extra mile to support them. It’s a level of commitment that you don’t see in a lot of other places.”

When Hendrickson finished his time in the Army, where he was a mechanic for self-propelled artillery, he began his civilian career in Texas as a heavy equipment service technician. After two decades of experience in the equipment rental industry in service, sales and operations, Hendrickson felt burned out. He quit his job and posted his résumé on Monster.com. 

He received a call from Willy Schlacks, the president of �ԹϺ�����. At the time, the company had less than 20 employees. Hendrickson was initially skeptical about getting back into the same industry he just left.

“But there was something unique about Willy’s message and vision for the company — something unique about Willy himself — so I gave it a shot,” he said. “What sunk the hook in me was their investment in technology. My experience with some of the other companies I’ve been with is that technology is a necessary evil and it's an expense to mitigate when you can. Our approach is that our is a differentiator. We’re a technology company as much as we are a rental company. We aren’t going to market with the same basket of apples as everybody else. This is something different, something better.”

Hendrickson’s initial role was opening �ԹϺ�����’s first branch in Texas. He served as the general manager of that branch in Dallas/Fort Worth for a few years before taking a position in which he traveled to new branches to train employees. Now, he is the new market sourcing manager and spends his days making sure new branches get all the shop tools and supplies they need.

Hendrickson has helped �ԹϺ����� expand its footprint across the nation — with 348 locations and more opening all the time — and become a force in modernizing the construction industry. As it has grown to more than 7,300 employees, �ԹϺ����� has seen the added value veterans bring through the discipline, leadership and work ethic they developed during their service. �ԹϺ����� has been nationally recognized by organizations such as the U.S. Department of Labor and The Military Times for its commitment to hiring, retaining and developing the careers of veterans. 

“The service taught me about putting in hard work to reach a common goal and understanding you’re part of a team effort,” Hendrickson said. “�ԹϺ����� is similar. Before a piece of equipment reaches a customer, there’s so many people that have to put their hands on it and do their job to get it into the customer’s hands. There is a common goal, and I might be just one cog, but my role is important.”