Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill

Boone County’s outgoing presiding commissioner praises EquipmentShare expansion; says Chapter 100 has worked

November 10, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill speaks at the November 3, 2022 expansion announcement at Columbia EquipmentShare headquarters (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Flickr page)

Boone County’s presiding commissioner is praising EquipmentShare’s decision to build its $100-million new headquarters in Columbia.

Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill tells 939 the Eagle that it’s an exciting time, adding that they’ve had good fortune with Chapter 100 allocations, which are tax incentives.

“That’s a tax that’s on real property and personal property. And right now the area that’s going to be developed is taxed at the lowest possible rate with no personal property at all. So over the course of ten years that would come back up to the standard rates. So it’s an incentive that’s very helpful to a business that wants to invest a lot of money,” Atwill says.

EquipmentShare will break ground in a few months on its new corporate headquarters by the former Ashley furniture building near I-70’s Lake of the Woods exit. They plan to add 555 new jobs over the next five years, as part of the expansion.

Columbia’s mayor is also praising the expansion. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe tells 939 the Eagle that this shows what can happen when you have an idea and a community that supports the idea and invests in you for growing the idea.

“And then the idea that like we’re (EquipmentShare) staying here, we’re staying home. It’s going to recruit people, it’s going to retain people who go to any of our universities or high schools here. And I’m really excited,” says Atwill.

The new jobs are expected to pay an average salary of $42,000.

Former Missouri Democratic lawmaker elected Boone County presiding commissioner

November 8, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

Boone County voters have elected former State Rep. Kip Kendrick (D-Columbia) as presiding commissioner.

Mr. Kendrick served three terms in the Missouri House from 2015-2020, and served as the Missouri House Budget Committee’s ranking Democrat. Kendrick defeated businesswoman Connie Leipard by a final vote of 34,505 to 26,729. Mr. Kendrick will replace retiring presiding commissioner Dan Atwill.

Democrat Jenna Redel unseated GOP county treasurer Dustin Stanton, beating him by about 3,000 votes.

Democrats have also picked up two open GOP mid-Missouri House seats. Democrat Adrian Plank defeated John Martin by about 700 votes in district 47, and Democrat Douglas Mann beats Republican James Musgraves 7,294 to 5,937 in the 50^th district House race.

About 49 percent of Boone County’s registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election. County clerk Brianna Lennon says about 63,000 of the county’s approximately 128,000 registered voters cast ballots. Lennon tells 939 the Eagle that 296 provisional ballots were cast on Tuesday.

EquipmentShare expansion is one of the largest expansions in Columbia history

November 4, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (right) celebrates EquipmentShare’s planned $100-million Columbia expansion with company co-owners Jabbok and Willy Schlacks (November 3, 2022 photo courtesy of the governor’s Facebook page)

Missouri Governor Mike Parson praises EquipmentShare’s decision to build its $100-million new headquarters in Columbia, describing it as great news for the entire state.

Governor Parson (R) joined company executives, Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill and area business leaders for Thursday’s announcement.

“It was a fun day to be here, needless to say. When you get a $100-million investment and 500 new jobs coming to Missouri. It’s a good day for Columbia,” Parson tells reporters.

Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia), State Rep. Cheri Toalson Reinsch (R-Hallsville) and Columbia Public Schools (CPS) superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood were on-hand as well, along with several hundred EquipmentShare employees.

EquipmentShare will build its new corporate headquarters by the former Ashley furniture building near I-70’s Lake of the Woods exit. It will include a flagship office building and a research and development center. They plan to add 555 new jobs over the next five years, as part of the expansion. Columbia has beaten out Alabama, Louisiana and other states in landing the massive project. That pleases Governor Parson.

“I’ll tell you: game on. Bring it on. You know we’re going to do everything in our powers to bring businesses to our state. And you know, we have to compete with all these other states all the time. Because we know they want these businesses just like we do,” he says.

EquipmentShare currently has about 3,600 employees, with about 470 of them at the former Ashley furniture building. Boone County commissioner Justin Aldred has told 939 the Eagle that the average salary for the 555 new jobs will be $42,000.

EquipmentShare executives say the new 35-acre campus will be something everyone in the state can be proud of.

“So we’re so proud to be able to announce this, a $100-million investment. And this building right here which is really cool, it’s about 50,000 square feet. Our new campus is going to be about ten times that size,” company spokeswoman Meg Judy tells reporters.

Columbia’s EquipmentShare continues major growth; Missouri’s governor to speak at jobs announcement

November 3, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

This is the exterior of the EquipmentShare facility in east Columbia (2022 photo courtesy of EquipmentShare spokeswoman Meg Judy)

Missouri’s governor will be in Columbia this morning to help announce new details of fast-growing EquipmentShare’s $100-million expansion.

Governor Mike Parson will be speaking at the 10 am announcement at company headquarters on Bull Run, near I-70’s Lake of the Woods exit. He’ll be joined on the podium by EquipmentShare executives, Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill.

Some details of the expansion were discussed during a September open REDI board meeting that 939 the Eagle News covered. Boone County commissioner Justin Aldred told 939 the Eagle that day that about 555 new jobs are coming to EquipmentShare over the next five years.

Commissioner Aldred says the average salary for the new jobs will be about $42,000.

Atwill says COU’s new terminal project highlights bipartisanship; predicts economic boost

October 21, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (center), Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood and other dignitaries cut the ribbon on the $23-million new terminal at Columbia Regional Airport (COU) on October 19, 2022 (photo courtesy of the city of Columbia’s Facebook page)

Boone County’s outgoing presiding commissioner predicts Columbia Regional Airport’s (COU) $23-million new terminal will boost economic development in Columbia and mid-Missouri.

Dan Atwill tells 939 the Eagle that the project was needed, adding that the old terminal is outdated.

“We’re going to see more businesses interested in Columbia because of the appearance of the terminal and the impression that is given when people (travelers) first arrive,” Atwill says.

The aging current terminal was built in 1968.

Atwill, a Democrat, joined GOP Governor Mike Parson on the stage for this week’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. They’ve worked together on other key projects as well, including the massive new $240-million I-70 Rocheport bridge.

Supporters of Columbia Regional’s new terminal predict it will boost Columbia’s position as a health care hub. UM System President Dr. Mun Choi says about 10,000 isotopes made at the MU Research Reactor in Columbia are shipped out each week at COU.

Those numbers have grabbed presiding commissioner Atwill’s attention.

“I’ve heard other stories from Mun Choi about the importance of shipping these nuclear medicines that he mentioned all across the country. And that all happens from here,” says Atwill.

The new terminal is also expected to help Columbia’s $221-million Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building, which U.S. Senator Blunt describes as a regional hub of lifesaving research. State Sen. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City), a Mizzou graduate, has told 939 the Eagle that NextGen has the capability of curing cancer, Alzheimer’s and dementia. The COU terminal and NextGen have both been bipartisan issues.

The first flight at COU’s new terminal is Wednesday.