United Rentals

United Rentals is the world's largest equipment rental company with approximately 16% of the North American market share, owning a fleet of 4,800 classes of equipment totaling $20.59 billion in original equipment cost. Founded in 1997 by Brad Jacobs through an aggressive acquisition-led consolidation strategy, the company operates 1,625 locations globally including 1,504 in North America, 38 in Europe, 23 in Australia, and 19 in New Zealand. United Rentals generated $15.3 billion in revenue in 2024 with 22,397 employees.

The company went public in December 1997, just three months after founding, and embarked on a transformational growth strategy completing approximately 275 acquisitions. Major consolidating deals include the $1.3 billion U.S. Rentals acquisition (1998), the landmark $4.2 billion RSC Holdings merger (2012) that doubled the company's size, and more recently the $2.1 billion BlueLine Rental (2018) and $2.0 billion Ahern Rentals (2022) acquisitions. United Rentals was named the sixth-best stock of the 2010s with a total return of 1,559%.

United Rentals serves construction, industrial, infrastructure, and events markets through two primary business lines: General Equipment (trucks, aerial work platforms, earthmovers, compressors) and Specialty Equipment (trench safety, power & HVAC, pump solutions). The company's integrated network enables customers to access equipment seamlessly across North America while benefiting from national account programs and digital tools. Under CEO Matthew Flannery's leadership since 2019, United Rentals has focused on sustainability (27.3% reduction in emissions intensity toward 35% by 2030 goal), fleet electrification (20% electric/hybrid), and operational excellence. The company's specialty rental segment is the fastest-growing, accounting for $4 billion of total revenue.