McMicken Practices What He Preaches With Can-Do Spirit

When asked his advice for service techs eager to advance their careers at EquipmentShare, Craig McMicken rattled off a list of do’s and one very important don’t:

Never say, “That’s not my job.”

McMicken, the district support manager for EquipmentShare’s Case Power & Equipment branches in Florida, lives out that advice every day.

“Craig is not going to say no to anything,” Regional Service Manager Brooks Bazzle said. “If anything, I have to coach him to not be the ‘easy button’ and not say yes too much. He’s willing to help anybody and everybody.”

McMicken developed a strong work ethic and resourceful spirit early. From the age of 2, he was raised solely by his dad, a heavy equipment mechanic. The two of them lived on a 26-acre farm outside Fort Myers, Florida, and almost everything they ate was raised, hunted or cultivated on that land.

McMicken, who joked that he was “born with a wrench in my hand,” knew he wanted to follow his father’s lead and work on equipment. He joined EquipmentShare in 2021 when it established a rental branch and Case Power & Equipment dealership in Fort Myers.

After a little more than two years as a service manager, McMicken was promoted to his current role. Among other duties, he visits two branches per week and spends two days at each, working through any issues the service teams are having and helping to train new service managers.

His willingness to help in any way possible has been especially significant during the most trying times. In 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers. McMicken let two service techs who lost their homes in the storm live on his property in trailers provided by EquipmentShare. Two years later, the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered Florida, and McMicken played a key role in helping EquipmentShare’s Disaster Response team.

“Growing up in Florida, the amount of hurricanes we’ve had, the destruction and losses I’ve seen, it can hit you pretty hard,” McMicken said. “It is the most humbling, fulfilling thing you can do to give back to a community of people who are struggling, because I’ve been there.”

McMicken spent a week in Palmetto and Largo, cooking and serving food and gladly doing any thankless task that needed to be done. Craig Hindelang, the EquipmentShare chef who helps organize and carry out the company’s Disaster Response efforts, said McMicken never called it quits for the day until every last bit of cleanup and storage was complete.

He even sprang into action to serve as a night watchman at the Palmetto rental yard to protect it from looting until an armed guard could arrive. It was one more job he was willing to do without complaint.

“He’s just a great guy,” Hindelang said. “He’s always thinking about how he can help other people.”