National Equipment Dealers dealer partner Jacob May dies

Jacob May, founder of May Heavy Equipment and dealer partner of the National Equipment Dealers, died unexpectedly on April 7 at the age of 51.

May, along with his late father Bert May, founded May Heavy Equipment in 1997, according to the National Equipment Dealers (NED)’s website. May Heavy Equipment merged with Rob’s Hydraulics in 2017 to for MAY-RHI and was acquired by NED in 2018 as part of the dealership group’s expansion across the Carolinas forming NED Carolinas. 

“Jacob had an energy that was contagious like nothing I have ever seen … There is no question his heart was the largest part of him,” Will Blackerby, executive vice president of asset management at NED, said in a company statement. “He will truly be missed.”  

A funeral service for Jacob May will be held at 2 p.m. on April 16 at National Equipment Dealers in Lexington, N.C. with burial to follow at Denton Wesleyan Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to United Network for Organ Sharing, 700 N. 4th Street, Richmond, Va. 23219, or to a charity of the donor’s choice. 

NED has been a major heavy equipment dealership for more than 30 years. It expanded through the acquisition of several independent dealerships, including Four Seasons Equipment, MAY-RHI, and Earthmovers Construction Equipment.  

Now operating under the unified brand of National Equipment Dealers, NED supports customers through several different brands, including Hyundai Construction and Yanmar, across the Carolinas with eight service locations.