Franklin Equipment was founded in early 2008 by four partners-Gary Gabriel, Troy Gabriel, Tom Richardson, and Tony Repeta. Together, they have over 150 years of experience in the equipment and rental industry. The Gabriel Family has been in the equipment industry since 1952 when Gary's father, Sam, opened Sam's Equipment Rental. The company expanded to five locations and became the dominant rental company in Central Ohio. Sam's was sold to NationsRent in 1997.