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Mary Lou Jacoby is the CEO of warehouse1, an international provider of new and used materials handling equipment and systems. warehouse1 is a certified woman-owned, small business providing full project management including equipment sales, design, installation, disassembly and removal. Mary Lou grew up on a dairy farm in North Central Missouri where she learned the value of hard work and discipline; every morning milking 80 cows before school. After working in a variety of industries from tax preparation to salvage, she knew she wanted to run her own business. A single mother with few assets and no formal business training, she began attending commercial auctions.

In 1986, Mary Lou and her 12 year old son founded warehouse1 with a pickup and remnants of the Macy’s stores in Kansas City. Mary Lou offered Macy’s a flat rate for all remaining equipment. They took her offer, but added one stipulation - she had to empty the store within the weekend. Both Mary Lou and Ron remember the chaos as they called everyone they knew to empty the seven-story department store in three days. These products gave warehouse1 a significant amount of viable inventory allowing larger sales, and business took off. In less than a year, Mary Lou sold all of the Macy’s fixtures for many times what she paid for it.

Mary Lou created A Project Management Team to expand business opportunities with Fortune 500 corporations. Relationships that were based on warehouse1 being the resource for these companies to dispose of excess equipment have been transformed into partnerships where warehouse1 is the prime contractor on major projects. This Team has also won bids on 92 Department of Defense contracts from Hawaii to Germany. The acquisition of Royal Equipment, a 35 year leader in the materials handling equipment industry will allow warehouse1 to expand its national operations by continuing Royal’s long-term partnership with vendors and customers. In a separate deal the company has formed JML, a joint venture with Jose Maria Guzman, whose family owns a 100 year old manufacturing facility in Guadalajara. JML is the culmination of five years investigating the best way to enter the industrial equipment market in Mexico. Each year warehouse1 donates more than $50,000 in goods and services to area charities and organizations. Her dedication to Kansas City’s urban revitalization is a hallmark of the company’s position in her industry and the city she calls home. As she built her business, Mary Lou revitalized a vacant 500,000 square foot building on a 17 acre industrial complex in the Blue Valley, creating more than 60 jobs, and recycling an average of 2 million lbs of steel annually. Mary Lou contributes her experience and expertise to the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Blue Valley Association, Athena Powerlink, the International Trade Club, the Salvation Army and the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Since founding her business in 1986, Mary Lou and warehouse1 have been recognized for their achievements:

Corporate Report 100 Fastest Growing Companies: Ingram’s Magazine

Top 10 Small Business: Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce

Inaugural Inner City 100: Inc Magazine and Initiative for a Competitive Inner City

Achievement Award: The Missouri Waste Control Coalition Women Who Mean Business: The Business Journal of Kansas City Entrepreneurial Excellence: Working Women Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year: Ernst and Young Top 25 Women Owned Businesses: The Business Journal of Kansas City 50 Most Influential Women: KCB Magazine Women of Influence Award: Kansas Women’s Business Center