EquipMySchool was founded in 2007 by Helen and Stuart to supply British International Schools with the things they needed from the United Kingdom.
With support from friends and family and mentorship from Clive Sharples and Mary Walker, the 11 years of experience that Helen and Stuart each had quickly bore fruit. Year one was an experimental phase working from humble facilities to prove to all that it is possible to provide excellent service without costing the earth.
In 2008 the company moved to its first proper warehouse and continued to deliver top class service. The team grew and the business outgrew those premises.
In 2011 EquipMySchool began supplying American products to a small number of clients. By 2013 this service was opened to all clients, old and new, and EquipMySchool had its own warehouse and staff based in Charleston, South Carolina. Andrew Schmidt had joined the team by that time and was instrumental in the creation and installation of the American company.
EquipMySchool has continued to go from strength to strength and in 2018, the decision was made to relocate EquipMySchool USA to a new, larger warehouse space.
2020 sees a 12 year old company, staffed by an excellent team of talented and experienced individuals, supplying a range of British and American International Schools in all corners of the globe.
We are excited to see what the future holds.
Stuart and Helen founded EquipMySchool twelve years ago with a simple mantra: always keep your promises.
A born digital native, Stuart has an intrinsic understanding of software, hardware, systems and processes; he loves ice cream and evenings in with a roaring log fire and his family of four.
Helen and Stuart founded EquipMySchool on a bedrock of hard work, tenacity and love of fulfillment. In the words of their mentor, Clive, the Customer is King, full stop.
Helen is passionate about Fine Art photography and has a purple belt in kickboxing, a joy she shares with her twelve year old Maezie, the eldest of four girls. The family also includes a yellow Fireblade, a cherry-colored Harley, a Dalmatian and a Cockapoo. Helen loves to take her camera on long motorcycle rides in the English countryside: come along via Instagram @chel.photography.
James ensures all UK shipments dispatch and arrive on time, every time. Originally from Belfast, James has long lived in Lincolnshire with his wife and family, and has been with EquipMySchool from the very beginning, honing our warehouse processes into efficient, rock-solid routines. He loves his work and believes anything worth doing is worth doing well.
Passionate about football and golf, James has many medals from his cup matches, but he is most proud of his collection of lucky jerseys for “the best teams,” Manchester United and the Glasgow Rangers. A devoted family man, he enjoys hanging out with his kiddos in the evenings, and looks forward to a holiday together at Disney World someday.
Formerly EquipMySchool’s US Purchaser, Paula now assists with marketing and client outreach. She loves assisting to equip the leaders of tomorrow with the tools they need for success today, weaving behind the scenes to expedite client fulfillment.
In her private hours, Paula is also an award-winning writer. She is recipient of the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation award and Carol Marie Smith Memorial Scholarship for the NOEPE Center of Literary Arts. Her short stories are featured in The Art Mag and Sierra Nevada Review, and her podcast, Evenings Kingdom, is in the top 20% of all Spotify podcasts shared globally.
Mother of two extremely cute bunnies, Adele’s caring nature finds her checking in on bunny cam during lunch breaks where she often finds the kids getting up to no good.
With a great eye for detail, Adele is always keen to get stuck into any problems and will not stop until she finds the solution.
Interesting fact – being opposite ends of the height scale, Adele’s partner is the same height kneeling as her when she is standing!
Our multi-faceted Beth is an experienced teaching assistant; she brings her love of learning to problem-solving for the company. Beth adores Japanese cartoons, science fiction and fantasy novels, computer games – and not eating peas.
The puppet master behind our IT veil, our digital office is Adam’s world – we just live in it. His technomantic abilities help ensure smooth international operations across both UK and US facilities. His droll, extremely literal wit keeps us laughing, and yes, on task…
After hours, when not in hibernation, Adam enjoys all things Marvel and DC, as well as video games – mostly JRPGs – anime, manga and light novels… but the one thing he cannot live without is air.
It is often said you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Despite this, Adam wears a suit every day to the office, as he feels turning up dressed in a robe and wizard’s hat would be inappropriate.
Mel works in Quality Control and is never hesitant to speak up when she sees a path to a better solution for a client. She enjoys solving problems and was initially lured to us by the promise that every day would feel like Christmas morning, what with the huge number of parcels to open.
On the weekends, she enjoys spending time in the garden, visiting her parents, and the lights of her life, her five grandkids. She loves driving and has a little soft top MX5 . Her lifelong dream is to live on a canal boat, watching the world go by and stopping every so often at waterside pubs to taste the local brews.
Responsible for helping to troubleshoot the inevitable issues with materials which are apparent only upon receipt, Brooke is beloved for the joy, tenacity and sense of teamwork she brings to her work… especially when our days are long! She diligently checks all items against the exact expectations of each client, which includes counting each magnet and examining the quality of every tabletop, chair leg and clarinet we receive, and promptly reports all issues to our resolution team for ASAP fixing, helping to ensure the timely delivery of goods.
Brooke is also a devoted cat lover, a wedding photographer and a trivia lover – she is fascinated by all things ‘behind the scenes’, and is often most intrigued with a film’s ‘Easter eggs’, backstories and friendships rather than its topical plot. She loves her cats Kanye and Wayne, beach walks and long hikes with her boyfriend, and is a proud champion of many nonprofits, including To Write Love On Her Arms, which brings awareness and assistance to those struggling with mental illness, as well as Soldiers’ Angels and the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which collaborates with rescuers and advocates on many environmental issues, including cleanups.
Ariana assists Brooke at Goods In, inspecting all materials on arrival and checking them into our system on a line by line basis, ensuring each item is exactly as requested by clients. She reports all shortages, incorrect materials and any queries immediately to our Purchasing team, ensuring prompt resolution. Extremely detail-oriented and organized, Ariana strives for perfection with a smile. She loves being able to solve issues on the spot and “never settles for good, only for the best.”
She moved to the US from Italy in 1996 and treasures annual visits back home to visit family and friends, especially to Venice, which mesmerizes her every time she sees it. Ariana loves treasure hunting in flea markets, the challenges that arise during restoration, and the pleasure in providing the secret lives of objects with fresh new chapters. Additionally, she adores coffee, road trips with her 21 year old daughter, and summertime South Carolina: the beach, the sun, the heat and the relaxation that comes with it!