Inductees

She grew up influenced by hard-working parents – a dad whose business instincts vaulted the family from humble beginnings into a community supporter, a mom who not only cared for their five children but many others.

Tara Jenkins never forgot those lessons, all a recipe for success. In fact, when she returned to Springfield in the early 2000s and became a key part of the Jenkins’ family-run and Springfield-based Missouri Equipment Leasing Inc., she took the baton and ran with it.

“If you are going to run a business,” Jenkins said, “it’s important to give back to charities and share your success.”

Jenkins certainly has delivered in Springfield and across the Ozarks, and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to bestow her with the President’s Award. The award is presented to individuals who champion the Hall of Fame and sports across the state.

Since leading Missouri Equipment Leasing into a corporate sponsorship with the Hall of Fame – and a lead sponsor of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper – Jenkins has made a positive difference.

Additionally, the same can be said of the Springfield Women Ambassadors of Golf, or SWAG, which Jenkins founded in 2018.

Understand, the Hall of Fame and the PCCC are both non-profits, with the PCCC supporting nearly 50 Ozarks children’s charities, too.

Her support of the Hall of Fame covers Celebrity Golf Classics, Sports Enthusiasts Luncheons, Sporting Clays Classic and auctions. That’s notable because it’s enabled the Hall of Fame to continue honoring coaches, players, teams and others in athletics.

In the PCCC, she has sponsored pro-am teams, including in the Betty Allison’s Women’s Pro-Am and the Betty and Bobby Allison’s Junior Pro-Am, plus the Michele Kiser Women’s Golf Clinic and Fashion Show presented by Advertising Plus and the Platinum Clubs & Clays Classic presented by USA Mortgage.

The PCCC, a staple since 1990, has annually given roughly $950,000 to Ozarks children’s charities in the past five years alone.

In fact, Jenkins got involved with the Hall of Fame through the PCCC. In 2014 she donated the use of a $10,000 modular building. That year, she attended a gathering in which Jerald Andrews delivered remarks. Andrews, of course, is the CEO and President of the Hall of Fame and the Executive Director of the PCCC.

“I sent a text to him afterward that I was very impressed with the program and how professional it was,” Jenkins said. “I was thinking, ‘This is where I want to be.’”

Now, Jenkins is the only woman serving on the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Board of Trustees.

Call it a perfect fit. Not only does Jenkins give back through Missouri Equipment Leasing, but it’s also been part of the company’s marketing strategy.

You see, the company formed in 1979 by her dad, a Korean War veteran who had already built Lee’s Mobile Homes from one unit into a thriving business.

Today, Missouri Equipment Leasing, which covers a four-state area, helps school districts short on classroom space and continues to offer innovative building solutions using modular building design. The company is run by Jenkins, her brother Phillip, cousin Scott Jenkins and General Manager Gary Sorey.

What a success story. Beginning in 1967, the family lived in a two-bedroom house.

“I saw that work ethic and that taught me a lot,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins graduated from Parkview High School in 1985, attended Tulsa University and then graduated from Seattle Pacific. She moved back to Springfield in 2003 and soon wanted to make a greater impact.

“To be a business in this community since 1979, it’s important to give back,” Jenkins said. “It’s about being a true partner – not just selling things. If you’re going to be a business in Springfield, Missouri, you have to be a part of the charitable business.”

Lately, she’s been writing another chapter. In 2018, Jenkins founded the Springfield Women Ambassadors of Golf as a way to enhance women’s presence in the sport across the area.

SWAG events are fun and supportive environments where skills improve, confidence grows and relationships are built, she said.

The result? Its membership is nosing toward 200.

All along the way, family has continued to inspire her, especially her own children – Maegan Peterson, Spencer Peterson and Payton Peterson.

“I’m very honored to receive the President’s Award,” Jenkins said. “It’s an honor for me as well as my family’s company.  Even more important is the opportunity to give women more of a voice and helping so many charities.”