A black and white image of a man resting his elbow on a shelf

Rich Young

Founder and CEO

Veteran Rich Young founded Young Equipment in 1978 after working as a locker repair man in schools and seeing a need for a specialist who could install built to last lockers. After nearly 42 years , Young Equipment expanded to represent over 20 built to last manufacturers spanning hundreds of products and equipment. He is very proud of this extraordinary YES team and product line. In 2016, Rich stepped back from measuring and installing lockers to manage our company as the Chief Executive Officer. He enjoys biking, walking on the beach, reading nonfiction, and spending time with his 2 kids and 6 grandkids.

Jamie Cipollina

Gym Equipment, Bleachers and Grandstands, Scoreboards, Bathroom Partitions, and LED Signs Specialist

Jamie has worked at Young Equipment since 2000. He is an exclusive dealer for Spalding Gym Equipment on Long Island, and is our specialist for all things gym equipment, LED signs, custom wall padding, bathroom partitions, and bleachers and grandstands. His friendships make him well known on Long Island for the incredible work he does in gymnasiums and grandstands. He has 2 daughters, one granddaughter, and has been proudly married for 32 years to one of our accountants Leslie. He enjoys golf, watching the Yankees, and spending time with his family.

John Cummings

Lockers, Casework, Auditorium Seating and Curtains Specialist

Jackie Acosta

AV Engineer, Consultant, and Specialist

Jackie manages engineering design for Young Equipment audio visual solutions. She is responsible for driving design excellence and leading Young Equipment to be one of the premier AV integration companies in NY. Jackie joined Young Equipment in 2018 as AVL Director for the technology division and has extensive experience designing and installing hundreds of cutting-edge sound and video systems, LED video walls, digital signage displays and theatrical lighting solutions. Her exceptional knowledge of the newest technologies for various industries, has allowed Jackie to successfully implement progressive solutions in many K-12 and University classrooms. Jackie is also the creator of the new intelligent blackboard: IQ-Blackboard for which Young Equipment is the exclusive dealer.

Dennis Schwandtner

Playgrounds Specialist

Dennis has worked at Young Equipment since 2000. He started as a locker repair man and then worked in service, became our auditorium seating specialist, and in 2017 began as our specialist in playgrounds and turf. He is our specialist in synthetic turf, tennis court turf, stage curtains, window shades, auditorium seating, and is the exclusive dealer of Play and Park Playground Structures here on Long Island. He has 3 kids and has been happily married to Kristina Young Schwandtner for years. He enjoys cycling, boating, and spending time with his family.

Randi Ruple

Furniture Specialist

Randi has worked at Young Equipment since 2010. She is our furniture specialist designing public and school libraries, offices, cafeterias, and classrooms. Her experience as a high school science teacher for 8 years has given her extensive knowledge and insight in classroom design making her a true expert. She is most proud of her library designs and installations. Randi has two children in middle school and elementary school, enjoys all things Disney, and loves to be spending time with her family and rescue dog.

Joy Schonholz

Account Manager – Long Island

Joy Schonholz has joined Young Equipment as an Account Manager for the Long Island region. She has an extensive client development background and has previously owned a business, where her commitment to client relations and coaching services earned her various awards. She was named Woman of the Year at the “New Interdisciplinary School” in 2010 and for the organization “Council for Unity” in 2017. Joy was born in Brazil and currently lives on the East End of Long Island. She has twin daughters and a menagerie of rescued animals including mini horses, sheep, and goats. Joy has a passion for travel, fitness and loves cooking healthy vegan food options for her family.