United Rentals last week acquired the assets of Blue Mountain Equipment Rental Corp. with three locations — Uniontown and Pittsburgh, Pa., and Bridgeport, W.Va. Blue Mountain is almost exclusively focused on the industrial segment with a special concentration on oil and gas exploration in the Marcellus Shale region — one of the largest natural gas discoveries in the United States.

“The Blue Mountain acquisition further deepens our position in the expanding energy sector,” said Michael Kneeland, United Rentals CEO. “Like our three other acquisitions this year, Blue Mountain provides an attractive growth opportunity in a burgeoning segment. The management and employees of Blue Mountain bring industry expertise that will be valuable as well as a passion for outstanding customer service.”

In April, United Rentals acquired Ontario, Canada-based Venetor Group, a seven-location equipment rental company that rents a wide range of fleet to industrial, commercial and maintenance contractors. Later that month, it acquired the assets of HVAC equipment rental company GulfStar Rental Solutions, with locations in Beaumont and Deer Park, Texas, and Kenner, La. In August, United Rentals acquired Ontario Laser Rentals to expand its trench safety business in North America. It has locations in Etobicoke, Ottawa and Montreal, Canada.

Headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., United Rentals is No. 1 on the RER 100.