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INDUCTEES

2007 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN Las Vegas 2/12/08

Bill Begley

Bill Begley began his rental industry career in 1963 when he purchased his first store in Dublin, Ireland, with Alan Pilkington. They developed a strong reputation for their business, so much that the company, Hire-All Services, became synonymous with quality service around Ireland. The original business offered tools and equipment for rent until a trip to what's now The Rental Show convinced them to convert the business to party/catering and leisure. The business, Hire-All Event and Party, is currently the largest operation of catering and leisure in Ireland. In 2000, the company received the European Hire Company of the Year award from the Hire Association of Europe.

Hire-All was the first rental company in Ireland with multiple branches. It also was the first Irish rental company to achieve accreditation to the ISO9000 standard.

Mr. Begley is credited with opening the eyes of those in Ireland to the rental concept, with a vision and a business sense ahead of its time for the industry. He achieved his success and recognition in the rental industry through hard work, a professional attitude, a willingness to learn and implement new ideas, and membership in the American Rental Association. The company joined ARA in 1973. Mr. Begley also was a member of the Hire Association of Europe and a founding member of the Equipment Hire Association of Ireland. In addition to his rental business, he established a number of successful companies including a restaurant, an employment agency, a roller skating rink and a medical distribution company.

Mr. Begley received a certificate from Terenure College in Dublin and earned a bachelor of commerce degree from University College Dublin. He is now enjoying his retirement.

J.T. (Tom) Hawthorne

Tom Hawthorne's career began in 1950 when he joined his father, J.B. Hawthorne, in opening Los Angeles Tractor and Equipment Co., a construction equipment rental and sales business. In 1956, the company was awarded the Caterpillar dealership in San Diego and became Hawthorne Machinery Co. The Hawthornes immediately saw a need for contractors to rent equipment and, in 1970, they started a separate division specifically for this purpose, Hawthorne Rent-It Service. The division's subsequent success in the rental business led Caterpillar to create what is now known as The CAT Rental Store. Those within the Caterpillar organization and dealer network often refer to Mr. Hawthorne as the "father" of the CAT rental business.

Today, Mr. Hawthorne is chairman of the board for Hawthorne Machinery Co. and oversees its eight divisions. Each division provides specialized services to customers working in a wide variety of fields.

Mr. Hawthorne is actively involved in public service and government affairs. He has received many awards for his outstanding contributions to the construction industry, dedication to youth activities and his active role in local and civic affairs.

For 2007, Hawthorne Rent-It Service was No. 38 on the Rental Equipment Register's ranking of the top 100 rental companies in North America. The company has been a member of ARA since 1985.

James L. Keenan

The late James Keenan was both influential and instrumental in the formation of today's ARA. He was born in South Dakota and attended school through the eighth grade. He then farmed until 1936, when he moved to Iowa work in bridge construction and road maintenance. Upon the start of World War II, Mr. Keenan moved his family to Bellevue, Neb., where he and his wife, Marjorie, worked in the production of the B-26 Martin Marauder and the Boeing B-29 bombers. After the war, he established his own business using his Ford Ferguson tractor to do work for homeowners and in the construction industry. In 1948, he teamed with the local Ford tractor dealer to open Modern Farm Store. Within 10 years, the business grew to include a tractor rental component and by 1960, the business became Keenan's Rental Service. At various times, all four of his children - Conway, Kenneth, Kathryn and Thomas - worked in the business, as did many of his grandchildren. Mr. Keenan was active in the business until it was sold in 2000.

Before Mr. Keenan became ARA president in 1973, he visited rental businesses in 45 states and several Canadian provinces to recruit new members and promote what became the focus of his presidency: image. That included the rental service image, inventory image and public image, and it led to the creation of what was then called the ARA President's Image Building Award program. These awards were introduced in December 1973 to honor members who built a new store or remodeled an existing one. Now known as the President's Image awards, they are still presented today.

Mr. Keenan also stressed communication, especially when it came to ARA's magazine Rental Age (which is now RENTAL MANAGEMENT). He asked for member input on whether the magazine should begin accepting paid advertising to defray publishing costs and allow for magazine improvements. The first paid ads appeared in the January-February 1974 issue of Rental Age.

During his first term as president, Mr. Keenan created an ARA long-range planning committee. He also promoted the idea that all rental businesses should display and follow a rental code of ethics. In addition, he was instrumental in securing the land where the ARA headquarters is located in Moline, Ill.

Mr. Keenan was the first president of the Rental Equipment Industry Foundation (REIF), now known as the ARA Foundation. He served from 1976 to 1986. In recognition of his service, the Foundation's highest honor to recognize its contributors, the James L. Keenan Commemorative Award, was established last year and presented for the first time during The Rental Show 2007.

Mr. Keenan passed away in 2004 at age 93.

2006 Inductees - Inducted in Atlanta 2/8/07

William "Dugan" Hill

With a few thousand dollars he saved from an oil company job in 1962, Hill and a partner, Jim Browder, bought Rent-It and ran the business from a 10-foot by 20-foot shed. By 1968, the company had four locations. That expanded to a 10-store, $10 million operation by 1978 and was sold to W.R. Grace Co. Hill stayed on as president and led the company through growth and acquisitions. When he retired in 1988, Grace Equipment was a $100 million operation with 67 locations and 850 employees - second only to Hertz Equipment Rental in size. Grace Equipment later became part of Rental Service Corp. The direction of growth and consolidation in the rental industry was largely due to the leadership of Hill and others like him who demonstrated that the national company could succeed.

Hill was an active supporter of the Greater Houston Rental Association, the Texas Rental Association and ARA. He was president of TRA in 1973 and was honored with the Region Four Person of the Year Award in 1974.

Edwin Malzahn

Malzahn guided an Oklahoma company from a small machine shop serving local farm and oil field customers to a leading world manufacturer of underground utility construction equipment. He is recognized as the man who built the world's first compact service-line trencher. The Ditch Witch compact trencher was named twice by Fortune magazine as "one of the 100 best American-made products in the world."

Ditch Witch began in Perry, Okla., in 1955 and has been an ARA associate member since 1960. In 2004, the company employed approximately 1,300 people - or one-quarter of Perry's population. Malzahn believes in a family business tradition. The workers all know each other and, most importantly, Malzahn knows everyone by name. Those down-to-earth values are part of Ditch Witch and extend into the Perry community.

Malzahn was honored with ARA's Special Service Award in 1983. Among his many other honors are the 1998 "Inventor of the Year" from the Oklahoma Bar Association.

Pamela K. McKenney

Early in her rental career, McKenney was involved with the Carolinas Rental Association as a committee member and president in 1987. She joined the ARA board of directors as the Region Three Director in 1993 and has served on many ARA committees. She was instrumental in creating the Next Generation of Rental Owners in 1992.

As ARA president in 1997, McKenney worked with the board to develop a new state association program that gives states the financial resources to monitor and change laws affecting the industry in their states. Because of this, the Texas Rental Association became an ARA state association. She also led the revitalization of the ARA Foundation, beginning in 2000. As chair of the Foundation's board of trustees, she developed and implemented the Rental Executive Advisory Program (REAP) and helped expand the scholarship program to include both university and community college scholarships. She was influential in persuading ARA Insurance Services to fund a scholarship for the top recipient, now worth $3,000.

McKenney was awarded the Region Three person of the Year Award in 1989, the Meritorious Service Award in both 1994 and 2004, and the Distinguished Service Award in 2001.

2005 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN Orlando 2/7/06

Howard Burnett

Mr. Burnett was one of the founding fathers of ARA, traveling to United Rent-All franchises to meet with operators and discuss the advantages of a national association. He was part of the meeting in Moline on March 6, 1955, where the Association was created and was part of its first Board. Mr. Burnett also handled publicity for the 1957 convention in Omaha, organizing four mailings to more than 1,000 rental operators. He also was instrumental in creating a magazine for the Association. In 1963, he was one of the local chairs for the ARA convention in Salt Lake City and was honored for his service with two awards during that convention. He received many other honors and awards in the following years.

Daniel Kaplan

During his 15-year tenure with Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. (HERC), Mr. Kaplan was the first successful pioneer of large, multi-branch nationwide rental operations. He introduced business management principles to the industry that were rental-specific and demonstrated how rental operations could be managed against measurable performance standards. These initiatives were a first for the industry and contributed to the development of rental as an enterprise capable of maturing and growing into a significant force in the U.S. economy as it is today. Today he serves as a consultant for the rental industry and has written extensively for publications, as well as authored the book "Service Success."

Leo Swan

Mr. Swan has been an active member and exhibitor of ARA for 46 years. Based on a need that existed with the rental industry for a dual-disc grinder, Mr. Swan developed this product and made it available for rental. This one machine established the basis for a new direction in rental: surface preparation. Under his leadership, EDCO/Equipment Development Co. now manufactures 14 product families with 44 base models. Mr. Swan's focus was always on providing equipment primarily for rental, developing products that could be rented easily by any size operation. As an exhibitor, he served on ARA committees planning national and regional shows. He received ARA's Special Service Award in 1970.

2004 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN Las Vegas 2/15/05

R. Wayne Collett

Mr. Collett owned Arrow Rents, Montgomery, Al from 1954 - 1991 and was one of the founders of the American Rental Association. He also elevated the quality of ARA's seminars when he engaged business professionals from Loyola University to speak. Wayne served as the rental industry as ARA Region Three Director, two terms as ARA Vice President, ARA President, ARA Chairman of the Board and received the Distinguished Service Award.

Theodor J. de Vries (deceased)

Mr. de Vries owned Vallejo Rent-All (now known as All Star Rents) from 1962 to 2003. He continually promoted the rental industry from 1962 up until his death in 2003. He encouraged rental store owners to join the rental association, get active and share their ideas. Ted's monthly RENTAL MANAGEMENT column from 1977 to 1996, Rapid Change, encouraged people to think about business ideas found in the lessons of other industries. He received ARA's Meritorious Service Award, Outstanding Effort and Contribution to the Rental Industry Award and Outstanding Contributions for Success of Convention Awards.

William D. Ristow

Mr. Ristow owned Des Plaines Rental from 1958 to 1975 and Rent-Rite Equipment Company from 1975 to 1997. While serving as ARA President, his was instrumental in establishing four distinct "councils," later developed into the Special Interest Groups. He was also active in enlarging the scope of ARA toward a truly international trade association. Bill served the rental industry as ARA President, ARA Region Five Director and Chairman of the ARDI Exchange.

2003 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN ATLANTA 2/27/04

John T. Doran Sr.

After studying mechanical engineering at the Merchant Marine Academy, John T. Doran Sr. opened the You Do It Shop in 1947 - a store where customers could use wood working equipment. In 1949, he used the experience he gained to open Rental Tools & Equipment Co. in Bladensburg, Md. His philosophy was simple: he believed he had a piece of equipment for every building in the country and there wasn't a business, building or home that didn't have an equipment rental need. With these thoughts in mind, Mr. Doran worked with his son to build the business and developed a wide-ranging and original inventory that included many equipment modifications he manufactured himself. Mr. Doran also provided equipment for many major special events, including golf tournaments and presidential inaugurations. After nearly 50 years in rental, he sold his business to United Rentals in 1998. In addition to his rental operation, Mr. Doran served as owner/president of EDCO/Equipment Development Co. in Silver Springs, Md., from 1951 to 1961 and as owner/president of Automated Functions in Bladensburg from 1970 to 1976. Since 1998, he has served as president of the Doran Family Foundation.

Robert H. (Bob) MacFarland

Bob MacFarland spent 10 years in the construction industry. In 1963, he returned to his home province of Nova Scotia to embark on a career new both to him and his area of Canada: renting tools and equipment. He opened R.H. MacFarland Ltd. in Halifax and realized his revenues increased by promoting rental through advertising. Mr. MacFarland used direct mail, television, radio, billboards, newspapers and city buses to advertise his business - all of which were keys to its success. In December 1965, he learned about the American Rental Association and was pleased to meet people with similar businesses. He helped organize the first local chapter of the Atlantic Provinces Rental Association of Canada/ARA Region 10 in 1972 and became the chapter's first president. He became actively involved in ARA and RAC, while also expanding his rental business. In 1977, he created a multifunctional store that included a showroom for party inventory and a showroom for tool inventory. He was elected ARA Region 10 Director in 1979 and followed that with service on ARA committees. He was elected ARA Vice President in 1987, moving up the ranks to serve as President in 1989 and Chairman of the Board in 1990. He sold his rental business in 1993 and retired, but is an active community volunteer in Halifax.

S.G. Walker

S.G. Walker opened his rental business in 1960, changing its name to AAA Rental Center after five years. He joined the American Rental Association in 1962, attending the ARA Annual Convention in Chicago, and was very impressed with the Association and the people. He became involved with the Volunteer Rental Association in his home state of Tennessee and was active in it throughout his rental career, serving as President twice and Vice President twice. In addition, he became actively involved in ARA. He served on several committees and was elected Region Three Director in 1977. He was elected ARA Vice President in 1982, moving up the ranks to serve as President in 1984 and Chairman of the Board in 1985. Mr. Walker championed the industry's legislative issues, establishing Congressional relationships and lobbying Congress on behalf of the rental industry whenever necessary, and participated in most of ARA's Legislative Caucuses in Washington, D.C. His efforts were invaluable to ARA's entry into the insurance market and he served on the ARDI Board from 1983 to 1994. Mr. Walker was instrumental in the formation of the Rental Equipment Industry Foundation, as well as ARA's State Association program. He is retired from the rental industry.

2002 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN ANAHEIM 2/11/03

Sam Greenberg (deceased)

Mr. Greenberg was often referred to as the Grandfather of the Rental Industry. He started his rental business in 1935 when someone asked to use his 12-foot, dual-wheel Chevy and Sam's U-Drive was born. Mr. Greenberg had a total of four stores located in Southern California. Among his countless contributions to the rental industry, Mr. Greenberg helped a lot of entrepreneurs get their start in rentals by sharing tips, stories and even his own books. He took time and willingness to share anything with all who asked. Mr. Greenberg also helped establish CRA and conducted many seminars and workshops specific to the rental industry, which included his famous "101 Ways to Save Money and Increase Rental Volume." Mr. Greenberg passed away at the age of 81 on April 24, 1991.

Andrew Kennard

Mr. Kennard started in the rental business 53 years ago and has been a pioneer of rental in Australia. He has developed to 70 locations and is the largest privately owned rental business in the southern hemisphere. Mr. Kennard was a driving force in the establishment of the Australian Hire Association and has given 40 years service to them. He has set the standards for hire in Australia and taught Australian's the concept of hire.

Roy Milling (deceased)

Mr. Milling owned Northside Tool Rental in Atlanta, GA from 1953-2002. It is Atlanta's oldest equipment rental company serving Atlanta. Mr. Milling built the family-owned business to six stores around the metro-Atlanta area. Mr. Milling was fundamental in the development of the rental industry, especially in the southwest, and help start the local Atlanta Rental Association. He has helped dozens of entrepreneurs start their own rental operations. Mr. Milling was one of the firsts to include many products in his fleet and helped found one of the first computer systems for the rental industry. Mr. Milling served as ARA President for two terms. There is also a scholarship program named after Mr. Milling at the Appalachian State University. Mr. Milling passed away at the age of 82 on June 10, 2002.

2001 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN NEW ORLEANS 2/18/02

William P. Grasse

Mr. Grasse was co-owner of Acme Rents, Glendale, CA from 1946-1986. He was the author of "RenTopics", a monthly column in RER for over 40 years and "Safe Topics", a monthly column in Rental Management for several years. He was president of CRA in 1969 and also held the vice president, treasurer and secretary positions. He has received the "Rental Man of the Year" Award, Bud Loeber Award and Outstanding Service Award. He was also acclaimed the "Rental Safety God" from 1960-1985.

Keith W. Klarin

Mr. Klarin owned Perfect Party Consulting in Palm City, FL from 1995-2000, was president of All Purpose Rentals from 1969-1996 and was president of Klarin Enterprises from 1982-1996. He has been the author of "Party Perfect", a column for Rental Management since 1980 and has also wrote several other articles for RM, IFAI, In Tents, Party and Paper Retailer, S.A. Hire, ISES, etc. He encouraged general tool rental stores to add party rentals during a recession through the Party Perfect column and training programs. He was A.R.A.'s President in 1987 and has served on A.R.A.'s Board of Directors, Search Committee, RM Advisory Board, Director at Large, Party Council, RER Advisory Board and is an honorary member of ISES. He also participated in many A.R.A. seminars. He received the Distinguished Service Award, Region Two Person of the Year Award and the President's Image Award.

Irving M. Levine

Mr. Levine is CEO of Multiquip Inc. and MO Power Corp. in Carson, CA and has helped pave the way to change the distribution rules to bypass equipment dealers and sell directly to the rental industry. He has been on CIMA's Board of Directors and Long Range Planning Committee. He has been a guest speaker at many AED Conventions and A.R.A. Regional Events, as well as presented Multiquip Comedy Night at an A.R.A. Annual Convention. Multiquip has been an A.R.A. Associate Member since 1976.

2000 INDUCTEES - INDUCTED IN FT. WORTH JULY 2001

Danny Cameron

Mr. Cameron pioneered multiple branch rentals in four Atlantic Provinces in Canada. He is a founding member of the Rental Association of Canada and served as President in 1973. He was instrumental in bringing together the A.R.A. and Region Ten. He also served the rental industry as A.R.A. Region Ten Director. He received the Meritorious Service and Regional Person of the Year awards.

George W. Gartner, Jr. (deceased)

Mr. Gartner is most remembered for his influence in developing the Rental Equipment Industry Foundation. He served the rental industry as A.R.A. President, A.R.A. Region Four Director and on numerous A.R.A. committees. He was a charter member of the Southwestern Rental Association and the Texas Rental Association. He received the Distinguished Service and Regional Person of the Year awards.

Leonard Hawk

Mr. Hawk organized local rental groups by inviting their leaders to meet with others nationwide. His leadership and vision for a greater organization ultimately formed the American Rental Association. He served as President for the association's first three years. He received Distinguished Service and Regional Person of the Year awards.

C.A. "Ziggy" Siegfried, Jr. (deceased)

Mr. Siegfried served the American Rental Association as the first Executive Vice President for 30 years. Ziggy became a pillar of strength and dependability to the association and to the rental industry.

Klaus Wacker (deceased)

Mr. Wacker, former president of Wacker Corporation, recognized the value of the rental industry long before it was considered the large player it is today. He devoted three decades of his life to build and expand the family-owned construction equipment manufacturing business, which began in Germany. He supported the efforts of the rental owners to expand their businesses and was instrumental in creating comprehensive product and service training programs for the rental dealers. Through Mr. Wacker's leadership and dedication to this industry, Wacker Corporation has been an association member for 35 years and has exhibited at the annual convention for 33 years in a row. He received the Special Service and many A.R.A. regional awards.