ARA announces 2020 election results for 2021 Board of Directors

Sep. 27, 2020

Following are the members who will join the American Rental Association (ARA) board of directors in the spring of 2021.

President-elect  Scott Irwin, president and co-owner, Delux Rental, Ypsilanti, Mich.

Region Six director Doug Haas, president and CEO, Crown Rental, Burnsville, Minn.

Region Seven director Andrew Heesacker, president and CEO, Arvada Rent-Alls, Arvada, Colo.

Region Eight director Steve Ricci, president and owner of Bigfork Rentals, Bigfork, Mont.

Region Ten director Angie Venekamp, general manager, Rental Network, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

Associate Member director Scott Pevey, director of marketing, Ditch Witch, Perry, Okla.

“I am excited to be able to offer my support, hopeful that the momentum that has been created over the past several years will continue and grow stronger, and very honored and humbled to be nominated and elected to this position. I am looking forward to getting started,” said Irwin.

“I am really looking forward to continuing to develop the ARA’s Strategic Plan. There are so many great programs that are being implemented and a number of new programs on the horizon focusing on education and development which will be beneficial to every segment of the rental industry,” he said.

“I am also looking forward to working with the Woman in Rental and Young Professional Network to help ensure these programs continue to grow. It is a very exciting time at ARA and I am so happy to be able to be a part of it,” Irwin added.

“Our association is amazing because it is simply a reflection of our members who are incredibly passionate about the rental industry. The ARA board is an elite group of those passionate members who give a great deal of their time and energy to advancing the profession,” said Tony Conant, ARA CEO.

“We onboard new members every year to ensure that we have the best leaders serving our membership. The board constantly evaluates our governance processes and determined that moving away from contested elections to a slate developed by a board nominating committee would better serve our association. This process keeps us in step with association governance best practices. It also ensures that candidates are vetted against consistent criteria and selected based on their ability to drive our strategic plan. I am excited to work with the new directors and would like to thank all those who voted in this election,” said Conant.

Current president-elect Dan Hooks, CERP, who will assume the office of president in 2021, has named John Jeanguenat, to the board position of Construction/Industrial Shared Interest Group (SIG) chair to represent that ARA member segment for a three-year term. Jeanguenat is president of RentalMax in Carol Stream, Ill., an ARA member since 1997.

Hooks also has appointed two current ARA board members to serve for a one-year term on the 2021-2022 Executive Committee. Appointed to serve are Jeff Crotto, CERP, Region Three director, and Tim Allen, General Tool & Equipment SIG chair. Crotto who has served on the ARA board of directors since 2019, is president of All About Events — Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla. Allen also has served on the board of directors since 2019, and is owner of Roseburg Rental in Roseburg, Ore. Crotto and Allen will join Hooks and Irwin on the Executive Committee, along with current president Beth Hoff Blackmer who assumes the board chair position in 2021.

The following officer and directors will complete their terms on the board in the spring of 2021:

• John Bibbo, CERP, ARA board chair and president, Event Source & Panache Events, Cleveland.
• Jason Stanczyk, ARA associate member director and vice president of operations, EDCO, Frederick, Md.
• Terry St.Martin, ARA Region Six director and co-owner, Broadway Rental Equipment Co. and Broadway Party & Tent Rental, Minneapolis.
• Barbara Bown Wyatt, ARA Region Seven director and managing partner, Butler Rents, Glendale, Colo.
• Michael McDaniel, ARA Region Eight director and owner, Ideal Rent-All, Mt. Vernon, Wash.
• Jill Holtsman, CERP, ARA Region Ten director and partner, Hub City Display, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
• Steve Mau, ARA Construction/Industrial SIG chair and president, Brainerd General Rental, Baxter, Minn.