A message from your regional director
By Connie Lannan
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A message from your regional director

Hello, Region Nine members,

I am excited to be serving as your new regional director. I’m eager to represent you and the issues you face to the American Rental Association (ARA) board. Tony Murray, who just completed his term in this role, did an incredible job. I can’t thank him enough for all he did for our region as well as his valuable friendship and mentorship.

I know we all have gone through a lot during these past two years and are still dealing with the impact of labor shortages and supply chain issues. Supporting us through all of it has been and continues to be ARA. Being part of an amazing association such as ARA offers us access to so many resources and education. Here are just a few of the latest offerings:

  • The ARA Job Posting Portal, which allows your postings to be seen by thousands of candidates per month. Each open position is shared among more than 15 additional national and local job boards with whom ARA has partnered, including Careerbuilder.com, Military.com, Google Jobs and Facebook Jobs. Take advantage of the five free postings by using the promo code ARA-5Free2022.
  • New training courses through RentalU, including the new Certified MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) training, the new Certified Sales and Certified Service courses and the new prioritized safety courses. Learn more about the new Certified offerings in this issue and in Rental Management.
  • Commitment to reaching every possible person who is in and wants to come into our industry. ARA has established the Young Professional Network, the Women in Rental initiatives and has expanded that effort to other diverse groups. ARA also has started a Mentoring Program. By addressing these different needs, ARA is building a better future for everyone in our industry.
  • A new solution for ARA members’ group health-care needs that will launch May 1. This is an initiative ARA has been working on for a long time. Now it is coming to fruition. Learn more about this important program in this issue.

A big goal of mine is to enhance the face-to-face educational opportunities for rental operators throughout the region. A great start occurred earlier this month when the ARA of California offered an amazing Department of Transportation (DOT) event at the Sacramento Kings basketball game, with ARA Insurance sponsoring the delicious food and open bar. I want to thank ARA Insurance and ARA Insurance Preferred Agent Michael Bell of Robert Bell Insurance Brokers and everyone in Northern California who took part. It was a great!

In May there will be another opportunity to connect when the ARA of California takes part in the ARA Foundation and the Toro Company Foundation’s Community Impact Program at My Friend’s House in Vacaville. Watch your email for more details on how you can get involved.

I hope that more rental operators take advantage of these opportunities as they come up. They provide an effective way to gain valuable training and network with your rental peers. That is a win-win in my book.

I also hope you will share your concerns and ideas with me, so reach out via phone or email.

Alberto Pianelli, ARA Region Nine director
F & B Rentals
Santa Ana, Calif.
949-307-8301
alberto@fbrentals.com

Connie Lannan

Connie LannanConnie Lannan

Connie Lannan is special projects editor for Rental Management. She helps plan, coordinate, write and edit ARA’s quarterly regional newsletters, In Your Region. She also researches, writes and edits news and feature articles for Rental Management, Rental Pulse, supplements, special reports and other special projects. Outside of work, she loves to bake for others, go for walks with her husband and volunteer for her church and causes she believes in.

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