This past summer, the ARA of Pennsylvania board of directors named John D. Makrias, manager, A&R Rental Center, York, Pa., as president. Makrias succeeds Anna Yohman, marketing and sales coordinator, MHR Equipment and Event Rental, New Wilmington, Pa.
In addition to the presidential transition, the board has welcomed a new member — Travis Shafer, president, Shafer Equipment Co. in Chambersburg, Pa. — to the team.
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| Travis Shafer |
Shafer’s company was established in 2007. Its primary focus is on mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and forklifts of all kinds. The company’s expertise in these fields includes rentals and sales (retail and wholesale), operator training, parts and service on customer-owned equipment. Shafer Equipment Co. also maintains an online and walk-in store that offers a variety of items from general rental tools, generators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for construction and industrial applications.
Shafer traces his knowledge and familiarity with aerial equipment back to his youth, when he would ride along with his father to work and perform tasks like sweeping the floor and pressure washing machines.
“My father was an ‘aerial guy,’ so I was introduced to it at a young age,” Shafer says. “Looking back, I guess I must have taken to it. My father worked at JLG Industries for years, starting out on an assembly line and advancing all the way to field service. I don’t remember a problem on a machine that he couldn’t solve. Around 1982, he parted ways with JLG and went to work in the rental industry. He quickly advanced there as well, and I believe that in total, he successfully opened three branches and was part owner in yet another. He was well-known and much respected in the aerial business.”
After graduating high school, Shafer worked for his father in the equipment rental shop, learning the mechanics and the nature of the business. “As that company grew, they needed a backup delivery driver, so I got my CDL and filled the position. After a couple of years, I bought my own truck and trailer and journeyed over the road for about six years. I guess it was my way of getting to see the world,” he says.
While he was on the road, Shafer’s father became part-owner and COO of a rental company. Needing a salesman for the company, the senior Shafer asked his son if he had any interest. “I remember telling him that I have no experience in sales. He replied, ‘Just go make friends; you already know the equipment.’ So, after several months of consideration, I hired a driver for my over-the-road truck, and I did just that. I went out and made friends. For the next seven years until the year my father retired, I was a salesman that could show up on a job, rent it, sell it, trade it, repair it and if not, I could go and get them another [piece of equipment]. This made relationships easy. Thanks, Dad,” Shafer says.
Shafer also credits his stepmother, whom he labeled “the hub of the wheel,” for the success of the rental company the family was involved with due to her multi-tasking roles in rental coordination, accounting and dispatching.
In 2007, Shafer was ready to move forward as an owner/operator and established Shafer Equipment — just in time for the Great Recession of 2008-2009.
“We made adjustments, cuts and did what we had to do, but we never quit,” he says. “We made our way through with what we had to work with. After the economy picked back up and enough time had passed to allow for reflection, it give me a real feeling of confidence — a feeling that I wouldn’t have experienced unless I went through it.”
Shafer launched his company with a small, manageable rental fleet coordinated by two or three versatile staffers. After navigating through the recession, and over time establishing a loyal customer base and developing new relationships with vendors and suppliers, he started to set his sights higher.
“Around 2018 – 2019, I started to dream bigger,” Shafer says. “My intentions were changing. Recognizing my experience, or ‘seasoning,’ as they say in the field of aerials, I started to realize that I had much more to offer. So, I started to grow it in the following years. To date, the company has more than quadrupled in size and in so many ways, I feel like we’re just getting started. We have a core team here that realizes and respects the importance of each other and their part in what we are building, and we all share the same common goals and standards. I have some pretty big dreams for where we’re headed, and to be honest, I feel very fortunate to be part of it.”
During his tenure on the ARA of Pennsylvania board, Shafer hopes to not only support the rental industry but contribute to solutions for the challenges the industry faces now and in the future.
“We all have gained experience in this business in our own unique way. I am really looking forward to sharing my experiences, thoughts and ideas through this organization and listening to everyone with their own story, discussing the wins and losses that this industry has faced and ways to make the industry safer, more productive and more supported. This is something I want to be part of,” Shafer says.
“There are so many things about this unique industry that I have been part of for most of my working life that I really enjoy. To have the opportunity to help shape this industry for tomorrow — it just feels right,” he adds. “My experiences have led to so many friendships, business relationships, opportunities and even partnerships. Looking back at that makes me look forward to tomorrow.”
“As an owner starting small, I have firsthand experience in understanding what faces the rental coordinator, the truck driver, the shop and road mechanic, the salesperson, the parts person, HR and safety. They all have their challenges, but they all have their own rewards. I am excited to see what I can bring to the table to help this industry sustain a bright future,” Shafer says.