Matt Thomas and his brother, John, grew up in their family’s rental business. The values they learned from their inventor grandfather and parents — working hard, treating everyone like family, being honest, making your word as solid as a written contract and having faith in God — became the cornerstones of Thomas Brothers Equipment Rental Co., the rental operation the brothers started in 2006 in Tracy, Calif.
The rental connection in the Thomas family started with their grandfather, Robert P. “Bob” Thomas. “He was working for a construction outfit when they were putting up the Coors plant in Colorado. He made the Thomas Handi-Crane — the first continuous 360-degree rotating crane truck with rolling outriggers — so you could drive with the outriggers out and your load in the air. He also came up with a similar design for the center post. They started using his crane on the construction site,” Matt says. “People kept asking whether they could use it when they were done using it at the construction site, so he started renting it out. That is how it evolved. He and my parents started Thomas Equipment in Modesto, Calif., in the mid-1970s. They sold it to United Rentals in 1998.”
With a no-compete clause in California, Matt’s brother and father decided to open a rental operation in Phoenix. Even though Matt had a full-ride scholarship to Stanford University and was planning to become a pediatrician, when they asked him to join the operation he couldn’t refuse. “Rental is in my blood,” he says.
The three opened Superior High Lift in Phoenix. “Because we had worked at our parents’ company growing up, we worked in every single aspect of the business. We learned how to rebuild a machine from the ground up, purchase parts, do paperwork. We learned every aspect, so when we went to Arizona, we had a leg up. We were blessed that we had a great foothold,” Matt says, adding that they “went down there with big booms. We were one of the only rental companies with 80-ft. and 120-ft. booms. At that time, the cellphone industry was taking off. We had 90 percent of the cell tower work and had our big booms there when they built the courthouse in downtown Phoenix.”
They sold the business in 2001. After that the brothers worked for other rental companies, but the pull to work together again was strong. They teamed up to open their current location in 2006. “We started with six pieces of equipment and were still working side jobs. Every month we bought more and more equipment. It compounded and compounded. I give all the credit to God because he has put the work there for us to do. We’re just his servants doing the work for him,” Matt says.
They initially served only the construction market. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic changed their trajectory to include the homeowner market as well.
“We had two businesses in town that did general rental. When the pandemic hit, they both went out of business. People started calling us, so we started getting equipment for that market,” Matt says.
The pandemic also expanded the brothers’ reach into other markets. “The commercial industry almost stopped during that time. Thankfully, I am friends with a lot of people. We found out what was not stopped. We pushed hard in all the segments that were still open, shifting gears and putting our fingers in every piece of the industry we could. God opened a lot of doors for us. People wanted to do business with small business guys like us. Because of that we ended up prospering through COVID,” Matt says.
Business has really taken off. For instance, they experienced 200 percent growth between 2019 and 2021, going from $750,000 in revenue to $2.25 million. That incredible rate garnered a shoutout in the June 2022 Rental Management “Market Movers” section.
Since the beginning, the brothers have made their operation a family affair — whether a person is related or not. As far as family, Matt’s wife, son and stepson work at the operation, as does his brother’s son and their cousin.
“Everyone else who works here I have known for at least 10 years. My sales manager has been one of my best friends for more than 25 years. He’s been working for me for six or seven years. One of our truck drivers I have known for five years. We helped get him into the industry. Another guy we have known for 10-plus years. I like to hire my friends. We are like one big family. That is one of the things you can count on — the good folks that you know,” Matt says. “I tell everyone that one of my biggest goals is when you come here, I want this to be the last place you ever work. I always say that God has blessed me enough that I can help everyone out. We have a lot of benefits for our employees. I try to spread the wealth around to my employees. If we can help them out, we are right there to do it.”
Sometimes Matt still can’t believe he has been able to build a successful business and career in an industry he so thoroughly enjoys. “I enjoy working on the equipment. I am a hands-on owner. I am the owner/service manager. When people walk in, they see me dirty every day as I am still right in the middle of it. I get to hire these young guys and see how much knowledge they soak up. I enjoy doing it. I get to meet some really good people, and I enjoy meeting new people. I am very passionate about the rental industry,” he says.
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| Matt (left) and John Thomas |
Working alongside his brother makes everything worthwhile, Matt admits. “He is my best friend. We complement each other so well. I can be working on something and John will walk up, know what the next step is and be ready to help. We are so in tune with each other. We couldn’t do this without each other. We are a strong bond for each other.”
Another passion of Matt’s is his commitment to his customers. “Customer service is No. 1 here. If you are my customer, you are my partner. I want to build partnerships with them and help them grow. I will never promise something I can’t go through on. My word is my bond. We want to take care of our customers and work with them. For that reason, people seem to gravitate toward us,” he says.
“Our motto is that if you are having a problem and I can’t get it fixed immediately, I will have a new piece of equipment there. I don’t want to let my customers down because any lack of production from my equipment is lack of production on my customers’ side,” Matt adds.
Of course they have run into challenges over the years, including the latest supply chain disruptions. To help streamline everything, they have become a Genie dealership. “We are one of the biggest single-store dealers of Genie equipment. I stick with Genie. That keeps our parts inventory down. When they transfer wiring systems, they usually push it forward to the next generation of equipment, too. Genie has been a great partner with us,” Matt says.
The brothers also are grateful they joined the American Rental Association (ARA), initially for the insurance, and then by discovering the other valuable resources offered by the association. “As soon as you join, you realize the benefit of being a member is tenfold from not being one. ARA is a great resource center,” he says.
Even with the challenges that come from running an equipment rental operation, Matt says he and his brother just feel grateful at being able to do what they love.
“At the end of the day, this business is something I enjoy doing and I am good at. I get to meet a lot of great folks and help a lot of good people out. I have made more friends being in the business than I can count, including my employees. I am proud of my employees for how hard they work to get us where we are at. They are some of the hardest-working people I know. I am happy where God put me. I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says.