Brian Baker, sales representative, Wirant Sales, Loomis, Calif., and Holly Ford, president, HK Sales, Irvine, Calif., recently joined the ARA of California board as new associate member directors. Both cater to the construction and general tool rental markets.
Baker has been a manufacturer’s representative for 15 years, the last five with Wirant Sales, which offers a wide array of equipment, including compaction, traffic and safety equipment, aerial, lighting, generators and diamond abrasives, to name just a few.
Baker was eager to be part of the board when he was approached by Matt Crawford, owner, Far West Rentals & Ready Mix, Lincoln, Calif., and ARA of California treasurer.
“Matt asked me if I would be interested in serving. I always am interested in the associations that I work in and furthering that work and the cause, so I immediately said, ‘Yes,’” Baker says.
His diverse experience will serve him well in his new position. “I started my career in the industry as a low-bed driver for United Rentals. I have been around the industry 18 years, so I understand the rental side and the manufacturing side of it. I also currently serve on the Loomis Town Council and have served on a number of boards, including a transportation agency. Having served as mayor and councilman, I also understand the government policy side of things,” he says.
Baker always has felt at home in the industry because “I come from a mechanical background, so I like machines,” he says.
Yet it goes beyond that aspect. “I really like how tightknit the industry is. Compared with a lot of industries, the people I see at The ARA Show™ all know and talk with each other. They talk about their fleets and what is going on in their businesses. That makes me really appreciate the industry as a whole,” he says.
As he takes on this new role with the board, Baker says that after he becomes more acclimated, “I hope to do a good job and be as useful as possible. I just want to help the industry and all who depend on it succeed.”
Ford also is eager to join the board. “I am so honored. I always have had a passion for working for nonprofits in many sectors. When you get to do that for an organization that supports your industry, it’s just so impactful and exciting. You can give back and support an industry that you live and work in every day. ARA [the American Rental Association] is such a reputable organization that knows how to support and educate, and it offers an awesome social component for those in the industry. All those resources help those in the industry maintain and grow their businesses. For me, saying yes was a no-brainer,” she says.
Like Baker, Ford brings a wide array of skill sets to the board. Prior to being part of the industry, she was in sales and marketing for various media companies in Phoenix and Los Angeles. “I have spent years consulting companies with product purchasing plans and product launches,” she says.
While very successful in that field, Ford knew she needed a change. Ironically, she was thinking about selling airplanes first.
“Then I had an opportunity with the LoJack Corp. I heard the words, ‘We work with major fleets.’ I was interested in working and learning more about over-the-road and construction fleets. At LoJack I was working with national and independent rental accounts and OEMs in the commercial division. The rental bug bit me and sucked me in,” Ford says.
Then she became western regional sales manager for Chicago Pneumatic/APT. She decided to venture out on her own after customer input indicated there was a need and space for a woman-owned independent manufacturer group for construction and general tool. So, in December 2019 she established HK Sales with the core principles of the three “Rs” — relationships, reliability and respect.
“We want to build that long-term relationship. We are not looking for one-off partnerships on either side, with our rental customers or our manufacturers,” Ford says, adding, “I don’t think I will ever sell airplanes. I am exactly where I am meant to be.”
Like so many others, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic put a wrench in her plans.
“We came home from The ARA Show and CONEXPO-CON/AGG and businesses started implementing COVID restrictions. With those restrictions, I was faced with, ‘Now what do I do?’ I knew I needed to touch every single ARA member and beyond,” she says.
She gave herself 48 hours and then took action. “I put my 20 years of sales, marketing and consulting skills to work. I marketed HK Sales and the brands we were representing through multiple platforms. It was a game-changer. When we got to the other side, doors started to open back up. It has been great,” says Ford, who represents multiple manufacturers that cater to the construction and general tool markets.
Ford hopes to use her voice to “educate customers in my territory. If they are not involved with ARA, I hope to show them how to get involved. If they are involved, they may not know about an ARA resource that they can tap into that can help their businesses. For me, it is all about outreach and connection for growth and the future,” she says.