During the pandemic, the key to survival for many in the equipment and event rental industry has been adaptability and resiliency — in short, grit. It was appropriate, then, that the guest speaker at the ARA of Virginia’s member meeting on Thursday, Sept. 9, was a former U.S. Navy SEAL whose message was titled “Uncommon Grit.”
The event, hosted at the Triple Crossing Beer brewpub in Richmond, Va., featured hors d'oeuvres and drinks followed by the program from special guest Darren “McB” McBurnett (SEAL), Ret.
McB, a speaker and motivator whose clients have included Budweiser, Rite-Aid, Hilton Hotels and more, provided inspiration, gained from his 24-year career as a SEAL, for navigating an ever-changing, adverse environment where critical decision-making and leadership skills are vital for success.
His message of adaptability hit home with the crowd of rental business owners who have navigated an often-turbulent 18 months.
“We as business owners can’t compare what we’ve been through with COVID to the highly specialized training and the stresses Navy SEALs go through,” says Warren Darby, owner, Rent-E-Quip, Colonial Heights, Va. “But, like SEALs do, we have learned to do things we never imagined could have been done. Many of us have survived COVID with a better, healthier perspective on our businesses. One of the points McB made was that through SEAL training, you learn to become ‘comfortable being uncomfortable.’ That speaks to us in the rental industry — we have had to adapt to a different economy and circumstances we never have had to deal with before.”
Warren’s son, David Darby III, manager/wedding and event specialist with Rent-E-Quip, who also serves on the ARA of Virginia board of directors, also attended the event and found just as much benefit from the networking as from McB’s presentation.
“McB was unique and fun to listen to, but it was great just to have the ability to meet with other rental people to talk about things like their current hiring strategies,” he says. “It was hard to get to a meeting like this during our busy season, but I’m glad we did. We picked up a lot of efficiencies from the conversations.”