On Dec. 15, American Rental Association (ARA) members in New Jersey got together to celebrate the holiday season with a special event that blended Topgolf fun and discussion on minimizing insurance exposures in the rental industry.
The ARA of New Jersey’s double-bill program was hosted at Topgolf in Edison, N.J., where roughly 65 attendees enjoyed food, drinks and golfing. Some attendees, like Brittany Rubino, office manager/party planning specialist, Sussex County Rental Center, Andover, N.J., and an ARA of New Jersey board member, appreciated the opportunity to get together with others from the state’s rental community in a safe
environment.
“The past couple of years have proven difficult for us to gather in person, so I think this event was the perfect place to do that,” Rubino says. “It was held mostly outdoors, so I think that made people feel a bit more comfortable.”
“This was a good chance for us to get our employees out and to support our ARA chapter,” adds Steve Lusby, general manager, Grand True Value Rental, Hackettstown, N.J., who also serves on the ARA of New Jersey board. “We had nine employees go and they enjoyed the golfing.”
The featured guest speaker was ARA Insurance preferred agent Rob Hoag, who reviewed current operations and challenges and how they relate to insurance exposures going forward. Also on hand was Kevin Gern, ARA vice president of education and risk management, who discussed current and upcoming association initiatives.
The education discussion was important for Rubino. “The speaker provided so much knowledge on the situation and it shed a whole lot of light on the fact that we, as a company, are not as prepared as we should be when it comes to accidents happening in the workplace. He provided us with many suggestions to improve in this aspect.”
Rubino is happy she and her team made the trip.
“My staff and I thoroughly enjoyed the event: great crowd, great place, great food, great time! We had a lot of fun, and will definitely be going back to Topgolf again,” she says.