American Rental Association (ARA) members in Connecticut linked up with vendor partners at Stony Creek Brewery in Branford, Conn., for the ARA of Connecticut’s Vendor Night on Feb. 16. As a bonus, attendees received some insightful theft prevention tips from a National Equipment Register (NER) specialist.
“I was not able to attend The ARA Show™ so I went to check in with some of the vendors and to catch up with the other rental stores in Connecticut,” says Russ Dagenais, owner, Taylor True Value Rental,
Wallingford, Conn.
While catching up with peers from around the state was valuable for Dagenais, a longtime participant in ARA of Connecticut activities, it was equally valuable for newcomers like John Regina, manager of A to Z Rental in North Haven, Conn., who says, “As the new manager, I thought it would be an opportune time to meet our fellow local rental operators and ARA members. The venue was great, as was the craft beer on tap, and meeting in person was refreshing to say the least.”
“So many of us struggled, scraped by, adapted and adjusted as a result of COVID,” says Sarah Wilper, director of communications, Mazzotta Rentals, Middletown, Conn., and ARA of Connecticut vice president. “It really wore people down; however, getting together in our vendor night format was fantastic. We had the chance to talk about how we got through COVID — sharing what worked, what didn’t, and losses and wins. I am continually thankful to be part of such an amazing industry. This is a group of strong-willed people who are determined to not only make it through the pandemic but to be better on the other side. We are Rental Strong!”
Participating vendors also appreciated the opportunity to link up face-to-face with their rental customers.
“I thought the event was excellent. It was great to get back to an in-person event and see some dealers and vendors. People were in a good mood,” says Rob O’Connor, an ARA Insurance preferred agent with AssuredPartners New England, Hartford, Conn.
John Fusco, sales manager with Colorado Springs, Co.-based Alert Rental Software, agrees, saying that “Rental clients are easily engaged here. They like to see what is new and with no ARA show in 2022, this was a great venue and event for that.”
On the business education side, Michael St. Hill, director, sales and insurance services, NER, was on hand to share information about how businesses fall victim to costly rental thefts and how to fight against them in 2022.
“The speaker had insights that I shared the next day with my staff,” says Elijah Wilper, vice president of operations, Taylor Rental, Manchester, Conn. “After hearing what he had to say, I decided to investigate more that my staff can do at the time of rental to mitigate loss potential: new cameras, cameras on my terminals and deeper probing of customers for information.”
Manny Polloni, COO/CFO, The Greenwich Tent Co., Bridgeport, Conn., who also serves as ARA of Connecticut secretary, was pleased that St. Hill reminded attendees of a key NER-related benefit that comes with ARA membership. “He pointed out that members have the ability to use the NER registry for free for our first 1,000 items. In addition, being ARA insured and registering equipment that is stolen allows a waiver of deductible for $10,000 of equipment stolen.”
Expressing the sentiments of many, Elijah summed up his experience at Vendor Night by saying, “The food and the atmosphere all came together to create a great vendor and networking atmosphere. I spent a good deal of time speaking with my rep from Point of Rental, and it was a better conversation in person then it could ever be over the phone. Not only did I get the time to cover what’s new, I could also relay some things that we needed help with. My tent reps from both Anchor Industries and Fred’s Tents and Canopies were able to give me more insight into their companies’ builds and shipping so I can be more prepared for the coming season, when to act and buy new equipment.”