A message from ARA’s president: The impact of ARAPAC

Sep. 13, 2020 - Beth Hoff Blackmer - President, Aspen Rent-All, Basalt, Colo., and ARA president

The past five months have been strange times indeed. I know most of you have had some hard times and that many of you continue to experience great difficulties because the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has closed events — large and small.

During this time many of you have expressed how grateful you are to be American Rental Association (ARA) members because of the way ARA has stepped up and helped every member meet the challenges of these times. As your president, I can tell you that one of the divisions of ARA that I have relied on to keep me informed and get us engaged in the policy process is the government affairs division. The other officers and I have been on countless calls with members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to talk about our industry and the challenges we face.

Until the pandemic, I did not fully realize the depth of the contacts our government affairs team has in Congress, but what is now evident to me is that ARA has a large number of important relationships on Capitol Hill with congressional members who can help us when we desperately need it.

There are many reasons these relationships exist, but one of the most important reasons is ARAPAC, the ARA’s Political Action Committee. ARAPAC accepts contributions from ARA members and then makes contributions to members of Congress to support their campaigns.

These contributions and the direct interactions between the ARA’s government affairs team and members of Congress help create relationships between ARA and the people who make the policies that directly affect our industry.

However, ARAPAC cannot keep doing its job without ARA members getting involved. If you are not already an ARAPAC member, click here to learn more and download a membership pre-approval form to join. There is no obligation, so take a look and get involved in ARA’s government affairs program.

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