*All RER 100 rankings are current for the time in question unless otherwise noted.

Jan. ’90
Grace Equipment changes name to Prime Equipment and names Tom Bennett its new CEO, replacing Roger Weems. In an interview with RER, Bennett describes himself as “a street-smart guy who knows how to make money.”

Feb. ’90
Brambles, an Australian company, acquires Wreckair and its U.S. rental holdings.

1990
Pop group Milli Vanilli is forced to give its Grammy back in 1990 after the duo was found out to be a fraud because they used other singers to record their songs.

May ’90
The RER 50 is now the RER 100, listing more companies to reflect industry growth. Still, HERC occupies the top spot with $199.7 million in rental volume.

July ’90
Ashtead Plant Hire joins fellow British rental companies BET and Vibroplant in acquiring a U.S. beachhead with the purchase of Sunbelt Rentals, a two-location rental company. Still owned by Ashtead, Sunbelt now has 450 locations.

1990
Continental Airlines files for bankruptcy in 1990.

Sept. ’90
Acme Rents expands to 25 branches with the acquisition of San Francisco’s Can Do Equipment Rentals.

Jan. ’91
Italian automobile and equipment manufacturer Fiat acquires 80 percent of Ford New Holland.

1991
Elizabeth Taylor marries Larry Fortensky, her eighth husband, in 1991.

May ’91
Often called the grandfather of rentals, influential pioneer Sam Greenberg of Sam’s U-Drive dies at age 81. The popular Greenberg started renting trucks in 1935.

1991
Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to victory in the first of two sets of three-peats of the NBA Championship title from 1991-1993 and 1996-1998.

1991
Four white police officers are indicted in 1991 in the beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles.

1991
Terminator 2 is the most expensive movie ever made, costing more than $100 million in 1991.

1991
After 13 seasons, the television drama Dallas ends in 1991.

1991
The 150HAX, a four-wheel-drive/four-wheel-steer unit, is introduced by JLG Industries as the world’s highest-reaching self-propelled lift. Construction Equipment magazine names it one of the top new construction products for that year.

1991
The cost of a U.S. postage stamp rises to $0.29 in 1991.

Nov. ’91
Troubles in Houston’s banking system lead to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing of Gaedcke Equipment Co., No. 40 on the RER 100. When Mbank, which had financed Gaedcke’s line of credit and real estate loans, failed, its acquirer Bank One demanded payment in full for all debts to the failed bank.

Jan. ’92
In the midst of a recession, the rental industry is energized by the recently signed $151 billion surface transportation bill focused on rehabilitating a newly designated 155,000-mile national highway system.

Jan. ’92
The looming possibility of tightening environmental regulations has rental companies concerned that engine emission regulations may increase the price of equipment.

1992
ARA hires an independent consulting firm to determine what the association can do to better serve its members.

1992
CRA contacts membership asking them to list the equipment they would have available in case of emergency. Members were asked to list the person who could be contacted at any hour, as well as to list universities, hospitals, zoos and other organizations that might benefit from the services of a rental company in the event of an emergency. An example of how the program would work was illustrated during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake when a Santa Cruz rental company sent generators to an aquarium, saving the lives of hundreds of fish.

1992
Concerns over lead poisoning present an opportunity for rental companies to offer products, such as blasting equipment and HEPA vacuum units, that can help federal and state health agencies in their efforts to remove lead from homes, the air, soil and water.

April ’92
A Letter to the Editor in April 1992 tells the tale of a customer who brought her puppy in to a rental center in Richmond, Va., to use a metal detector to determine if the animal had swallowed her wedding rings. Indeed, it had, but a couple weeks passed and so did the rings.

March ’92
Rental pioneer K.D. Sampson dies at the age of 85. Sampson entered the Phoenix rental industry with a handmade trailer in 1946. Changed the company name from Sampson Equipment Rentals to Rental City when it reached four branches.
“Mr. Sampson was to Arizona what Sam Greenberg was to California,” says Bob Robinson of Kachina Rentals in Phoenix, who worked for Sampson in the 1960s.

May ’92
The 1992 Los Angeles riots, ignited after the not-guilty verdict came down for the four police officers accused of beating Rodney King, didn’t spare South-Central LA rental centers. Central Rentals is destroyed by fire and looting despite the best efforts of its owner Tony Lyons (pictured) to protect the rental yard with a gun from the roof of the building. Customers were still coming in to rent generators and other equipment, even while the fire was raging.

1992
RER celebrates 35 years.

Oct. ’92
RER reports that Associated General Contractors of America, Washington, D.C., recently released two coloring books designed to promote construction careers to children in kindergarten through third grade. The story suggests rental companies consider carrying the coloring books at the counter for contractor customers’ children.

Nov. ’92
A new study co-sponsored by Associated Equipment Distributors indicates a dramatic upswing in construction industry rentals over the past 10 years. The Rental 2000 study, conducted by Chicago-based Manfredi & Associates, shows that the number of businesses renting construction equipment has nearly tripled since 1982. Manfredi’s study indicates that estimated annual rental revenue for those firms has increased nearly five-fold during that period, from $240,000 to $1.1 million. Total construction equipment industry revenue has increased from $614 million to nearly $8 billion during this 10-year span, the survey reports.

1993
Tom Hanks wins two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor in 1993 and 1994 for his performances in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump.

March ’93
The National Rental Association forms and announces it will hold a national show called The Rental World Trade Exposition in Indianapolis, amidst industry skepticism.
In September The Rental World convention draws only a few hundred attendees, far fewer than the 5,000 predicted by the National Rental Association.

June ’93
After four years as RER managing editor, Michael Roth is named editor in chief.

June ’93
Acme Group acquires Rental Service Co., ranked No. 72 on the RER 100.

July ’93
Massive floods across the Midwest cause extensive damage to the Elwood and Wathena, Kan., facilities of high-reach equipment manufacturer Snorkel-Economy.

Aug. ’93
Klaus Wacker, president of Wacker Corp. dies of cancer at age 51. Wacker was the fifth generation of the Wacker family to play a major role in the construction manufacturing company. Wacker worked his way up in the company, becoming president in 1977.

Nov. ’93
The Construction Industry Manufacturers’ Association announces that ConExpo will begin for the first time on a three-year cycle in 1996. The construction equipment trade show was previously held every six years.

Nov. ’93
Edward Harding, executive vice president and co-founder of Edco dies at 68. Harding was the design engineer for Edco and he developed many of the products the company manufactured and sold to rental centers throughout the world. He held more than a dozen patents. Harding co-founded Edco in 1959 in Silver Spring, Md., with still-active Leo Swan.

1993
Versatility of the backhoe loader has catapulted it to the most popular piece of construction equipment in North America. According to Construction Equipment magazine, in 1993, there were an estimated 221,000 backhoe loaders at work in North America — more than any type of construction machine. The magazine estimated that 25- to 35-percent of backhoe loaders in the United States are first used in a rental fleet. Rental centers are becoming more attuned to the benefits and versatility that attachments can add to these machines.

1993
The Brady Bill is passed in 1993 mandating a waiting period before purchasing a gun.

Dec. ’93
Burch-Lowe, No. 60 on the 1993 RER 100, acquires Conley Ga.-based Trico Equipment Co., which has two branches in Albany and Savannah, Ga., in an effort to have rental centers operating in all of the markets in Georgia with a population greater than 100,000. The company says it hopes to capitalize on the strong economy in Georgia that exists leading up to the Summer Olympic Games in 1996.

Jan. ’94
A STAFDA report indicates that national discount chain stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s are taking aim at customers beyond the homeowner/DIYers, and expanding their efforts to another segment of rental customers — contractors.
In 1992, Home Depot reported a 39-percent sales increase, with 12.3 percent of its $7.1 billion in sales coming from power tools and hardware. Another big chain, Contractors’ Warehouse, has already launched a rental program — a sign of what’s to come with Home Depot Rentals and Lowe’s future partnership with NationsRent.

Jan. ’94
Rescoe Rents, then ranked No. 27 on the RER 100, opens a new division called Resco Power that specializes in renting temporary electrical power and climate systems. There is a growing need for temporary power solutions — construction sites, sporting events, concerts, carnivals, golf tournaments.

Jan. ’94
Devastating Southern California earthquake helps spur rental business in the recession-plagued region.

Jan. ’94
Prior to the major consolidation of the rental industry in the late 90s, RER ran a series of three articles, with the third published in Jan. ’94 (the first two ran in July & Aug. ’93), on business valuation.

Feb. ’94
The 38th annual Rental Show is held in Miami Beach, Fla., despite an avalanche of negative media reports concerning attacks on tourists in the Miami area in the prior year. Exhibitors report increased buying from the third-largest crowd in the show’s history.

Feb. ’94
RER publishes article titled, “Will NAFTA Bring A Rental Boom?” Increased infrastructure spending and a possible Mexican construction boom has rental industry hopeful that NAFTA will bring new opportunities to manufacturers and rental centers.

Feb. ’94
The cell phone industry is growing rapidly, several California rental centers are exploring the potential of cell phone sales and rentals in an attempt to capture revenue in an area untapped by the rental industry. CRA encourages members to try the concept at their locations.

March ’94
One month after the RER cover story spotlighting Prime Equipment and its CEO Tom Bennett, it’s parent company announces it is exploring strategic alternatives for the No. 2-ranked company on the 1993 RER 100.
In December, Investcorp, a New York-based international investment bank, acquires Prime Equipment for an estimated $300 million.

April ’94
RER reports that equipment lead times are growing longer, causing logistical nightmares for some rental companies.

May ’94
RER 100 shows signs of recovery after a period of recession. The survey reveals an all-time high volume of $1.7 billion, and many companies say they are more profitable now than before the recession, a result of lessons learned from lean business management.

1994
Dan Kaplan, CEO of Hertz Equipment Rental Corp., publishes Service Success!, which offers a comprehensive guide on how to run a rental operation.

Aug. ’94
In response to the severe economic climate in Southern California during the early 90s recession, GKN Rentals develops a creative approach to doing business. The company, observing that its contractor customers care less about a fancy showroom than whether the equipment works and is delivered on time, identifies areas of potential building activity, signs short-term leases for small patches of land and rents equipment out of portable facilities.

Sept. ’94
Telescopic handlers start to pervade forklifts in the material-handling segment. Gradall, SkyTrak and JCB offer them.

1994
In 1994, a jury awards $2.9 million to a woman scalded by McDonald’s coffee.

Oct. ’94
RER profiles Hawthorne Rent-it Service, which was No. 27 on the 1993 100. Today the company is No. 38.

Dec. ’94
Investcorp, a New York-based international investment bank, acquires Prime Equipment for an estimated $300 million.

1995
After a strong year in 1994, RER readers expect solid gains in 1995. Rental people have the most optimistic attitude of any time yet in the 90s.

Jan. ’95
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocks Kobe, Japan, leaving millions without basic services. Equipment manufacturers serving the U.S. rental industry expect the impact on deliveries from machines manufactured there to be minimal.

Feb. ’95
Bob Grasse, industry pioneer and co-founder of influential Acme Rents dies at age 75. Bob was the brother of RER columnist Bill Grasse, Mr. RenTopics. The Grasse family is still involved in the industry.

Feb. ’95
British GKN Rentals sells its U.S. assets to two Southern California rental companies — Pro Equipment Co., based in Bellflower, Calif., and Santa Fe Springs-based Able Equipment.

Feb. ’95
This issue’s cover story looks as how the rental industry has rebounded from the tough recession of the early ’90s and equipment rental is now an integral part of the fabric of American life. Regional rental companies and distributors are emerging as the major players in the rental industry.
“There has been a dramatic shift from ownership to rentals since 1986,” says Dan Kaplan, president of Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. “It’s increasing significantly year by year.”
A more crowded rental market is emerging as one of the most profound challenges rental centers will face in the late 90s.
The recession leads many manufacturers to scale down production and convert to a just-in-time approach to manufacturing.

April ’95
RER launches fax newsletter called RER Reports. The weekly four-page newsletter is $247 per year for 48 issues, plus occasional special editions for late-breaking news stories.

May ’95
The rental industry’s two major associations, the American Rental Association and the California Rental Association initiate discussions on a potential restructuring of the industry’s long-standing tradeshow format. ARA decides to cut its regional shows in favor of East and West Coast shows in the fall, and its usual national tradeshow in February.

May ’95
RER 100 total rental volume tops $2 billion mark, with the top 10 companies alone surpassing $1 billion in volume — another first. The RER 100 combined for almost $400 million more in rentals than 1993’s RER 100, an astounding 24-percent increase.

July ’95
During papal ceremonies earlier this year in the Philippines and Australia, Pope John Paul II is transported to the speakers’ platform by Snorkel SL-25 scissorlifts. Australian sales manager Dave Miller greets the pope at a downtown Sydney appearance.

July ’95
U.K.-based Vibroplant PLC announces plans to sell American Hi-Lift, No. 8 on the most recent RER 100. Former American Hi-Lift CEO Guy Ramsey is now publisher of Lift & Access Magazine.

Aug. ’95
A boom in communications infrastructure construction, namely laying fiber-optic cable, is boosting rentals of trenchers and directional boring equipment. Telecommunications companies are spending millions of dollars to build information superhighway infrastructure, which includes digging trenches to connect service lines to millions of U.S. homes and businesses.

Oct. ’95
Acme Rents restructures after emerging from bankruptcy and changes its name to Rental Service Corp., moving its headquarters from Irvine, Calif., to Scottsdale, Ariz.

1995
In 1995, more than 7 million people subscribe to online computer services for Internet access.

Oct. ’95
After months of hush-hush planning, including joining ARA under an abbreviated name, The Home Depot opens two rental departments in Nashville, Tenn., offering a range of new homeowner equipment at rates well below market. If successful, the company says it plans to rapidly roll out additional stores in other markets.

Nov. ’95
The DVD (digital video/versatile disc) is introduced in Nov. 1995, and backed by major players in the CE, IT and movie industries. The first DVD players appear in Japan in Nov. ’96, followed by the U.S. in March ’97.