Forth Worth, Texas — The American Rental Association inaugurated its Rental Hall of Fame at the recent Fort Worth City Conference and Product Showcase. The purpose of the hall is to preserve the history of the equipment rental industry though the stories of the people who helped build it.
The first five inductees are Daniel Cameron, the late George Gartner Jr., Leonard Hawk, the late C.A. “Ziggy” Siegfried Jr. and the late Klaus Wacker.
Cameron, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, founded Atlantic Rentals in 1960. Beginning with three branches, the company grew to 24 locations throughout the Canadian Maritime provinces. Cameron was a founding member of the Rental Association of Canada, served as its president for four years and wrote its by-laws.
Gartner is the former owner of the F.W. Gartner Co., Houston, for years one of Texas' largest rental companies until it was acquired by United Rentals in 1999. A former ARA president, Gartner served on many ARA committees and was a founding member of the Rental Equipment Industry Foundation, which focuses on industry-specific education and training. Hawk, former owner of A-1 Rental Centers, Moline and Rock Island, Ill., gathered a group of rental dealers together to form the National Rental Operators Mutual Association, which later became ARA. Hawk served as the association's first president.
Siegfried was ARA's first executive director and grew the organization to almost 5,000 members by the time he retired in 1987 after 31 years. Siegfried played a major role in expanding the rental concept internationally and developed ARA's annual trade show, which began in Omaha, Neb., in 1957.
Wacker was president of Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Wacker Corp. from 1977 to 1993. Wacker was one of the first manufacturers to offer special financing programs and co-op sales programs to rental companies, and was one of the first to provide demonstration equipment to rental centers. Wacker Corp. was a pioneer in providing product training for rental companies and their employees and his original training manuals were the forerunners to today's comprehensive training programs.
In other association news, attendance at last month's ARA City Conference and Product Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas, was on a par with last year's San Antonio conference, according to ARA officials. Three hundred eighty-seven rental delegates attended the Fort Worth show, representing 174 stores, compared to 377 delegates last year from 206 stores. One hundred twenty-six companies exhibited.
ARA's next city conference will be in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 4-6.
