WOODLAND, Calif. — The California Rental Association honored its executive director Chuck Maltese with the 2001 James Gartland Award as “rental person of the year” at its recent winter board meeting. The award is named after the late founder of RER magazine.

“Gartland was a visionary and true friend of the rental industry who championed the association's responsibility to offer members current and accurate information,” a CRA official said. Joe Novak, CRA's former assistant executive director and the first Gartland Award honoree, presented the award to Maltese.

Maltese has served as executive director for 14 years. He was instrumental in introducing several innovations for the annual trade show, expanded its crime prevention program and helped the California Rental Benefits Corp. grow from infancy to become a viable insurance company.

Maltese was selected from a field of three other finalists: Laird Burns, CRA secretary and owner of Glendale, Calif.-based Allied Equipment Rentals; Les Chayo, CRA general counsel; and John Wetherholt, CRA vice president and owner of Fagan-Baylift, Newark, Calif.