SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -RentaCentro, El Salvador's largest rental company, sponsored a speech last month by RER editor in chief Michael Roth on the benefits of renting versus purchasing equipment. About 150 contractors and other business owners and executives attended the event, which also featured a presentation by RentaCentro general manager Ernesto Iraheta on the services his company offers.

The event served to gain exposure for RentaCentro and the rental concept, which has minimal acceptance in El Salvador.

The event, held in San Salvador, the country's capital, helped publicize the rental concept in a market where most equipment users prefer to own their fleets. RentaCentro also held an open house attended by hundreds of current and prospective customers.

"Most equipment users in El Salvador believe that renting equipment is throwing money away," Iraheta told RER. "They don't calculate how rental eliminates the expense of maintenance, shops, service vehicles, parts and parts organization, operator training, the cost of financing, and so many other costs. We are trying to educate the users about the benefits of outsourcing equipment services so they can focus on their core business."

RentaCentro was founded two years ago by San Salvador-based Construmarket, which has a construction division as well as a distributorship that represents Komatsu, Ingersoll-Rand, Wacker, Melroe Bobcat, JLG and other major equipment lines. In addition to its headquarters in San Salvador, Construmarket has branches in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatamala. RentaCentro also has a branch in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and plans to expand to other Salvadoran cities and Central American countries in the near future.