BEST RER 100 YET

Dear RER:
I had a chance to read the RER 100 in depth this morning and this is the best compilation I've seen since reading my first one back in the mid-1980s.

I really liked the editorial comments on each company … an informative snapshot! I also liked the interspersion of tables (with interesting angles) and very topical sidebar stories!

Thank you again and a tip of the hat to you for artfully perpetuating and presenting what has become a mainstay of the rental industry.

Steven O'Hearn
Marketing Manager/Rental Marketing
Deere & Co.
Moline, Ill.

THE DOORS STILL ROCK!

Dear RER:
In regard to the From the Editor column in the April issue, I remember the Doors and all that great music. The music of the '60s still rocks!

Anyway, your article hit my pet peeve. Contractors will never change, wanting the equipment an hour ago, and that is the opportunity of the rental business. Of course, bean counters can't see this. Bean counters have destroyed the classic dealer/distributor model. And not just in the construction equipment rental market. We hear the same story from other manufacturers, about salespeople who are too lazy to learn a product line, selling by offering large discounts, no service, just drop-shipping orders. The big guys have ruined the equipment rental business. They are in the dollar-management business, their sales forces are weak, poorly supported because of poor training and lack of inventory.

So, when life gives me lemons, I make lemonade. This market is an opportunity for us as manufacturers to open factory stores. Maybe in 20 years, people will say: Gee, these factory stores sure are successful, maybe I should open a sales/rental location, put in inventory, and be successful. Of course, once they are making good money, the bean counters will start showing up at the door and the wheel keeps turning.

Jon Smith
Plug-It Products Corp.
Lockeford, Calif.