In today's economy, manufacturers and rental companies are facing similar challenges. One of the most talked about problems is finding good people to work for us. I view this not as a problem, but rather as an opportunity.

Good people are out there in the work force, but the problem is that they are not attracted to our industry. This is where manufacturers and rental companies are failing. Over the past couple of years, the rental industry has been one of the most exciting industries in the marketplace. We are going through a time when construction is booming, the economy is robust andconsolidation is at its peak. These qualities are what individuals look at when they consider a new opportunity.

We seem to emphasize to candidates the benefits of the job, not the attributes of the industry. We must change the way we promote the industry in order to seek new employees. We must be more aggressive and look for applicants not simply from within the industry, but also from the outside. We all want to find the ideal person who combines experience in the industry with being a hard worker, one who can step right in without much training. However, in today's economy, that is extremely difficult.

To continue to spur growth in our industry, we must bring in new people from other industries. While it may take longer to bring them up to speed than a seasoned veteran, these new people have fresh ideas and can bring in new opportunities to your business. We have seen this over the past two years with United Rentals and NationsRent. Both of these companies were new start-up firms. The founders had experience and success in other industries. They had a vision and new ideas on how to grow our industry and make it a success.

We need to stop falling into the trap of hiring the best of the worst just because they know the equipment. It is easy to blame problems on something else, such as the economy, for our employee problem. We need to look inward at our own companies and attract quality people to our industry.

Don't be afraid to explore this opportunity. To grow your business, you must invest in it. Invest your time wisely and find the best possible person for a job, not necessarily the best of the worst. Remember that good people are out there, but you must promote the growing opportunities of our industry to find them.