EUGENE, Ore. — The Papé Group, an equipment dealership based in Eugene, Ore., acquired Diamondback Rentals, a rental company with stores in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and will continue to do business as Papé Rents. The acquisition was finalized May 9. Don Myrick, former Diamondback president has been named general manager of Papé Rents.

“This is a great opportunity for Diamondback customers and for Papé,” said Papé executive Chris Wettle. “It allows us to build upon Diamondback's excellent reputation, and to provide our outstanding rentals and service to contractors in two of the West's fastest growing markets. It also furthers our mission to rent superior products backed by consistent, quality customer service.”

The acquisition marks a new direction for Papé, which has 40 locations, primarily in the Northwest. Papé has 20 Papé Machinery locations, which are primarily John Deere dealerships, as well as 22 Papé Material Handling facilities, representing Hyster forklifts and Ingersoll-Rand telescopic handlers and rough-terrain forklifts. In 18 of its facilities, Papé operates Bobcat West, a Bobcat dealership, and in two locations operates Ditch Witch Northwest, representing the trencher manufacturer in Washington and Oregon. Papé offers rentals in quite a few of its locations and has, in the past, been listed on the RER 100 as one of the 100 largest rental companies in North America.

“Papé Rents is a new identity for us,” Tim Clevenger, director of corporate development, told RER. “As for whether or not we'll adopt Papé Rents in other cities, that is still to be determined. We're not a dealer for our primary lines in Phoenix or Las Vegas, so this gives us an opportunity to try this model in two of the hottest growing areas in the United States. We're optimistic it will be successful.”

Clevenger added that Diamondback, historically, has emphasized aerial equipment, with scissors and booms being its primary equipment category, along with some trenchers and backhoes. He said the company will begin doing business with the existing inventory and evaluate what inventory to add in the coming months.