BOULDER, Colo. — RenTrain Inc., a provider of safety and training information to the rental industry, formed a business/marketing alliance with The St. Paul Companies, St. Paul, Minn., and USI Rental Specialties, Irvine, Calif. The three companies are working together to market the RenTrain product to rental dealers throughout the United States.

RenTrain developed a comprehensive safety and training program, specific to individual pieces of equipment typically found in a rental center's inventory that is delivered electronically over the Web. The system functions as a means to educate and instruct end users of rented equipment in addition to providing an effective means of training for rental center employees.

The St. Paul is the country's leading liability underwriter of rental dealers, currently insuring more than 1,000 independent rental centers, RenTrain officials said. USIRS is St. Paul's agency of record. Together, the three companies developed a comprehensive, national marketing program. The chief component of the program is that St. Paul policyholders can receive an approximate 30 percent discount for a RenTrain subscription, should they choose to become a RenTrain client.

St. Paul and USIRS both will play significant roles in the new alliance. USIRS representatives have received training in the RenTrain product and will function as front-line sales reps in the field in conjunction with already established calls on rental center owners and managers. St. Paul has agreed to provide significant marketing support for the RenTrain product in the form of sales literature and demonstration products.

“This represents an exciting and important development for us as a company and the rental industry in general,” said Jim Ziegler, RenTrain's CEO. “Our goal as a company is to develop a safety standard for the rental industry that will make the entire rental option a safer, more efficient and more productive experience.”