CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte, N.C.-based Sunbelt Rentals announced last month that it has sold its scaffolding specialty business in Oregon, Washington, California and Texas to Safway Services Inc. The sale allows Sunbelt to continue to focus on its core general tool, construction equipment and specialty businesses in these markets. Additionally, Sunbelt is opening and acquiring strategic new locations throughout the United States, with new branches in Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and southern Florida. Sunbelt Rentals will continue operating its scaffolding specialty business throughout the Eastern and Southeastern United States.

“This is a win-win for both companies,” said Cliff Miller, president of Sunbelt Rentals. “I believe that with this purchase, Safway gained our most valuable scaffolding asset in these markets — our talented team of scaffold professionals. The employees at Sunbelt and Safway will continue to provide customers with the best solutions for both scaffolding and general equipment rentals.”

The company also announced it has acquired a three-location rental business from Brookstone Equipment & Services Inc., a single location rental center from HSS RentX in Knoxville, Tenn., and a single location rental center in Venice, Fla., known as Commercial Surroundings. These purchases include certain assets as well as the continuing commercial activity generated at these locations.

The Brookstone acquisition includes single-branch operations in Orange and San Diego, Calif., and Las Vegas, Nev. This increases the number of rental outlets in Southern California to five as Sunbelt continues to cluster its general tool centers in that market.

The HSS RentX acquisition brings to seven the number of Sunbelt locations in Tennessee, and fills a void between Sunbelt's clustered markets in Nashville, Tenn., Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

The Florida acquisition adds to Sunbelt's recent growth in Florida, including the opening of a new general rental location in Miami last spring and its recent acquisitions of seven former HSS RentX locations in South Florida in May. Sunbelt now has nine branches in the Florida Gulf as it continues to cluster its general tool, construction equipment and specialty rental businesses throughout the Sarasota, Tampa, Oldsmar and Fort Myers markets.

Hageman, Stansberry & Associates, a merger and acquisitions firm based in Cameron Park, Calif., and Arlington, Texas, represented Commercial Surroundings and HSS RentX in the transactions.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Sunbelt now has 208 branches in 27 states. Ranked No. 4 on the RER 100, Sunbelt, in addition to general rental, has specialty rental branches focusing on the pump, power, trench shoring and scaffold markets.