SMS Rents, one of Canada’s fastest-growing equipment rental companies recently opened a branch in Gormley, Ontario. The new facility gives SMS a base for serving customers throughout the northern part of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

Branch manager Al Carruthers said six people are staffing the new rental center and the company hopes to hire more shortly.

“We have two sales reps out on the road seeing customers now,” said Carruthers. “Our current customers like our expanded GTA support and we have signed up a number of new accounts within our first few weeks. We have equipment going out every day.”

The store’s proximity to SMS’ heavy equipment center has helped attract contractors working in the infrastructure and commercial building sectors, “especially among road builders and bridge contractors,” said Carruthers. “They appreciate that we can be their one-stop source for everything from a 75,000-pound excavator to small loaders and traffic barricades and safety vests.”

Carruthers is well experienced with construction equipment, having been an equipment operator and a buyer for a large construction company. More recently, he managed the SMS Rents store in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, where he worked closely with SMS’ Heavy Equipment Centre to coordinate customer requirements. He sees growing potential throughout the York-Durham area as well.

“There is a lot of construction here and the region’s population is still growing,” he notes.

“The opening of our Gormley location is the second expansion for SMS Rents in as many months,” said SMS Rents president Marcel Langois. “In April, our Sudbury store relocated to a larger, 17,000-square-foot facility near the core of the city. That’s in addition to the new stores we opened in Ottawa and Mississauga last fall.” The Sudbury facility serves as a regional hub, providing inventory and specialty equipment for other northern Ontario branches.

SMS Rents now has 14 branches in Ontario and Quebec. Based in Mississauga, Ontario, SMS Rents is No. 86 on the RER 100.