A convoy of trucks carries equipment to an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build in Maple Heights, Ohio, last fall. (Photo by Michael Roth, RER)

United Rentals said this week that is has renewed its agreement with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for the upcoming season, extending its partnership as the preferred construction equipment supplier for the fifth year. The Extreme Makeover team has already begun the first of more than a dozen planned projects for Season 9, following a surprise visit to a Pennsylvania family this week.

While the Emmy award-winning program draws local support from contractors and volunteers, equipment rental is critical and is staged in advance of each build. Each new home is built from the ground up in seven days, requiring a coordinated effort from United Rentals branches.

“Over 80 projects and more than 5,000 pieces of equipment, United Rentals has come through for us every time, despite the challenges of timing and logistics,” Diane Korman, senior producer of the program said. “Even in remote locations, United Rentals always has a branch close enough to arrange all the equipment we need, ensure its reliability, and deliver it within a three-hour window. Most importantly, they share our ‘safety first’ philosophy.”

The first build of the new season benefits the Keefer family of Etters, Pa. Equipment needs are being organized by the United Rentals branch in nearby Mechanicsburg, which has arranged delivery of more than 60 pieces of equipment to the site, according to branch manager Jeff Shaffer.

A link to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project footage and images can be found on the Community Support page at www.unitedrentals.com.

United Rentals is based in Greenwich, Conn., and is No. 1 on the RER 100.