Optimism, Brisk Buying Spark Rental Show

Feb. 13, 2006
An optimistic atmosphere prevailed at The Rental Show in Orlando last week as the American Rental Association’s celebrated its 50th anniversary. With strong utilization and demand from customers of rental companies throughout North America, buying was ...

An optimistic atmosphere prevailed at The Rental Show in Orlando last week as the American Rental Association’s celebrated its 50th anniversary. With strong utilization and demand from customers of rental companies throughout North America, buying was brisk on the show floor and the majority of exhibitors interviewed by RER reported strong buying and an abundance of seemingly solid leads.

ARA celebrated its 50th anniversary with social events at Epcot Center and Disney World. The keynote speaker at its opening assembly was former first lady Barbara Bush, who told the well-attended session that she probably financed the college education of many children of party rental company owners because her husband, former president George Bush, was so fond of throwing parties.

Inducted into the rental industry Hall of Fame were the late Howard Burnett, founder of Rent-It Center, Salt Lake City; Dan Kaplan, former Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. CEO and current CEO of Daniel Kaplan Associates, a Morristown, N.J.-based consulting firm to the rental industry; and Leo Swan, founder and chairman of EDCO, Frederick, Md.