United Rentals last week opened three branches — a general rental branch in Gulfport, Miss., which was heavily damaged during Hurricane Katrina; a trench safety rental branch in the Minneapolis, Minn., area; and a high reach-focused branch in Flint, Mich.
The Gulfport branch is a 7,200-square-foot facility. “The Gulf Coast of the United States will soon enter a prolonged period of rebuilding as a result of the devastation caused by the 2005 hurricane season,” said branch manager Michael Sauve. “Our branch team has hit the ground running in support of our customers in the area.”
The trench safety rental branch, located in the Minneapolis suburb of Savage, Minn., will focus on underground construction equipment rentals, sales and service and a comprehensive line of contractor supplies. The emphasis is on steel and aluminum trench shields, aluminum trench shores, steel sheet pile with modular walling systems, steel crossing plates and custom slide rail systems, confined space ventilators, detectors and other equipment.
“The city is actively soliciting proposals from private developers focused on commercial development, site preparation and large-scale residential and industrial construction projects,” said branch manager Phil Becker.
The Flint branch will focus on aerial work platforms, forklifts, scaffolding and related equipment for commercial and industrial construction. Branch manager Matthew Flannery said Flint is becoming a hub for high-tech manufacturing.
Based in Greenwich, Conn., United Rentals is No. 1 on the RER 100 and has more than 750 branches in 48 states, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.
