BlueLine Rental Acquires Virginia Rental Company Area Equipment

BlueLine Rental, Houston-based national equipment rental company, has acquired Area Equipment LLC, a rental company in Chesapeake, Va. that specializes in renting to customers in the industrial and non-residential construction markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Area Rental is a good strategic fit for BlueLine that will bolster our fleet and create an even stronger platform for us in the Mid-Atlantic region,” said BlueLine Rental CEO Phil Hobson. “Area has a well-deserved reputation for reliability and customer service, which is a credit to the founders of the business and all the people who have made Area such a success.”

Hobson said Sean Jennings, and JT Sutton, who founded Area in 2006, are expected to stay on with BlueLine in regional management capacities.

BlueLine is owned by Platinum Equity, which acquired the business in January 2014. Since Platinum acquired the company, BlueLine has acquired JustRuss Rental in Alabama in September 2014; Trico Lift, an aerial specialist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Texas; and now Area Rental.

“As we continue delivering on our promise to help BlueLine grow, we are also working closely with the management team to seamlessly integrate each new location into the BlueLine network,” said Platinum Equity partner Louis Samson. “All three of the recent add-on acquisitions are very complementary, present immediate synergies, and strengthen our mix of equipment and customers.”