Story by Ryan Johnson; Photos by Skyblack Rentals
What began with a single skid-steer loader has grown to a company with nearly 200 rental machines.
Joe Estevez purchased the loader with the intent to resell it. Instead, he started renting the machine to local contractors, and a new business was born. Today it’s known as Skyblack Rentals, and it is an emerging equipment rental company in Texas.
Joe and his wife, Daniela Linares, founded the company in December 2020. Joe is a former United Rentals employee who had the business sense and entrepreneurial spirit to identify an opportunity to serve Texas-based contractors in need of reliable and high-performing equipment and attachments.
Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States, and the suburban counties surrounding the city are experiencing significant growth. A strong job market drives population growth and business development, with the energy industry being a major force. Additional industries like healthcare, technology and logistics are contributing to the city’s continued economic growth.
Skyblack Rentals supports this growing demand with its extensive rental inventory and benefits from a prime location and high visibility just north of Interstate 10.
“While our primary focus is equipment rentals, we also aim to become the one-stop-shop for everything equipment related,” says Jose Zapata, marketing manager at Skyblack Rentals. “We currently offer customer-owned repairs, transportation and new and used equipment sales to suit our customers’ needs.”
Rental equipment fleet
Skyblack Rentals is a Latino-owned firm serving contractors in Houston and nearby cities with an assortment of rental equipment for the construction industry. The machine inventory includes compact and heavy construction equipment, like excavators, wheel loaders, backhoes, dozers, motor graders, skid-steer loaders and compact track loaders.
Additional products available for rent include aerial equipment such as telehandlers, scissor lifts and boom lifts, as well as compaction equipment, light towers and attachments for compact and heavy equipment. A robust website makes it easy for individuals to quickly view the company’s offerings, get pricing and request a rental.
New to the company’s rental fleet is Develon machinery, specifically four DD100 dozers. Skyblack Rentals added the dozers to its rental fleet after Estevez and the business manager vetted the brand. The partnership began during a visit to the Develon exhibit at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in 2023, followed by a meeting at The ARA Show in February 2024.
“We’ve received good feedback from customers about the Develon dozers,” says Zapata. “The machines rarely if ever go down; the equipment uptime is efficient. And the dozer operators tell us the machines are comfortable.”
Exceptional service
Since starting the company, Skyblack Rentals employees focus on providing exceptional customer service. This includes same-day and next-day rentals, minimal machine downtime and competitive pricing.
Skyblack Rentals serves customers in underground utilities, earthmoving, plumbing and mechanical, general construction and industrial applications.
“The bigger companies tend to rent equipment from us for at least one month,” says Zapata, “whereas smaller companies typically rent equipment for one week or a couple of days.”
Outside sales representatives visit new and existing customers on job sites or at their offices, while Zapata generates new business opportunities through an assortment of marketing tactics.
“I take care of the clients coming in through Google and our website, email marketing, paid search, social media, etc.,” he says.
In a company with just 15 employees, everyone is trained to help customers with their rental needs.
“Any employee who receives a rental request can handle the entire process easily,” says Jose.
Marketing success
The company’s most successful digital marketing tactic has been Google My Business. The free tool allows businesses like Skyblack Rentals to manage their online presence across Google with tools like Google Search and Google Maps. Prospective customers can find business information, including location, hours and reviews, making it easier for them to visit or contact a company.
“We are a business that’s equipped to provide immediate service at all times,” says Jose. “Our customers highly value our 24-hour maximum downtime guarantee. Plus, our prices are competitive and our machines are modern.”
The company believes in investing in new construction and aerial equipment for its customers. This philosophy helps keep its machine utilization rate high.
“Many of our machines are 2023 and 2024 models,” he says. “This is definitely something that sets us apart. Generally, other equipment rental companies keep machines for about five years. That’s why other companies suffer more breakdowns than us.”
For routine equipment maintenance and in the rare case a machine has an issue, Skyblack Rentals employs highly experienced and skilled technicians who are available to quickly respond to job sites with a truck and make repairs.
At the company’s building, they keep a well-stocked parts inventory. The business’s operations manager is responsible for acquiring additional parts if the company runs low, collaborating with equipment partners to ensure that the parts they need are readily available to protect machine uptime.
Skyblack Rentals hopes to build on its success and reputation, aiming to be ranked among the top five rental companies in Texas by 2030. Along the way, the business intends to open a new location in Dallas and is exploring opportunities to expand in the Austin and San Antonio areas within the next three years. Enhancing equipment rental software and implementing company-wide telematics for rental asset tracking are also on the horizon.
Ryan Johnson is public relations and content strategy manager, Two Rivers Marketing