January 10, 2023
John Scott
Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) Region Three members.
Well, we all made it through another year. Despite frustratingly long wait times for new equipment and rising prices on just about everything, it seems like most everyone in our industry seems to have had a really strong 2022.
This past year brought us some very strong meetings around our region. Just look at some of the topics covered and who hosted them:
- Rental theft prevention: Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina
- Business leadership, HR and workforce development: Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee
- The ARA Certified Mobile Elevating Work Platform Train-the-Trainer program: Georgia
- Profitability-boosting: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee
- Department of Transportation regulations and safety: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina
- Active shooter situation safety: Mississippi
- Cybersecurity: Tennessee
- Managing work/life balance: South Carolina
- Sales and marketing skills: Florida
It wasn’t all business, though. There also were fun social events this past year: There was go-karting and ax-throwing in Alabama and North Carolina; Topgolf in Georgia and Tennessee; major and minor league baseball socials in Georgia and North Carolina; shooting range action in Mississippi; a Dollywood outing in Tennessee; and the opportunity to ride in BMW race cars in South Carolina.
None of these events would have been possible if were not for the efforts of dedicated volunteer leaders. November brought many of these to Chicago for ARA’s Leadership Conference for a couple days of education and networking to inspire them to continue delivering great content for members in 2023.
As you may have noticed, this newsletter is being offered to you in a new format — a more user-friendly version that leads you to the new-and-improved Rental Management website for industry news. To help you stay connected with your rental colleagues and events happening in your state and region, these newsletters will be arriving in your inbox every month, with a rotation of special guests providing the welcome message. Enjoy it as you stay in the know.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Orlando in February at The ARA Show™. There is some great rental-specific education on tap — including the special Saturday sessions EventsU for the event segment and Future of Equipment Rental for the equipment segment — and the exhibitors on the trade show floor can help us all source new suppliers to help fill some of our needs while our normal suppliers get back up to speed.
Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023!
John Scott, ARA Region Three director
First Source Equipment Rentals
Burlington, N.C.
336- 227-6275
john@firstsourceequipment.com
