September 5, 2023
Andrew Heesacker, ECP-SM
Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) Region Seven members. We have had a very busy summer. I hope you can say the same.
I love a busy rental operation — all the interaction between our staff and customers. That is so satisfying. One interaction I would love to stop is that of thieves trying to disrupt our businesses. As many of you might have read in Rental Pulse, our operation was hit by a couple of thieves who stole $15,000 worth of equipment. Luckily, no one was hurt. Equipment can be replaced, but it is so disheartening.
Thieves broke the front window at Arvada Rent-Alls, Arvada, Colo., and stole $15,000 worth of equipment.
It is not just outright burglary we have to watch out for. Cybertheft is a huge issue, whether you are a small or large operation. This month’s newsletter focuses on this topic. Read the story “Give us $10,000 or your data is gone” in this issue for more insights.
Our operation was hit by a phishing incident. Unfortunately, one of our employees clicked on the email and put in their password. It is amazing how it multiplies and goes out to all your contacts. Luckily, we have a good outside IT consultant who shut it down very quickly.
When it comes to cybertheft, you always have to keep up your guard. Staff training is important. Our outside IT consultant sends us monthly trainings to keep everyone aware. But, as you can see with our example, one small mistake can create a major headache. Please keep talking about this with your staff. The more aware we are and the more we scrutinize every email we receive, the better it will be for all of us. From now on, when it comes to emails, our mantra is ‘be cautious and observant.’ You might want to do the same.
Another way to strengthen your operation is to take advantage of training for your staff. We just had the ARA Certified MEWP Train-the-Trainer program at our operation. It was great. There are so many educational resources on ARA’s RentalU. Whether you are looking for a short video, the Certified Event Rental Professional program, an ARA Certified course, another online class or even a Take 5 for Safety sheet for a safety meeting, you will find it on RentalU. I strongly encourage you to check it out. Also, if you need help paying for employee training, check out the ARA Foundation’s Employee Training Assistance Program. Take advantage of it.
For other education and networking opportunities, watch your email for upcoming events planned by the ARA of Colorado and the ARA of Arizona. Also, remember that The ARA Show™ will be in New Orleans during Feb. 18-21. Registration opens Oct. 17, so be on the lookout.
In the June/July issue of Rental Management, you probably saw the many rental operations that were honored with Market Mover status. We had many member stores from our region on that list. I am humbled that our operation made the list. Many others did, too: Aspen Rent-All, Basalt, Colo.; Rental Equipment Center, Denver; Target Rental, Durango, Colo.; Colorado Party Rentals, Denver; and Allwell Rents, Denver. Congrats to all. Read more about Target Rental’s operation in this issue.
I also encourage you to offer your vote for the slate of 2024 nominees to the ARA board of directors. Ballots will be available electronically to the primary contact or designated representative of all ARA members Aug. 28-Sept. 11. Please take part. It really is important that we hear from all eligible voters.
Before I close, I want to share that this is Arvada Rent-Alls’ 60th anniversary. We are pretty stoked about achieving this milestone. We couldn’t have gotten this far without the vision of our founder, Art Tidwell, all our employees who have brought our culture to life and all our valued customers who have been our partners in this rental journey. An anniversary of this magnitude needs to be celebrated. That is exactly what we are going to do Sept. 21. If you will be in the area, please join us.
Have a great fall.
Andrew Heesacker, ECP-SM, Region Seven director
Arvada Rent-Alls
Arvada, Colo.
720-280-5773
aheesacker@arvadarentalls.com
