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ARA of Idaho’s president shares workforce development ideas

By Drew Dancer

May 16, 2023

Drew Dancer

Drew Dancer

Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) Region Eight members. I hope it’s been a great spring rental season for you so far. I’m Drew Dancer, general manager of JAG Tool & Equipment Rental in Nampa, Idaho, and president of the ARA of Idaho, and I’m pleased to be able to share a few thoughts with you.

Most, if not all, of us in our industry struggle with finding and retaining good workers. There are no easy, one-size-fits-all remedies to the issue, but there are some resources out there that can help.

One tool that can help you find employees is the newly upgraded ARARentalWorks.com. This is ARA’s website that aims to connect job seekers with rental career opportunities. It includes several tools you can use to help attract the likes of students, parents, educators and veterans who are seeking information on careers in an industry full of opportunity.

And a resource on the onboarding and retention side that I encourage you to look into is the Employee Training Assistance Program through the ARA Foundation. This program can pay for 50 percent — up to $2,500 — of the types of training that will build your employees’ skills and keep your operation competitive. Trainings do not need to be ARA-branded programs but must support a career in the equipment or event rental industry. Learn more about this program by clicking here.

Finally, I would like to take a moment here to recognize a few all-stars who generously volunteer their time to help run their respective ARA state chapters. The following chapters recently concluded their annual board of directors elections; please join me in congratulating those serving:

ARA of Idaho

President: Drew Dancer, JAG Tool & Equipment Rental, Nampa

Treasurer: Sam Castillo, Tates Rents, Boise

Secretary: Brianne Crist, TL Crist Rental, Wendell

Mason Gillins, Mountain West Rentals & Sales, Idaho Falls

Alex Wetherell, Double Edge Equipment, Idaho Falls

Gary Hastriter, Direct Sales, Blackfoot

ARA of Oregon

President: Nathan Manning, Portland Rent All, Portland

Vice president: Shannon Botten, Botten’s Equipment Rental, McMinnville

Treasurer: Jeff Sherman, Sherman Rental, Tangent

Dennis Cabatic, Philomath Rental, Philomath

Cynthia Costa, Pacific Rental Equipment, Florence

Victor Lewis, Lewis Bros. Rentals Co. d/b/a Lewis Rents, Portland

Kyle Tegner, CERP, Special Occasions, Corvallis

Billie Carlyle, Essex Silver Line West, Ridgefield, Wash.

Have a safe and profitable spring and summer.

Drew Dancer, ARA of Idaho president
JAG Tool & Equipment Rental
Nampa, Idaho
208-463-1998
drewdancer8@gmail.com