April 11, 2023
Marty Bamburg
Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) members in Region Four. For those who don’t know me, my name is Marty Bamburg. I own Bamco of LA d/b/a Bayou Bounce Co. in Shreveport, La., and I serve as ARA of Louisiana president.
The ARA of Louisiana, like most other state chapters, is interested in growing and reaching more members — veteran rental operators and those who are just starting their careers in the industry. To help in that effort, we have started rotating our meetings in different areas of the state. A few months ago, we had a very successful event in Monroe, La. On April 21, we will be teaming up with the Texas Rental Association for our first fishing tournament at Toledo Bend Lake. Then on May 3, we will have our Annual Crawfish Boil and Golf Outing in Lafayette at Oge’s Rent-All Center. We also are looking at holding an event in the future in my area, which is in the north of the state.
Growing our board — becoming more diversified with more women and younger-generation members — is important, too. If you are interested in serving or you have someone on your team who might like to join our fun group, please reach out to me. I know we are all busy, but you gain so much from getting involved. I have personally benefited from volunteering in this way. The networking, the information-sharing and the education have helped me, my team and my business. I can’t think of a more effective way to grow as a rental operator and develop some lifelong friends in the process.
All the state chapters in our region plan events that will benefit the members in our respective states. Besides my state’s fishing tournament and Crawfish Boil and Golf Outing, the ARA of Oklahoma just had a great event April 11 that highlighted ARA benefits, marketing strategies and safety. The ARA of Arkansas is planning an ARA MEWP Train-the-Trainer program on April 25-26. The Texas Rental Association (TRA) just wrapped up a successful Legislative Day at the Capitol at the end of February. Be on the lookout for emails about events in your state.
Besides these, ARA offers so many resources that can help us be more successful business operators. ARA just concluded its National Legislative Caucus after a three-year hiatus. A big thank you goes out to Louisiana’s Harold Sater with Encore Event Rentals in Louisiana and a member of our state chapter board; Brandon Marrs with Top Gunn Equipment Rentals in Texas and a member of the TRA board; Keith Kitchens, CERP, with Tomball Equipment Rentals, also in Texas, and TRA president; Trish Southard with D.J.’s Rentals & Sales in Oklahoma; and ARA Region Four Director Angela Nussel, CERP, with Premiere Events in Texas. They represented all of us from the region in Washington, D.C., and advocated on issues that impact us. That is powerful.
Then there is The ARA Show™. The networking, education, trade show floor and other events are fantastic. The educational events alone are worth the price of admission. I still keep going back to the presenter from Chick-fil-A and how he makes his work environment so inviting. He also put a huge emphasis on training. He talked about training videos. ARA offers great videos that we can use. I also took that to heart and put it into place at my operation. I just don’t tell my employees how I want them to clean my jumps and tents. I have created training videos to show them. I also have asked my team for their suggestions. That has been very successful. And next year the show will be in New Orleans. We can’t wait. We hope to have a state association event at the show, so plan ahead so you can be there.
I know I can always incorporate more training at my operation. I am excited about ARA’s revamped Certified Event Rental Professional (CERP) program that focuses on front-of-the-house topics. I personally want to take advantage of it and have my team take part, too.
For more information on training offerings, go to ARA’s RentalU. I plan to do so.
I know all of us in the region are gearing up for our busy season. Make sure you and your team are prepared. From the ARA Job Portal to help find employees to the safety videos that show how your employees can work safely and avoid injury, ARA has us covered with resources that can help us.
By the way, April is Volunteer Appreciation Month. ARA’s success is due largely in part to the work of members who volunteer their time to help drive the industry forward. If you’re interested in learning more about ways to get involved, you can find more information here. From my experience, I can tell you that it is extremely fulfilling.
Good luck this spring. Here’s hoping for a very successful rental season.
Marty Bamburg, ARA of Louisiana president
Bamco of LA d/b/a Bayou Bounce Co.
Shreveport, La.
318-518-6543
marty@arklatextents.com
