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- ARA of North Carolina’s president shares workforce development ideas
ARA of North Carolina’s president shares workforce development ideas
By Kimberly Taylor, CERP
May 16, 2023

Kimberly Taylor, CERP
Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) Region Three members. I hope it’s been a great spring rental season for you so far. I’m Kimberly Taylor, CERP, CEO of TCS Event Rentals, Burlington, N.C., and president of the ARA of North Carolina, 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. To learn more about this program, click 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, so please join me in congratulating those serving:
ARA of Florida
President: Carol Fontanez, ECP-SM, Jamco, Inc., Sanford
Vice president: Cyndi Shifrel, CERP, Eventworks, Lake Mary
Treasurer: Juan Rodriguez, Elegant Parties, Pompano Beach
Chair: Brandon Ahlgren, CERP, Elite Events & Rentals, Tampa
Gary Johnson, KWI Grand Rental, Mount Dora
Jane Hutton, Arena, Orlando
Robert Krueger, Rentalex Div. of Sonco Corp., Tampa
Dan Rose, Kate Ryan Event Rentals, Tampa
Tom Stevens, Gardner, Leesburg
ARA of North Carolina
President: Kimberly Taylor, CERP, TCS Event Rentals, Burlington
Vice president: Patti Whittaker, Cardinal Rents, Charlotte
Treasurer: Meredith-Leigh Craig, American Tool Rentals, Kinston
Secretary: Rebekah Jones, CERP, Party Makers Event Rentals, Greensboro
Chair: Shannon Thomas, CERP, Creative Solutions Special Events, Belmont
Mark Whitesell, Rental Supply d/b/a True Value Rental, Greensboro
Kevin Marchin, M & M Sales, Belmont
Have a safe and profitable spring and summer!
Kimberly Taylor, CERP, ARA of North Carolina president
TCS Event Rentals
Burlington, N.C.
336-437-0534
kim@tcseventrentals.com