June 13, 2024
After recent elections, some new faces will be joining the ARA of Iowa board of directors. See who has volunteered their service.
Cathy Brant, Ziegler CAT, Altoona
Cathy Brant
Brant serves as rental coordination manager with Ziegler CAT Iowa and S. Minnesota, which provides heavy equipment sales and rental from 30 locations across Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.
“I started my career working for a local Iowa John Deere dealership in the mid-’90s marketing John Deere AG and CCE equipment and working directly with customers,” Brant says of her entry into the equipment industry.
Over the years, Brant took on other roles at Deere in the financial, litigation and recovery, and auditing segments.
“In 2019, shifting gears back to my customer service wheelhouse and missing the customer/salesperson interaction, I took a sales coordination position at Ziegler CAT. I processed rental and sales contracts, filled in at the rental counter and assisted walk-in rental customers with their needs,” Brant says.
She transitioned into her current role with the company in 2022. Among her many duties as rental coordination manager, “I monitor the effectiveness of the inside rental team, provide training for complex coordination processes, and am a point person for outside departments to contact the rental services team.”
“I really enjoy interacting with our customers, whether it be within my branches or at rental events and shows,” Brant says. “I love getting to know the customers we serve and find it satisfying to learn about their journey and understand the impact we make on their business.”
Brant learned of the opportunity to join the ARA of Iowa board of directors through sitting board member Brad Croat of Vermeer Iowa & N. Missouri, who as part of his “day job,” delivered a product presentation at Ziegler Rental Spring Training in 2023.
“We shared contact information and stayed in touch. Brad reached out to me, communicated the open seat and provided me information on ARA, its purpose and goals. I was excited to get involved [as a board member]. Having the chance to be a part of an organization that gives back to its members sounded rewarding. I am hopeful that I can bring an additional perspective to the table,” Brant says.
In addition to her day-to-day duties with Ziegler CAT, Brant is a 2024 Caterpillar Flagship Leadership Series participant, a Safety Team Leader within her company’s Altoona, Iowa, location, and a Ziegler Companies Wellbeing Committee member.
Eric Nybeck, Nichols Equipment, Des Moines
Nybeck is vice president of Nichols Equipment, a resource for sales, rental and service of construction equipment since 2010.
An initial career path as a paramedic specialist was abandoned when Nybeck realized “the stress was totally different than I ever thought it would be,” he says. “So, I made a game-changing decision. I said, ‘What do I like to do the most?’ And that was to tinker.”
Nybeck’s hobby of tinkering led to a wash bay job with Murphy Tractor, a multi-state, multi-location John Deere dealership. “They put me through school — I graduated from Southeast Community College in Milford, Neb., with a couple of degrees — and then I got hired as their field tech,” Nybeck says.
After 10 years with Murphy Tractor, Nybeck transitioned to Nichols Equipment as a mechanic. “My role was to turn the shop around to be a profit center. One thing led to another, and nine years later I am the VP,” he says.
At Nichols Equipment, Nybeck oversees a team of nearly 60 employees across two locations and a fleet that contains “quite a few aerial pieces, but our main bread and butter is dirt: skid loaders, excavators, bulldozers, haul trucks — that sort of thing,” he says.
A member of the American Rental Association’s (ARA) Young Professional Network, Nybeck says he hopes to utilize his platform as a member of the ARA of Iowa board of directors to influence members of younger generations toward a career in the equipment rental industry.
“Nichols Equipment is playing a larger part in the rental community, and my role has evolved over the years,” Nybeck says. “Now it’s more about bringing up the younger generation. Twenty-something-year-old kids don’t really know the larger scope of the rental industry and how big this market can be. So, I want to try to teach and show them that. I think that ARA has a lot of opportunities that no one knows about. It’s kind of like a little hidden gem. So, my goal is to make a positive impact on the rental community, not only for other companies but also for our [Nichols’] employees as well.”
Away from the day-to-day of the equipment rental world, Nybeck has volunteered with a number of organizations over the years, including Ski Patrol, Habitat for Humanity and the Iowa Weimaraner Rescue. An avid scuba diver, Nybeck also is a member of Landlocked Scuba Club.
