CRA eJournal
Meeting and Event News
  
On behalf of the California Rental Association, I am excited to welcome you to this year’s Rental Rally! As your newly elected President, it has been my honor to work closely with the CRA Board of Directors and Convention Committee over the past several months to not only plan and organize this event, but to ensure that it will be the best one ever. This year’s Rental Rally schedule has a lineup of amazing events that you sure won’t want to miss! We are pleased to offer four days of fun and education, and also plenty of opportunity for networking and collaboration among those within the rental industry. Here’s a glimpse of this year’s highlights:

  
The CRA board and staff would like to wish members and friends a wonderful holiday season and a bright, prosperous New Year! The association looks forward to another year of providing services that contribute to your success in the rental industry.
 
CRA 2024 Holiday Territory Parties
Holiday parties were held in Berkeley, Bakersfield, Ventura, San Diego, La Mirada and Rancho Cucamonga. Participants enjoyed seeing old friends, drawings, a gift exchange, a Toys for Tots drive, and lots of fun and laughs. Thank you to all our vendors and rental centers that attended and participated. Announcements were short but included the excitement of the 2025 Rental Rally Jan. 12-15, 2025, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The CRA board and staff wish all members a joyous holiday with family and a prosperous New Year.
 

  
CRA members, their employees, and their college-age children are all eligible to apply for a CRSIF Scholarship. Every student can use a helping hand. Perhaps you are considering continuing your education or would like to attend a trade or certificate program that will enhance your job skills. One of the missions of CRSIF is to promote education in the rental industry for adult students of all ages and at many levels. Complete the CRSIF application and return to CRA by December 31. 
KATO Compact Excavator Sales, LLC
EDCO, Inc.
Rental Center News
  
Keeping the tradition that his father, Mike Gutierrez, started in 1978, Mitch was presented with the Commander’s Award from the United States Marine Corps Reserve for his outstanding support of the South Los Angeles County Marine Toys for Tots program. Mitch has continued to help coordinate generous contributions that have enabled the Marine Corps to bring Christmas joy and send hope to America’s less fortunate children. Congratulations Mitch, what a true blessing you are!
 

  
 
Register early for the 2025 Rental Rally — preregistration entitles you to special rates and saves you money!
 
Terry Bradshaw, NFL Hall of Famer, 4-time Super Bowl Winning Quarterback, and Co-Host of FOX NFL Sunday Live is the tradeshow's celebrity keynote speaker.
 
Rental Rally Highlights
In addition to listening to celebrity keynote speaker Terry Bradshaw, you can enjoy other show highlights:
• Rental Bootcamp
• Hands-on Education
• Opening Night Cocktail Party
• Exciting California Young Rental Professional (CYRP) Events – Beer Pong Tournament, Breakfast & More…
• Beatles & Birdies: A Topgolf Tribute
• Easy Two-Day Format Packed with Fun Exhibits
• Rally Pass
• And Much More...  Register Now!

Migraine medications made up less than 1% of all prescriptions for injured California workers in 2023 but accounted for 4.7% of drug payments, a steep increase from 0.6% in 2018, according to a California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) study. This growth is tied to the introduction of expensive, brand-name migraine treatments not listed in the state’s Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS) Formulary. Migraines, often marked by severe headaches, nausea, and light sensitivity, are more common among women and typically diagnosed through patient symptoms rather than tests. In some cases, workplace factors like stress or injuries can trigger migraines, but lifestyle changes can also mitigate symptoms. Despite migraines not being a frequent work-related injury, the use of migraine drugs in workers’ compensation has surged, driven by newer, high-cost treatments.
Vendor News
  
Kubota Compact Construction Equipment. Since 1982, the Leis family has been dedicated to bringing the highest standard of service and exceptional quality in rental equipment. In 1988, Apex Rentals opened its doors in Hesperia, providing its customers with lawn & garden equipment and small tools. In 2001, after years of hard work, they merged with Hesperia Rentals, which had been a staple in the High Desert since 1971, thus expanding their inventory and becoming a Kubota Dealer. They now have two locations serving the High Desert; Hesperia and Victorville. Stop by and be acquainted with the dedication and expertise in any of their departments: Rentals, Sales, Service, and Parts. When working with Apex, you can expect the most fulfilling experience in terms of customer service, equipment quality, and personnel efficiency.
  
Heli Lithium Forklift and Lithium Pallet Jack. Industrial Forklifts is the Western U.S. Master Distributor for the Heli forklift brand. Industrial Forklift is located in Phoenix, Arizona but operates alongside partners from California to Texas. They provide forklift dealerships with reliable, industrial-grade Heli forklifts (I.C. and electric), reach trucks, electric pallet jacks, accessories, and warranty service. Their facility stocks a complete parts inventory, as well as Heli forklifts for direct sale to dealers across the United States. Heli products work great for rentals too! They have the privilege of supplying forklifts and electric pallet jacks directly to the North American rental industry. Industrial Forklifts and Heli are long-standing members of the American Rental Association and California Rental Association.
  
Chairs, Farm & Folding Tables, Throne Chairs. Atlas Commercial Products' mission is to be the best possible resource for customers looking to build their businesses with affordable, quality furniture and equipment. Based out of Los Angeles, California, they supply folding chairs and tables, stacking chairs, and other commercial equipment for special events and hospitality to wholesale and retail markets throughout the United States and Canada. In business since 2004 as Atlas Chairs and Tables, and built on the strength of their manufacturing partnerships, they quickly grew to become an industry leading supplier of event furniture to online retailers, party rental companies and event venues. In early 2018, they merged with EventStable.com. Evolving from a full-service party rental company to a leading online seller, EventStable knows about customer experience and how to best serve event customers as well as reseller partners.
  
Ultra compact battery operated equipment - Stair climber equipment - Mini Loader - Crane. At Movex Innovation, we are engineered to elevate your performance as the industry’s first manufacturer of ultra-compact material handling equipment. Our team is dedicated to creating innovative, safe, and ergonomic material-handling solutions for a variety of industries, including construction, mining, and railways. Our commitment to workplace safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability drives us to develop heavy-duty electric remote-controlled equipment that can handle heavy loads on any terrain, including stairs and confined spaces. As a world-class designer and manufacturer of ultra-compact material handling solutions, we have earned a rock-solid reputation for excellence. We offer a wide range of safe and ergonomic equipment for horizontal and vertical transportation as well as custom-designed solutions that meet the unique requirements of our customers around the globe.
  
Health and Wellness. When something’s wrong, your body tells you by sending pain signals. Whether the pain is sudden or persistent, it’s important to react quickly—if your problem is left untreated, it could become worse. Acute pain can often go away when the issue is treated. With decades of innovation behind them, HiDow hands-free personalized pain management devices are the first to combine the pain relief of a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit with the muscle stimulation improvement boosting power of an EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation). These portable, compact, and rechargeable devices interrupt pain signals to the brain, stimulating and relaxing the muscles through safe electrical charges to the pain area. HiDow pain management devices can assist with temporary pain relief. Use HiDow pain management devices on the go and easily store them away when you’re done.
  
Easy to use rental software for rental experts, not tech experts. We're here to help. The all-in-one platform for your rental business, Lizit allows you to manage your contracts, clients and inventory seamlessly from the administrative module, and manage your rentals in an omnichannel way from the transactional module. Create and consult your rental contracts, monitor rented items, monthly income and rental history, guarantee the availability of your inventory, and generate reservations on future dates according to the availability of your items. You can also optimize the useful life of your assets, check the details of your products, their associated contracts and maintenance history, and manage maintenance, cleaning, late payment collections and returns. Lizit lets you integrate all your sales channels and incorporate the transactional module into your point of sale, web site and call center.
  
The CPA Who Speaks Rental Store Language. Why Choose Us? Expertise... money is more than just a set of financials. When you have a six-figure rental store, you need deep expertise combined with decades of experience. The Warnick Group has built their business around the financial success of their clients. They make accounting and tax easy and painless. Technology is evolving quickly in the accounting space, and they take advantage of all the advances and use them to your benefit. Their focus is on helping you be successful. They're transparent in communication, pricing and how they work with you. They offer you quality assurance: If your books are wrong, your taxes are wrong—they obsess about accuracy so that you don't have to worry!
  
Construction, Agricultural, Turf, Attachments. Gearmore Inc. An employee-owned business, Gearmore supplies a wide range of tractor/skid steer attachments to make tractors more productive. Their wide selection of equipment was developed for farm, ranch, landscape, municipal, and construction industries. For over 50 years, Gearmore has been providing quality implements through servicing tractor dealers. It is Gearmore's continuing goal to develop and provide the finest and most reliable attachments at affordable prices. They work with dealers to help them achieve their goals for their attachments by adding customized design,development, testing, and marketing. Gearmore markets their equipment through franchised tractor dealers; however, customers can contact them directly for technical information on products and to find a local dealer.
 
Movex Innovation
403 Avenue de la Montagne
Shawinigan, QC G9N0A3
(866) 533-0376
https://movexinnovation.com/
 
The Warnick Group
2470 St Rose Pkwy, Ste. 305
Henderson, NV 89074
(702) 902-4272
https://www.thewarnickgroup.com/
  
Point of Rentals, Gold Sponsorship
EPIC, Gold Sponsorship
Business News
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently approved a $34.94 million incentives funding plan that will continue to support ongoing efforts to increase access to medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission trucks, buses and equipment. The nearly $35 million plan directs resources to prioritize small businesses.
   The 2024-25 Funding Plan for Clean Transportation Incentives increases funding for small businesses that want to modernize their fleets with cleaner vehicles, including assistance for rentals, leases and truck loans. The funding plan allocates existing legislative funds toward incentive projects that support the state’s air quality and climate goals, including for marine vessels, emerging technologies and zero-emission off-road equipment, such as freight, construction and agricultural equipment.
   The approved plan also maintains a commitment to address environmental inequities and provides a boost to businesses that need the most support, with at least 60% of funding focused on bolstering equitable outcomes.
CRA UPDATE
Contact Jeff, Katie, and Connie with questions or ideas for the continued growth of our association. Visit the CRA website at www.calrental.org and see the opportunities available to help sustain and grow your business. Stay engaged with CRA!
 
Jeff Roberts, Executive Director
Cell: (909) 821-5998
 
Katie Marrs, Executive Assistant
 
Connie Roberts, Controller
 
CRA's Address: P.O. Box 757, Upland, CA 91785
Phone Number: (800) 272-7400