Congratulations to Sylvia Woodward, winner of the W.E. "Bud" Loeber Award, and Doug Strom, winner of the James Gartland Award. The awards were presented at the January Rental Rally Tradeshow, during the Top Golf Event. Congratulations also to our past officers and board members, who were also presented with plaques at the Top Golf Event. Thank you to these officers for their service to CRA and its members.

Snorkel continued its tradition of giving away a push-around mini scissor lift at the annual California Rental Association (CRA) Rental Rally in January, in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the end of show raffle on Wednesday, January 24, Snorkel owner Don Ahern announced that Kevin Davis of American Rentals Inc. would become the fifth person to take home a free scissor lift from a CRA tradeshow. Entrants had to submit their business card at the Snorkel booth during the show, and be present at the end of show raffle to be eligible to win. Kevin follows in the footsteps of Lynne Domey of Eastern Oregon Rental & Sales, who took home the push-around lift in 2017, and Tony Beringer of Baker Rentals & Sales in Costa Mesa, Caifornia, who won in 2016.

Congratulations to our Rental Rally Tradeshow raffle drawing winners! There were an assortment of great items donated by many different companies. Thank you to the following companies that provided gifts and fun at the end of the show!

Ruth W. Casteel and her husband, Jay, were longtime active members in the California Rental Association and ran a distributorship as J.P. Casteel Company for many years. Ruth passed away suddenly on January 10, 2018, at 96 years young. She was active in her church and several card clubs and was planning on attending our Woodward Family Reunion in Washington, D.C., this June. She was a great example for us all and a joy to be around. A celebration of Ruth's life was held February 10.

CRA is sad to inform you of the passing of Carlene Powers on January 18, 2018. Carlene was the wife of former CRA member and board member Paul Powers, Jr. and the mother of current CRA Member Paul Powers III. Services were held January  26, 2018, and a celebration of life was held January 27. Donations in Carlene's honor may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org. Messages of sympathy and support can be addressed to the family: Paul Powers III, 24600 Silver Cloud Court Suite 101, Monterey, CA 93940.

As conscientious as you and your company may be about federal OSHA compliance and keeping employees safe, you may need to undergo an OSHA inspection. There are six types of violations you could be cited for:

Established in June 2015, Equipment Parts Plus (EP+) specializes in spare parts for aerial work platforms, material handling equipment and other construction equipment for most leading brands, serving rental companies as well as contractors and end users. EP+ exhibited for the second time at The Rental Show on January 19-21, 2018, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The EP+ team used the opportunity to prove to the parts industry that an emphasis on quality and service does not have to come with a hit to the bottom line.

Properly classifying an individual as an employee versus an independent contractor has always been a daunting task for any business/employer, especially in California. A recent U.S. district court ruling brings some clarity to the issue and a still-unresolved court case before the California Supreme Court may provide more guidance soon. The difficulty for businesses and employers in California has been the subjective and inconsistent analysis used to determine whether an individual qualifies as an employee versus an independent contractor.

Increases in economic activity are typically associated with growth in petroleum and other liquids consumption. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) lowered the 2018 oil-consumption-weighted Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast in countries outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the February 2018 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) from the January STEO, but growth expectations for those countries remain higher than all 2017 STEO forecasts. In the February STEO, EIA expects global petroleum and other liquid fuels consumption to grow by 1.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018, with 1.3 million b/d of that growth coming from non-OECD countries (see Figure 1 in the full article). Because oil consumption data can be lagged or incomplete, the use of frequently released economic indicators can be useful for confirming stronger or weaker periods of economic growth and inform oil consumption forecasts.

Loren Kaye, President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, recently authored this article on foxandhoundsdaily.com.
2018 is a transition year in California politics and public policy. Voters will elect a new Governor, replace at least seven constitutional officers and seat at least ten new members of the Legislature. Practicing direct democracy, voters will decide in November on as many as 20 ballot measures influencing the political and economic climate. But no matter how the election battles play out, state officials face persistent economic development challenges in 2018 and beyond: how to encourage upward mobility for California residents and address differential economic success regionally and socioeconomically.

CRA's Rental Rally Trade Show
• January 20-22, 2020:
Las Vegas, Nevada

Thank you to all those who take time to participate in our surveys. CRA utilizes the information we gather to better serve you. If you have an idea for a survey for CRA members, please send your request to CRA at Info@CalRental.org for consideration. This month we reviewed your thoughts and comments about our January 2018 Rental Rally Tradeshow.