As President of the California Rental Association, I am looking forward to welcoming you to the 2023 Rental Rally! The CRA Board of Directors and the Convention Committee — and, in particular, Jeff Roberts and Vicky Blackwell as well as our CRA Staff — have worked tirelessly over this past year to bring you this great opportunity to get together again. Plan on joining us at the show!

 

You will have the opportunity to enjoy:
• A Rental Leaders Boot Camp.
• A day of seminars and hands-on demonstrations.
• A Keynote Speaker opening the show.
• A dynamic show floor.
• Opening Night Cocktail Party.
• Pancakes & CYRP.
• CRA’s Rental Palooza Party, celebrating 77 years!
• And plenty of time for connecting with peers and developing new rental contacts!

 

Take full advantage of what the show has to offer — it will help you and your stores remain competitive and successful in the many years to come! And please take the time to thank the vendors and sponsors for supporting our tradeshow. Thank you again for your support and participation in our show! 

 

Come join us and listen to an incredible and inspiring keynote speaker before the opening of our always-exciting Rental Rally Trade Show. Hear Retired U.S. Navy SEAL and NASA Astronaut Capt. Chris Cassidy talk about a 30-second conversation that would shape his life in the years to come. Listen as he tells us, "It’s in each and every one of us to recognize opportunities, shape them and take action to thrive in clutch moments and achieve more than we thought was possible as we leave our marks in this world while bringing others up along the way."

 

Another old mover and shaker in the rental industry, William “Bill” Jefferson Butler, founder of Able Equipment Rental in Santa Fe Springs, CA, passed away on Jan. 10, 2023. Bill was born on March 11, 1939. A memorial Service was held on Jan. 16 at White Emerson Mortuary in Whittier, CA. 

 

 

MATRA, the Manufacturers and Tent Rentals Association, will again produce seminars specifically for the equipment and party rental industries at this year's tradeshow. A full day of seminars includes a general session followed by a split town hall in the morning. Then attendees have a choice of a party/event rental off-site session in the Hotel M Wine Cellar, inculding a gourmet lunch, as well as two party-related sessions or an equipment off-site session at Dig This Vegas, including lunch, equipment demos and friendly competition. 

 

Telemedicine saw a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as it allowed for social distancing and reduced the risk of infection spread. According to David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, 11% of Americans used telemedicine before the pandemic. In May 2021, that figure had increased to 38%, based on data from the American Psychiatric Association. However, limitations on cross-state care delivery have begun to resurface, potentially affecting patients’ follow-up treatments, mental health therapy and routine doctor check-ins.

 

 

MFG Patio Comfort Heaters & Replacement Parts. Founded in 1966, AEI has operated under a consistent premise: provide the finest in innovative outdoor cooking and patio heating products to discriminating consumers and commercial customers. They were there in the spring of 1958 when the gas grill was invented; they were there in 1968 when the first production patio heaters were fabricated and have been innovators in both of these industries ever since. Today AEI is the only single source for all aluminum gas grills (A Series), all stainless steel gas grills (Legacy Series) and fully commercial gas grills (T Series). AEI is also the only single source of quartz electric, horizontal gas, umbrella domed, Natural and Propane Gas heaters.

Manufacturer and Distributor of Attachments. First established in 1995, In today’s fast-paced environment, delivering quickly and on time are key to success. Blue Diamond® Attachments stocks thousands of finished products in their warehouses every day ready to ship. This results in a big advantage for customers with many shipments leaving in 2–3 days. Their Tennessee facilities alone are now over 250,000-square-feet situated on 32 acres These facilities, along with streamlined processes, allow most orders to leave the facility within 10 days. Their parts department keeps thousands of replacement parts at the ready and strives to ship all parts orders received before noon the same day the order is placed! Tracking numbers are sent to customers the day after the shipment leaves our dock.

Crime Prevention for the Construction and Rental Industry. Crime Prevention Program of Southern California’s (CPP) was founded in 1984 and has assisted in the recovery of equipment worth more than $49 million dollars in that time. CPP’s mission is to protect our members’ assets from theft and fraud. As the liaison for members with our law enforcement partners throughout Southern California, CPP offers time-tested marking methods, free training, seminars, and ongoing support to assist in the prevention, reporting and potential recovery of our members’ stolen construction equipment. CPP uses their dynamic, time-tested contact base of law enforcement and industry partners to work with your company to obtain the personalized response it deserves.

Compact Track Loader and Walk Behind Trencher. Offering the latest and greatest in excavation equipment, Ditch Witch is an industry leader known for stable performance, bold innovations, and serious power. Ditch Witch West stocks their equipment, from heavy drills to advanced locating equipment, in their extensive inventory. Take Ditch Witch’s proven longevity and performance to new heights through the added benefit of their traditional excellent service and support. Ditch Witch West delivers the Papé promise to keep you moving. Visit your nearest Ditch Witch West dealer for more information.

Retail Sales of Takeuchi Excavators, Track Loaders, and Attachments. EquipmentShare-Takeuchi's equipment and digital solutions empower contractors and construction professionals by improving efficiency, saving money and time, as well as enhancing visibility over all the verticals of construction: their assets, people and materials. Their technology was made by contractors, for contractors, and it has the muscle and the features that builders need to get the job done.

Quality Compact Loaders for any Industry. Shelter Event Equipment is the leader in event equipment manufacturing with top notch partners manufacturing quality products and services. From farm tables to generators and HVAC units, all of their products come with a manufacturer warranty. Delivery is from their Valencia, CA, warehouse or supplier. They service the US, Canada and Mexico, and their inventory is constantly being refreshed - call for short delivery items.

H&K Sales and Marketing is proud to represent some of the world's leading electrical manufacturers. Through detailed and intensive marketing plans, strong product knowledge, and outstanding customer service, H&K has developed strong customer and manufacturer relationships for more than 30 years.

MEC 25 Foot Vertical Mast Lift. MEC’s commitment to our mission of A Better Solution defines how we are differentiating ourselves in our business and helping our customers differentiate in theirs. From their products and their service to their relationships and drive for innovation, MEC delivers on its mission of A Better Solution through engineering that captures ever-emerging market opportunities and differentiates for MEWP products through a continuous focus on safety, innovation and total cost of ownership.
The MEC Mast Electrics (MME) offer 2 platform heights: the MME20 with a platform height of 20ft and the MME25 with the industry leading platform height of 25ft.

Business Consultants and Peer Groups. Peer Executive Groups is the premier source for business analysis groups. Their comprehensive network of subject matter experts, facilitators, and industry vendors/suppliers makes them uniquely capable of creating and delivering meetings for long-lasting groups of business owners. The vast network has encountered almost every challenge a business owner can face and has become the “first call” whenever an owner/operator has a strategic or operational issue. 

Event Tents. Rainier Industries has been manufacturing tent products since 1896. They are proud of their rich heritage of serving our customers but realize it takes more than a long history to prosper; they keep pace with the changing market, maintain the highest quality standard, and supply the finest products available. Rainier Tent fabricates structures with the highest quality materials available on the market. The Cascade Full Strength tent is the strongest frame tent system, providing the quickest installation while saving rental company labor costs on every job. Contact them to find the ideal solution for your structural requirements. Their team of engineers, graphic designers, sales associates, and installers will build your temporary or semi-permanent structure to meet your needs.

Cargo Control Truck & Trailer and Tent Prducts. Tie 4 Safe has full selections of top quality trucking accessories such as Tie Downs, Straps, Winches, & Winch Accessories, Cargo & Load Bars, Load Binders, Chains, E-Track & various Cargo Control Hardware. They also specialize in Racing Restraint Products, Tent Accessories and various Trailer Accessories. Contact them today and they will provide you with high quality products with the most competitive prices!

The latest data shows average gasoline prices continuing to decline from the supply-driven price increases earlier this year. December prices were down 24.6% from the near term high in October and down 30.1% from the previous high in June. The most recent data as of Jan. 6 show prices stabilizing, with the California average price down a penny to $4.44 and the U.S. price up 9 cents to $3.20. California’s regulations and their effect of restricting the state’s access to alternative supplies combined with the state’s highest-in-the-nation fuel taxes and higher operating costs ensure Californians will continue to pay substantially more for fuels, even with the current price easing. As the result of these California policies, gasoline prices in December were 43.3% higher than the average paid in other states. California prices were 63.6% higher than prices in the lowest-cost state.

 

But while the current legislative focus remains on the potential for adding yet another tax onto the cost of producing fuels in this state, California policies continued to push electricity and natural gas costs to even higher levels in the latest data from October. On a moving 12-month average basis, California residential and commercial electricity rates were the highest among the contiguous states, commercial and industrial natural gas rates were the second highest, industrial electricity rates were the third highest and residential natural gas rates the fourth highest.

 

This month, we asked members about their employee job descriptions. If you have additional ideas for surveys for CRA members, please send your request to CRA at info@calrental.org. 

Dennis Wells from Quality Equipment Rentals in Inglewood, CA is the winner of the January Survey Raffle. Congratulations Dennis!