October 22, 2010

The travel just hasn't stopped! One day back from Chicago and Jim (BC President and CRA host) has me packed again for a BC Local & Trade Show meeting in Vancouver.

The BC Local meeting was held at a local supplier Mancorp. I was impressed that Mancorp gave up some of their office space to facilitate the meeting and then provided a steak dinner as host of the BC Local meeting. It was great to see approx 27 members in attendance and the CRA working in partnership with its suppliers. I was also impressed with the planning, sense of pride and the level of anticipation that surrounded the up and coming BC Trade Show to be held in March.

I leave for home (Brisbane, Australia) tomorrow evening and in true Jim (Nor-Val Rentals) style we are working right up until about 3 hours before my flight leaves setting up and taking down tents, tables and stages at two local community events. I wouldn't expect anything less and will do it gladly as I have developed a great respect for Jim and his wife Shelli (Nor-Val Event Rentals).

Five weeks away from my work and more so my wife and two children, took some serious consideration. Would it really be worth it? Without hesitation I can say that it has been worth it. Jim and I have been able to share our experiences and information about rental on a level that I have not been able to achieve with any other person at home. The environment to facilitate this was 100% created by the exchange program which allowed me to gain a fly on the wall perspective of all aspects of a professionally operated rental store.

Finally big thanks to the ARA Foundation for facilitating this program, for the foresight and funding of the Global Rental Alliance to see the benefit in such a program and to Jim and Shelli Clipperton of Nor-Val Rentals and Nor-Val Event Rentals for opening their businesses, their home and their pantry to me.

I highly recommend this program to anybody in an owner/manager position who wants to gain insight to their own business.

October 18, 2010

This was a busy week for meeting new association members. I attended the American Rental Association (ARA) Leadership Conference in Chicago...what an amazing conference to attend. Thank you to the Canadian Rental Association for sending me.

The conference was an invitation only event for Presidents and Vice Presidents of all 10 rental regions within the ARA and was designed to showcase the depth of information, training, divisions, action groups and support that is available through membership. Thinking from the perspective of the Australian Hire & Rental Industry Association it was great to see the potential for development that we have and the highly professional example that has been set by the ARA.

Official program aside, simply meeting and connecting with so many rental store owners and managers was an invaluable experience in itself and I was pleasantly surprised with the level of acceptance and interest that I received as a small fish in a big pond.

Finally it's fair to say that I couldn't travel all the way to Chicago and not take some time out to see the city. Having had a small glance, I would love to return in the future.

A special thanks to Jenni (ARA) and Mandy (CRA) for looking out for me and ensuring that I felt right at home while at the conference
 

Well week two of my journey has come and gone.

So far I've put up tents, loaded vehicles and done some hands-on work, but nothing gave me more of a workout or left me feeling as sore as a four-hour quad bike ride on Sunday.

After a busy two weeks of work, Jim (Nor-Val Rentals owner) decided it was time to show me the area that Nor-Val Rentals services from a different perspective... one that didn't involve sales calls to construction sites. Climbing through bear country over gentle and not so gentle terrain we rode our quad bikes all the way to the top of Mt. Mara which provided a spectacular 360 degree view over several regions.

Back to work on Monday saw us on the road to Vancouver to collect some equipment. This trip gave me the opportunity to drop in and visit both Star Rentals and Pike's Rentals. Thanks to Rob Potter of Star Rentals and Karyn of Pike's Rentals for their time. I enjoyed visiting the different operations.

The next big item on the agenda is travelling to the ARA Leadership Conference in Chicago later this month. I am hoping, fingers crossed, that we'll find time to go quad bike riding again. You know what they say, "All work and no play ..."
 

What a great week to have arrived at Nor-Val Rentals in Armstrong, British Columbia. It certainly was a case of hitting the ground running as I was able to get involved with their grand opening and open house at the recently acquired Winfield store.

Stepping off the plane there was no mistaking that I was in a different country; however, walking into a Nor-Val Rentals store brought with it a comforting sense of familiarity. In fact, I was able to visit Cardinal Rentals in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, during the week and it too was a familiar environment. I guess this should come as no surprise to anyone in the industry, as hire and rental really is a global industry providing a core range of equipment to our customers.

Only one week in and the exchange has been worth the effort. Thanks must go to Jim and Shelli Clipperton of Nor-Val Rentals for being fantastic hosts both in their business and their home.