CRA – BC Show Report

Jan. 26, 2015 – From the moment I stepped off the plane on Friday morning right through to when I flew back to Toronto on Sunday, the skies in Surrey, B.C. – home of the Canadian Rental Association BC trade show – treated everyone to a non-stop downpour. That, however, did not stop some 230 rental professionals from taking part in this annual event Jan. 23 and 24.

The show started on Friday afternoon with delegates visiting and making business deals with the 47 exhibiting companies, including first time exhibitor Valley Traffic Systems with Kelly Shannon and Bill Van Esch showing their latest traffic control products. Another first time exhibitor – Vic Khosla of Unique Business Systems – showed off his rental software system. Dinner that night was served on the show floor and the hospitality room back in the Cascades Hotel allowed everyone the opportunity to unwind and exchange rental tales after the show closed for the day. The trade show resumed on Saturday morning with lunch served on the show floor.

Paul Kenyon, Region 10 director (left), walked the show with Paul Phelon, president of the American Rental Association.

John King from Total Equipment Sales was hard at work both days of the show even though his equipment wasn’t as it was stuck in Customs and did not arrive in time. Rentquip Canada introduced their brand new line of Patron-branded water pumps at the show. Sizes range from a one-inch de-watering pump right through a four-inch trash pump. All are assembled in Canada with Honda engines.

On both show days a $1,000 prize was awarded to a rental store to spend with a show exhibitor. The daily winners were Arnold Buteau of Warner Rentals and Brad Wiebe of Star Rentals. Making his last appearance at a trade show was Multiquip’s Don Flint who is retiring at the end of January.

Grant Philips (left) of Westerra accepts his supplier of the year award from Jim Clipperton of Nor-Val Rentals.

The gala awards banquet was held on Saturday night. After a number of speeches the awards were presented. The Rental Store of the Year was won by Warner Rentals with Ralph Warner accepting the award. The CRA BC Supplier of the Year went to Westerra Equipment with Grant Phillips accepting the award. Afterwards the non-stop entertainment was provided by Tracey Bell who was pinch hitting on very short notice after Johnny “Bagpipes” Johnson cancelled due to illness. Bell impersonated a number of female singers including Janis Joplin, Madonna, Cher and more. The interactive show had the audience in stitches. A special mention needs to go out to Rentquip’s Jim Freeman and Bill Pedersen of Pedersens Rentals for their “voluntary” participation.

Sonny Bono’s looking pretty good for his age.

This is the first in a string of CRA regional shows that take place each year with subsequent events in Guelph, Ont., Saskatoon, Sask., Montreal and Moncton, N.B.

Find all the photos from the wet and wild event on the Canadian Rental Service Facebook page.

For more information
crarental.org