In the late 1980s, André Blais was at a career crossroads. However, as you might have already guessed, he decided to go into the rental industry. His careful planning and skilled management has led to the strong ongoing success of this independent business, which is now being guarded and guided by his daughter, Chantal.

Employing a multi-faceted strategy for success and honing it each year: that’s how Prairieland Rental and Sales continues to thrive alongside its independent peers across Canada.

Infinite Event Services’ chief events officer Sheldon Fingler remembers the day 15 years ago that he decided to leave the world of “real jobs” to run his own DJ’ing company.

There’s almost nothing guaranteed to quicken the pulse of Daniel Spencer like boating on his beloved Bayliner with his wife, Heidi, a first aid training partner with the Canadian Red Cross.

When the new owners of Georgina Rent-All purchased this long-standing business with the intent to take it to the next level as quickly as possible, they were impressed with how accepting the area rental community was.

You won’t find homemade french fries among the items for rent or sale at Trowelex Rentals and Sales, located in Castlegar in B.C.’s West Kootenays, 600 kilometres east of Vancouver and 600 kilometres west of Calgary.

In the summer of 1958, New Brunswick industrialist K.C. Irving walked into one of his logging camps in the interior of the province and didn’t like what he saw: cramped worker accommodations, uncomfortable common spaces and inefficient systems.

Watch the hit CBC TV show Murdoch Mysteries and see the dashing detective analyzing clues on an elegant wine glass, or notice the dinnerware and linens in the riveting television series The Handmaid’s Tale. Chances are those props have come from the shelves of Higgins Event Rentals.

When Blake Menning heard his company’s name called out at the Canadian Rental Association’s recent annual general meeting, he wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.

Harrigan Rentals, only 52 years young this year, has had quite a history. It’s one of British Columbia’s oldest family owned-and-operated rental firms and it was founded by Jim Harrigan.

What do you do when you’ve already founded 15 local and national businesses throughout your career — many of them rental-related — and generated hundreds of millions in sales?

For the past 11 years, my career and focus has been dedicated to the rental industry. As a store manager, my primary role besides leadership was to protect company assets such as people, property and inventory. It was also extremely important to keep the business running smoothly, ensuring our customers were completely satisfied and the equipment kept moving in and out in good working order.

Spring is finally here and on behalf of the Canadian Rental Association I would like to remind you that May 6 to 10 is the North American Occupational Health and Safety week. This is a great reminder to take necessary precautions to keep yourselves, your employees and your customers safe.

Spring is finally here and I certainly hope you had a chance to attend at least one of our successful regional trade shows.  This year, the board of directors will be working to bring even more member value by introducing events and seminars in conjunction with our regional shows, so please stay tuned for details.

The Canadian Rental Association officially kicked off its 2019 year with its annual general meeting at the ARA Show in Anaheim on Feb. 18. A good crowd of about 50 members attended. Hank McInnis of Battlefield passed the chairman's gavel to Mike Maltby of Ingersoll Rent-All. Incoming national president Dan Spencer was introduced and talked briefly about his plans for the year ahead. Nathalie McGregor, association CEO, was recognized for five years of service with some flowers. Insurance director John Gillespie of Western Financial updated the membership on the CRA insurance plan and announced another dividend for participants this year.

As you are reading this article, the regional trade shows are in full swing. I certainly hope you are taking full advantage of everything the shows have to offer you and your business. As you browse the show floors, please also take a moment to thank the volunteers, local board members and associate members who work extremely hard to organize and host these successful events each year.

Heat and power solutions provider GAL Power welcomed about 70 members of the Ontario Canadian Rental Association to their first meeting of 2019 at its facility in Mississauga, Ont. Association vice-president Dustin Hubert hosted the gathering as they checked out the generators, heaters and fuel tanks in the warehouse, obtained refreshment from an impressive ice bar. enjoyed a barbeque buffet dinner and heard Raphael Sumabat of the Technical Standards Safety Authority explain proposed new rules for portable fuel-burning equipment.

Jan. 9, 2019 - To better support the success of its members and advance the equipment and event rental industry, the American Rental Association (ARA) has released a new industry-wide strategic plan that will drive program initiatives over the next three years. This is the first revision to ARA’s strategic plan in more than a decade.

I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to our members for allowing me to serve as president, following in the footsteps of many great leaders in our industry. I would also like to thank the many volunteers, past and present, who have made, and continue to make, our association what it is today.  

Nancy Crosby of Classic Rentals in Truro, N.S., has been honoured as the American Rental Association's Region 10 Regional Person of the Year for 2018. These awards honour members who have made outstanding contributions to the association and the rental industry on the regional, state, provincial or local levels.

Most of us are familiar with the mythical story of Icarus. Along with his father Daedalus, Icarus was imprisoned on the Greek isle of Crete. After being imprisoned in a labyrinth of his own design, Daedalus fashioned two sets of wings from feathers and wax. With these wings Daedalus and his son Icarus escaped imprisonment and death.

November 12, 2018 - The Canadian Rental Association (CRA) - Ontario Division tried something new for their monthly membership meeting in November by hosting a bus trip to Ottawa to watch the Las Vegas Golden Knights take on the Ottawa Senators.

About 20 Canadian Rental Association Ontario members made the trek to out-of-the-way Bracebridge, Ont., to attend the October 17 meeting at Muskoka Party Rentals, home of current CRA Ontari president, Kim Rixon. Attendees got a tour of Rixon's fast-growing 10,000-square-foot party and event rental store followed by some adult beverages and a buffet dinner of pulled pork and chicken at the nearby Quality Inn. Attendees got to check out some of Muskoka's expert Halloween-themed decorations for inspiration.

May 13, 2019 - The Ahern family of companies is pleased to announce the promotion of Amelia Pearce from global marketing director to vice president of global marketing at Ahern Companies.

Vermeer Canada has announced a new partnership between Vermeer Canada and Yanmar in Ontario. The addition of theYanmarMini Excavator equipment line-up will not only be a great opportunity for us as a dealer but, also to our customers who look at us as a business partner. Lots of our customers are using or have a use for compact excavators, providing them with added solutions is what we do! We look to help them get their work done with solutions that fit their business.

April 30, 2019 - Haulotte Americas has announced the appointment of Shawn Boone to the position of General Manager of the Haulotte U.S. subsidiary. Boone has responsibility for leading the business’s sales and commercial operations for the US and Canada with a primary responsibility to strengthen partnerships with current and new customers.

April 30, 2019 - In support of OSHA’s upcoming National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction week, May 6-10, Genie shares new resources that raise awareness about the safe use of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) in the aerial access industry. The new Genie® “Safe Use Plan Guidance” whitepaper provides tips for creating a safe use plan when operating MEWPs. The Genie “Big Changes” music video highlights important information on MEWP operator and occupant training requirements. Additional information and resources from Genie on the new MEWP standards in North America are available for customers to access at https://www.genielift.com/en/support/ansia92-csab354.

April 22, 2019 - BOMAG announces that it is partnering with Mont-St-Hilaire-based agent, EDFA, as its rental equipment line representative in the province of Quebec. As the new BOMAG manufacturer’s representative, EDFA will work with independent and provincial rental outlets to make sure they have the right mix of BOMAG compaction equipment in their rental fleets to support their customers.

April 22, 2019 -  Custom Equipment LLC introduces the all-new ZT-1630, the ultimate compact lift with precision maneuverability. The new lift is a member of the Zero-Turn Series, part of Hy-Brid Lifts’ next generation of lifts. The ZT-1630 is a premium machine built with professional operators in mind, making it ideal for applications including construction, facility maintenance and more. The ZT-1630 is the tallest offering from Hy-Brid Lifts, delivering a 16-foot platform height and a working height of 22 feet.

Help your customers with summer hardscaping projects with this new concrete cutting technology.

Forklifts, seatbelts and cellphones – just like they said on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the other.” I wrote previously about how distracted driving is now seen as the most common factor leading to motor vehicle accidents in Canada. I’m sure that is no surprise.

It could be a love affair. To paraphrase a line: diamonds are a rental operator’s best friend. And with some lust for learning, choosing the right diamond blade for the task at hand will cement the relationship. But which blade will work the desired magic? It takes a deeper understanding of the marriage between diamonds (the kinds found in circular saws) and steel to create a tool that cuts into all forms of hard material.  

Mar. 26, 2019 - Terex has announced that it has agreed to sell its Demag Mobile Cranes business to Tadano Ltd. for an enterprise value of approximately $215 million. The Demag Mobile Cranes business manufactures and sells all terrain cranes and large crawler cranes. Included in the transaction are the manufacturing facilities in Zweibrucken, Germany and multiple sales and service locations. The sale, which is subject to government regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is targeted to close in mid-2019.

Mar. 25, 2019 - The new ANSI A92.22 standards for Safe Use and ANSI A92.24 standards for Training carry with them some major changes and substantial additional requirements for training, with new requirements for supervisor training. To help jobsites be in compliance when the new standards go into effect in December 2019, the Genie® Lift Pro™ Online MEWP Supervisor Training Course is now available. This course was developed specifically for supervisors and meets all of the requirements set forth in the new standards.

I think we can all agree that senior leadership involvement in health and safety is critical when it comes to achieving desired health and safety results, however, in the illustrious words of Noam Chomsky, “People don’t know what they don’t know.” When senior leadership – directors, managers and supervisors (yes, supervisors) – is not well informed of the state of health and safety or the communication network within an organization it becomes more reactive than proactive.

What happens when customers leave and you aren’t sure why? Maybe they were only your customer because of a one-time special project. Maybe they closed their business and therefore don’t need your services.

I’m reading a book called Lost Connections by Johann Hari. It’s about depression and anxiety and explores some reasons why these problems are growing so fast in recent decades, especially in developed countries. Hari discusses a number of interrelated possibilities, but one part in particular caught my eye as being relevant to employers everywhere.

A customer we’ll call “W.R.” came to me as a referral from a business coach I have known for about 10 years. I thanked her and went to work with the new customer. Something seemed a bit strange right from the beginning as he was hesitant to divulge who he had dealt with before, even though he was very unhappy with the results. When I see a red flag, I always investigate.

At the time of this writing the federal budget just dropped and it’s generally good news for the rental industry. The headline item was a shared equity mortgage program for first-time home buyers that could see lower-income buyers get as much as 10 per cent of the value on an interest-free basis.

Mar. 25, 2019 - With tariffs continuing to take a toll on U.S. businesses, farmers, communities, and families across the country, a new report released by IHS Markit outlines the impact of tariffs on the equipment manufacturing industry and the broader U.S. economy.

We’ve all heard it many times before. Those words or lines that employees are told to use on us by their superiors, whether they are in telephone sales or face-to-face. Is this a good thing? Do you find it annoying?

Canadian Rental Service editor Patrick Flannery sat down with SkyJack president Brad Boehler at the ARA Show in Anaheim.

Over the years we see that health and safety changes in one year leads to trending issues the following year. The transition from 2018 to 2019 is no exception. Some of the trends are startling, many of the changes are necessary.

I’ve known from being in business and managing a business for many years that customer attrition happens no matter what we do. There are certain variables we cannot control.

I’d just had a great Saturday afternoon with my family and was beginning to think about supper plans. Then I heard it. We all know the sound and what it means. Yep, the phone was ringing. Somehow (you don’t know how) you know it’s a rental callout before you even unholster your phone and look.

There’s a guy I’d love to hear talk leadership: Bill Belichick, head coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots. I wonder what he charges?

Jan. 7, 2019 - A1A Software LLC continues to expand features of iCraneTrax, making the fleet and personnel management software more robust for the needs of equipment rental companies. “iCraneTrax combines sales, dispatch, and fleet maintenance with telematics into one application to more efficiently manage rental company daily operations and increase revenue,” said Tawnia Weiss, President of A1A Software LLC. iCraneTrax captures complex data from the most sophisticated crane and lifting equipment, then combines various business communications into one tool to improve coordination and communication between sales people, dispatchers, operators, managers, and mechanics.

Dec. 11, 2018 - Point of Rental Elite now sports a new mobile-friendly CRM, allowing a company’s sales team to accomplish its tasks and see critical information anywhere they may travel.

December 5, 2018 - SmartEquip and Alert Management Systems have announced a strategic partnership to integrate their respective software platforms. The partnership is expected to provide Alert customers with a significant reduction in equipment operating costs.

December 3, 2018 - Point of Rental Software has acquired RentalTrax software from WIOsoft, marking the company’s third software acquisition in the last two years. RentalTrax has offices in Denmark and the U.S. with a diverse customer base spanning Europe, North America, and Australasia.

Nov. 28, 2018 - Serious Labs Inc. is pleased to announce an extension of its partnership with equipment rental leader United Rentals, Inc. Virtual reality (VR) simulation developed by Serious Labs is being deployed by United Rentals as part of its blended learning model for mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) operator certification courses. This model – new to the equipment rental industry – debuted on November 28 when United Rentals opened its first United Academy training center with VR simulation in Alberta, Canada.

November 21, 2018 - More than 200 rental experts left the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Nov. 7 with dozens of ideas for adding to their business’s efficiency, thanks to Point of Rental’s International Conference.

Control your processes and more with these leading-edge information technology products.

Oct. 24, 2018 - EquipmentWatch has announced a new suite of fleet consulting products now available to contractors and equipment professionals seeking efficient solutions to large-scale fleet problems. Through an exclusive partnership with Price Digests, these solutions cover all major equipment types across construction, lift & access, agriculture, and commercial truck.

Oct. 10, 2018 -  Point of Rental Software has furthered its mobile programming push by forming a dedicated mobile development team. Senior Developer Lead Matt Gaffin heads the team, which will build on the company’s award-winning mobile apps to create a unified mobile experience across its four products.

Oct. 3, 2018 - Kerridge Commercial Systems has announced it has acquired inspHire and Current-RMS. inspHire is a premium supplier of rental software to European, U.S. and Australian-based companies, providing equipment to businesses in the equipment and tool, construction, access and lifting, medical, oil and gas as well as specialist sectors. Current-RMS supplies cloud based, fully integrated rental management solutions to the AV, production and event industries.

September 26, 2018 - Texada Software has partnered with Home Hardware Stores Limited to become a preferred software vendor for the Canadian chain’s nearly 1,100 stores. 

Jan. 4, 2019 - Morbark has announced that it completed the acquisition of DENIS CIMAF, Inc., based in Roxton Falls, Québec. This transaction represents the company’s second acquisition since private equity firm Stellex Capital Management LP acquired Morbark in 2016. The acquisition of Rayco Manufacturing in October 2017, brought a lineup of innovative equipment into the Morbark family across multiple product categories. In particular, Rayco stump cutters, aerial trimmers, forestry mulchers and crawler trucks. The purchase of DENIS CIMAF is another step in the Company’s strategic focus on broadening the range of tree care and industrial equipment, aftermarket parts, and service offered to their Customers.

Upgrade your fleet while the snow is still on the ground. By spring it will be too late!

Spring is coming soon across Canada and that means land clearing contractors will be out in full force. While many jobs can be fulfilled using a standard compact track loader with a simple bucket, overgrown areas with thick brush and trees require heavier-duty forestry attachments.

November 14, 2018 - PRINOTH is well known for its crawler carriers but also manufactures a wide range of mulching equipment.

Oct. 16, 2018 - ARDCO has announced the launch of its new AMT Dump Beds for the Articulating Multi-Purpose Truck (AMT), offering payloads of 10 to 20 tons, volume upgrades for lighter materials, and tire options to suit extreme conditions where other articulated dump trucks simply can’t perform. For optimal machine versatility, the beds can be added or removed from the modular AMT platform when needing to change the back-end attachment for different jobsite tasks.

Sept. 4, 2018 - Caterpillar has announced that it has entered into a preliminary agreement with Weiler, Inc. to sell the Cat® purpose-built forestry business. The sale is subject to negotiation of a final agreement, the closing of which is expected by early 2019.

July 25, 2018 - The Little Wonder AgVac 5S vacuums waste into a self-contained debris loader.

March 23, 2018 - The Next Gen 18" Hydro-Drive Sod Cutter for Golf applications is perfect for soft touch, shallow cut, bent grass.

April 16, 2018 - – Vanguard™introduced the first in a complete line of all-new single-cylinder horizontal shaft commercial gasoline engines built from the ground up based on customer input.

April 19, 2018 - — Classen, an industry-leading brand of commercial and residential turf care equipment, offers its PRO HTS20 Hydro-Drive Overseeder.

April 12, 2018 - Classen gives landscapers a versatile and easy-to-use turf rake with its PRO Hydro-Drive.

Auto mechanics deal with it all the time — the phone call requesting an over-the-phone diagnosis. Inevitably the conversation includes the vehicle owner providing a not-so-spot-on impression of the sound their car or truck is making, whether a screeching, whining, clunking or grinding noise.

September 25, 2018 - Popular, powerful Jet-Set® electric, gas and trailer water jets from General Pipe Cleaners slice through grease, sludge, sand, and ice stoppages that many cable drain cleaners can’t clear!

July 26, 2018 - The Model DRZ-PH-O power drain cleaner from General Pipe Cleaners offers a quick, clean way to clear clogged sink, tub and laundry drains in 1-1/4" to 3" lines.

July 25, 2018 - The Rammy Flail mower 120 ATV is an agile mower for cutting hay, meadow grass and small trees.

April 30, 2018 - General Equipment Company has introduced the FCS18 RIP-R-STRIPPER – the first self-propelled unit in its long line of floor-covering removal machines.

March 28, 2018 - Electric Eel eCAM Ace WiFi Pipeline Inspection Camera System enables users to record video with their mobile device.

March 1, 2018 - An updated Tool Selection Guide for drain cleaning equipment is available FREE from General Pipe Cleaners.

Feb. 20, 2018 - ProBarrow is a professional grade electric powered wheelbarrow that is designed, built and tested here in Canada.

January 25, 2018 - General Pipe Cleaners is offering the popular Gen-Eye POD® video inspection system with the Wi-Fi option at no extra charge during the Rental Show in February and the Canadian Rental Mart in March.

Oct. 30, 2017 - Briggs & Stratton Corporation has announced that it will move production of its V-Twin Vanguard engines from a joint venture partnership in Japan to its existing manufacturing facilities in Statesboro, Georgia and Auburn, Alabama. The increased production in North America will create approximately 50 new jobs at each of the facilities.

October 30, 2017 - General Pipe Cleaners’ new, mobile-friendly website offers quick, easy, intuitive access to General’s full line of drain cleaning, inspection and repair tools – including how to use them and where to buy them!

October 5, 2017 - Fein adds the JMC USA 90 compact magnetic base drill to its Slugger line of metal working tools and accessories.

Our annual focus on great new products to make your customer’s events shine.

Durable, versatile, and relatively cheap to make, plastic is both a wonder material and bane of the planet. According to a recent study out of the University of California Santa Barbara, almost half of all plastic ever manufactured has been made since 2000.

Terrorist ramming vehicle attacks have dramatically changed the way that law enforcement, public safety specialists and event security managers look at securing public events areas and buildings.

The Samson Modular and Portable Barrier is a next-generation, patent-pending, tested and certified mobile physical barrier designed to block and stop vehicles from a motorcycle and up to 12-ton heavy trucks from breaking through without the use of anchors. Certifications include: ASTM, PAS68 and IWA 14.

April 5, 2018 - National Event Supply has introduced a number of new items for the party rental industry.

February 23, 2018 - Signature Systems Group, a supplier of performance composite matting and specialty flooring systems, has introduced UltimaTurf™, a new line of artificial turf floor covering.

February 15, 2018 - Bring ethereal beauty, form, and functionality to your space by adding a Rainier Cloud, new architectural fabric sculptures from Rainier Tent.

Jan. 23, 2018 - Filmmakers in Waterloo region will now be able to rent out industry-standard film equipment like lighting and grip gear because of a partnership btween The Working Centre's Commons Studio and Lighthouse Equipment Inc. in Kitchener. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

January 12, 2018 - National Event Supply has introduced a new industrial metal dining chair.

September 13, 2017 - The Cow Milking Contest from Twister Display has been a huge hit ever since it introduced.

July 27, 2017 - LENZIP Manufacturing Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial and commercial grade zippers has released the LENZIP No. 12 Marine Grade UV Zipper.

June 12, 2017 - Zap Zip Table-Top Game is based on the unique combination of light, sound and games.

April 12, 2019 - Big crowds of heavy equipment professionals filled the halls of Mississauga’s International Centre last week for the 2019 edition of the National Heavy Equipment Show, which took place Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29.

The National Heavy Equipment Showis moving into the International Centre in Mississauga this week,March 28 and 29. With a sold-out show floor and thousands of visitors pre-registered, the key trade event is ready to mark its 22ndyear. Thousands of square feet of big iron will be on display from the country’s leading dealers and manufacturers of heavy equipment.

Just got back from the ARA Show in Anaheim. I don’t always go to ARA. My job is to stay in contact with Canadian rental store operators, not so much the vendors. My inbox is pretty much full of their information 24/7 anyway. However, the occasional visit does serve to get a broader feel for where technology is at and where it is heading.

The American Rental Association's ARA Show continued to increase its appeal with Canadians as North America's largest venue to view rental equipment. The Canadian Rental Association's Hospitality Night at the House of Blues drew at least 450 people, and Canadian rental operators seemed to be everywhere you turned on the show floor, even in a crowd numbering in the thousands. The Anaheim Convention Center proved to be a slick, modern host with plenty of hotels nearby, though one might have hoped for something a little closer to an airport. Even the keynote had a Canadian feel, with Toronto's Kevin O'Leary talking about how he decides to invest.

"Someone once told me coming to these shows is like an annual family reunion," says Jim Clipperton of Nor-Val Rentals, national B.C. director for the Canadian Rental Association. This year's reunion in Langley, B.C., welcomed 32 rental stores and about 250 rental people to tour exhibits from 42 suppliers on Jan. 18 and 19. There was a new member in the family this year, with everyone talking about the acquisition of Star Rentals by Cooper Equipment Rentals. That deal closed the day the show started and Rob Potter, Star Rentals general manager and president of the BC local, was kept busy fielding questions throughout the day.

Jan. 4, 2019 - The upcoming 2019 World of Asphalt Show & Conference is officially the largest World of Asphalt ever. The exhibition kicks off Feb. 12-14 in at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Nov. 27, 2018 - The 2019 edition of the National Heavy Equipment Show is approaching this March 28 and 29 at the International Centre in Mississauga. With event preparation in full force, visitor registration is now live and the expanded exhibit floor is closing in on sold-out status.

Oct. 22, 2018 - It is official: recreational marijuana is legal in Canada with effect from October 17. With that comes a patchwork of jurisdictional laws establishing where and how marijuana products will be sold and used by consumers.

Oct. 10, 2018 - Your investment in equipment is critical to your business. Whether a single machine is rented, leased, bought, or borrowed can make or a break a company in a matter of years.

Oct. 10, 2018 - The Buildings Show provides an unforgettable experience as Canada’s largest event for products, services, educational programming and professional networking for the Design, Architecture, Construction, Renovation and Real Estate sectors.

June 14, 2018 - The National Heavy Equipment Show is getting ready for another edition, with dates being announced for March 28 and 29, 2019 at the International Centre in Mississauga.

Shows across North America featured a vast array of new technology for the rental industry.