October 2017 Newsletter

 – October 2017 CRA Ontario Newsletter –

– Presidents Message – 

Greetings to all this fall October day.After a cool wet summer in our area, landscapers and contractors have been able to regain some lost ground with “finally” some beautiful fall weather here over the past few weeks.

September kicked off with the annual CRA Ontario Golf tournament held at Springfield Golf and Country Club in Guelph. The event was another resounding success with record attendance of nearly 100 golfers! Special thanks to Gord and his team for a fantastic job once again! We hope to see you all there again next year.

For the October meeting we will be heading to southwestern Ontario to Riverside Rentals in Tecumseh, with tours at Economy Rental in Leamington and Festival Tent & Party Rentals in Maidstone. We hope many of you will make the trip down for an evening of networking with your fellow peers in the industry. Regretfully I will be unable to attend as I will be out in the Maritimes on a moose hunt that week, so we hope to see you all the November meeting.

Thinking ahead to the ARA Show, Oct 31st is the deadline for the early bird registration for $99, after which the price goes up. So get your registrations in before the end of the month! Hotels have also been filling up really fast from what I am hearing so you may want to think of booking a room as well, otherwise you may be bringing a tent and sleeping bag!

 


CRA National Director, Colin Wilson, Presenting the Award for Supplier Of The Year to Matt Rahn of SkyJack. Thank you to SkyJack for your amazing contribution to our Industry and Association! 

 

Kim Rixon, CRA Ontario Vice President

As the seasons change from summer to fall we, in the event rental industry, start to think about ways of keeping busy and generating income over the slower months.  It’s a great time to do analysis on rental items and see what has performed well and what should go out in a blaze of glory.  Now is the season for going over inventory to ensure it is in tip top condition after a season of being used and abused by customers and employees alike.

This time of year always brings a certain amount of sadness for me, not only for the shorter hours and onset of seasonal depression on the horizon but for the decrease in employee banter and excited chatter in the mornings.  Don’t get me wrong, people are still chattering away in the mornings, there are just less of them.

We lose many seasonal staff back to school at the end of August and I often wonder what happens to them after they leave our doors for the last time that season; will they come back in the spring or find a new and equally exciting opportunity somewhere else or will they just decide that one season was enough.  I suppose some people don’t realize that the event industry is very labour intense although I’m not sure how they thought those tents erect themselves?  Whatever the case there are always employees who stand out as stellar employees and those, who if you saw them next week you’d quickly hide behind the sale items at the end of an aisle in the grocery store.  It is always rewarding to run into former employees, ask what they are doing now and hear how they’ve grown as people.  Some, you just know right from the start that they are going to be something special so to know that you had a part of getting them to where they are today is an immensely satisfying feeling.

That’s why it hurts so much when government decides they want more of your already small piece of the pie.  With the new changes to minimum wage in Ontario and now the proposed changes to Corporate Tax structure coming into effect January 1, 2018 our already hard hit industry is going to more hurdles and challenges to face.  If you are thinking of handing your business down to your kids or even selling to a family member, you will want to inform yourself of the proposed changes as they will directly affect you.  How much more of your hard earned dollars are you willing to give to the government without a fight?    As a small business owner you have employed countless people over the years because you had a vision and a desire to accomplish something bigger than yourself so what have you been labouring your whole working career for?  If these proposed changes come through there might not be much of your empire left to retire on or pass on to your kids.  I urge you to read up on these proposed changes which were introduced in July when most of us were too busy to breathe, talk to your accountant and then start contacting your MP and pushing back against these proposed changes.  We, as an Association, have a large voice and it’s time we let our voice be heard.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you in Windsor October 18 for the member’s meeting with Riverside Rentals, Festival Tent and Party Rentals and Economy Rental.  You won’t want to miss this event!

*Disclaimer:  The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of Kim Rixon and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Canadian Rental Association or its members or its local Associations.*


— Save The Date – November 2017 Member Meeting —


CRA (ON) 2017 GOLF TOURNAMENT A HUGE SUCCESS…ONCE AGAIN!

Springfield Golf and Country Club just outside of Guelph, ON once again hosted our Annual Golf Tournament. Sunshine, blue skies, and unseasonably warm temperatures greeted the golfers at Springfield on September 19th.

Those in attendance experienced many new things this year. The almost 100 “duffers” saw many new faces at our tournament, an increase in Sponsorship Commitments, and more special hole challenges to mention but a few.

CRS Contractors Rental Supply donated their Cadillac Golf Cart to help us raise money for a local charity. Golfers were able to buy draw tickets for a chance to Ride the Cadillac for the day. The draw generated $350, which was matched by the Golf Tournament Committee, for a Grand Total of $700 which was donated to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington at the cheque presentation during the Awards Banquet. A special thank you goes out to Kevin Roberts of CRS who offered the cart to us and arranged for its delivery to and from the golf course.

At the end of the day, the best score was a whopping 10 under shot by the stacked team of Colin Goheen, TJ Johnson, Brad Zanini and Steve Ransom.

Special Hole Winners

Hole #1- Closest to the Hose – Corey Colarossi – Sponsored by National Hose

Hole #4 – Closest to the Pin – Pat Flannery (who actually got a Hole in One!). Sponsored by RentQuip

Hole #7- Hole in One Challenge – No Winner, but Scott Todd was the Closest          Sponsored by SkyJack

Hole #9 – Hole in One Challenge – No Winner, but Allan Dengo was the Closest          Sponsored by DeBoer’s Equipment

Hole #10 – Laser Drive – Bryan Long – Sponsored by Cavalier Industries Ltd.

Hole #11 – Womens’ Long Drive – Lucie Giroux – Sponsored by Muskoka Party Rentals

Hole #12 – Hole in One Challenge – No Winner – Sponsored by A World of Rentals

Hole #13 – Longest Putt with a Reverse Putter – Colin Goheen – Sponsored by CRA (Ontario) Hole#16 – Mens’ Long Drive – Corey Colarossi – Sponsored by Wacker Neuson

Hole #17 – Closest to the Pin – Colin Goheen – Sponsored by The Toro Company

Hole #18 – Longest Putt Sunk – Jonathan Heathcote – Sponsored Vermeer

The Putting Contest Winner was Al Carruthers

A great big THANK YOU goes out to all the incredible Sponsors, too numerous to list here. A list of Sponsors appears on the CRA (Ontario) website www.craontario.org

The date for next year’s tournament has tentatively been booked for Tuesday September 18, 2018…MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Serious about profit? Attend The Rental Show 2018

There’s no better place than The Rental Show® to discover new products, learn best practices and gain valuable connections that can boost your business as well as your bottom line. So, if you are really serious about profit, then you need to attend the 2018 Show, Feb. 18-21 in New Orleans.

Here are just a few highlights of what the 2018 Show will offer:

  • A full day of education on Sunday, Feb. 18: Learn about everything from sales excellence and social media marketing to customer service and success management.
  • More than 700 exhibitors: See new equipment, ask questions and save money on exclusive Show-Only Specials available just during the trade show.
  • Networking events: Connect with peers from around the world at the the Lunch with ARA, the ARA Foundation Charity Auction and Reception, the Young Professionals Network Reception and the Bayou Bash at the House of Blues on Feb. 20.
  • Keynote address: Become inspired by the Scott Brothers, Jonathan and Drew, stars of “Property Brothers” on HGTV. Then have your photo taken with them between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. in the ARA Resource Center.
  • Canadian Rental Association events: Network with your Canadian peers at the hospitality event from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Generations Hall on Sunday, Feb. 18, and then attend the general meeting from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19.

These benefits and so many more are waiting for you this February in New Orleans. Registration opens Tuesday, Sept. 5. Sign up early to take advantage of the special full registration rate of US$119. This rate, good through Oct. 31, includes all three days of the trade show, education on Feb. 18 and the keynote session on Feb. 19.

In addition to registering, book your room at the official Canadian Rental Association hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The member rate is US$227 per night. It’s a great location — adjacent to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk as well as near Harrah’s Casino, the famous New Orleans streetcar lines and just a few blocks from the French Quarter.

Benefit yourself and your business. Register beginning Sept. 5 at TheRentalShow.com.

 



Build your financial success with the new Cost of Doing Business Report

Nancy Snell, CERP, owner of NJS Design Event & Party Rentals in Clinton, has been relying on the Cost of Doing Business Report from the American Rental Association for years to be more competitive and financially successful. “We use the information as benchmarks to measure our business against and provide insight into what others are doing, what we need to shoot for and what areas we excel at,” she says.

After looking at her return on investment, Snell saw “what others in the industry were producing per square foot. After that, we culled the inventory from our warehouse that was not making money because every square foot of inventory in the warehouse has to be producing revenue,” she says.

Neil De Jong, owner of Industrial Tools & Equipment Rentals in Hamilton, is just getting started at using this report. “My rental peers have been using it for a long time and I thought it was time to compare our business with other similar operations to see how we fare. Maybe we can find areas to improve,” he says.

See how you can build your success by accessing the brand-new online report that offers:

  • A rental-specific on-demand report.
  • Industry benchmarking data, including key financial ratios.
  • A profit improvement guide.

The cost is $350 for members. Those who participated in the Cost of Doing Business survey will receive access for free.

For more information and to purchase the report, go to ARArental.org/go/CODB. For questions, contact ARA’s Member Services at 800-334-2177.



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The CRA (Ontario) Board of Directors sends their CONGRATULATIONS to Darryl Lampkin and the entire Echo Rental Team on recently being voted the BEST EQUIPMENT RENTAL STORE in Sudbury by readers of the Sudbury Star!

 


Young Professionals Network

Young professionals are the future of the equipment rental industry. That’s why we’re excited to invest in our future leaders through the ARA Young Professionals Network (YPN). This free membership benefit is administered by the ARA Foundation.

Why join? Our mission is to help you learn about the industry, advance your career and establish relationships that will not only help you grow personally and professionally but also ensure a vibrant industry for future generations. Benefits include:

  • Invitations to exclusive YPN events — including the annual YPN networking reception at The Rental Show and “40 Under 40” networking conferences.
  • Access to the online directory, listing all YPN members and their contact information.
  • Details on The Rental Show seminars that are geared toward young professionals.
  • A free subscription to Rental Management, the award-winning monthly magazine dedicated to the success of your equipment rental business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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