Budde and Crawford join the ARA of Minnesota board of directors
By Brock Huffstutler
Print

Budde and Crawford join the ARA of Minnesota board of directors

Jake Budde, owner, Rent N Save, Faribault, Minn., has joined the ARA of Minnesota board of directors.

Established in 1980, Rent N Save offers a mix of equipment and event rentals from four locations throughout southern Minnesota. The company also is a provider of portable restroom solutions.

Jake Budde

Budde, a second-generation rental owner, grew up in the rental business. Although he spent a few years gaining experience outside of the industry, he always knew rental was a vocation he would return to.

“I went to school and practiced public accounting for a few years after college, but ultimately knew my path would be in the rental business, which is where I have been since 2012,” he says.

Budde credits his new role on the ARA of Minnesota board team to a desire to step up to a leadership role in the industry and outreach from professional contact — and ARA of Minnesota associate member director — Joshua Swanson, territory sales manager with Great Northern Equipment Distributing, Rogers, Minn.

“I have been looking for an opportunity to get involved and when Joshua mentioned that a spot was open on the board, it seemed like the right time to get involved,” Budde says.

Budde says he answered the call to serve because “In an industry with mostly independent operators, I just felt the commitment to get involved at the industry level and take some time to learn and help in any capacity that I can.”

As for plans during his tenure on the board, Budde has no specific agenda, just a sense of duty to bettering the business to which he has devoted his career. “I just want to help the industry and make sure Minnesota is represented within ARA [American Rental Association],” he says.

Andy Crawford is the regional rental national account manager – north-central region for La Mirada, Calif.-based Makita USA — an equipment rental industry supplier of corded and cordless power tools, pneumatics, power equipment and accessories.

Crawford joins the team in the role of associate member director. In this position, he will provide input and deliver viewpoints to the board from the equipment supplier perspective while assisting with overall member engagement.

“I have been involved in the rental industry with Makita for the last three years. I have worked in the power tool industry for nearly 20 years dealing with contractors, distributors and end users throughout the Upper Midwest. Prior to that, I served in the United States Army for over a decade in various roles, from infantryman to officer,” Crawford says of his background leading up to his current role with Makita.

Andy Crawford

Reflecting his service to his country, Crawford is involved in the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the American Legion.

Crawford says his interest in taking on a role with the ARA of Minnesota board was stoked while speaking with some of the board members at The ARA Show™ in Las Vegas in 2021. “I spent time with members during social events last year and enjoyed the spirit of friendship expressed with each other. I wanted to be more involved with the ARA membership throughout my territory. I feel that to become a true partner with my customers, direct involvement with the industry is important,” he says.

While he serves on the board of directors, Crawford wants “to be an advocate for associate member involvement with the Minnesota membership and work closely with the board and members to foster positive working relationships with fellow associate members and across the membership.”

Brock Huffstutler

Brock HuffstutlerBrock Huffstutler

Brock Huffstutler is the regional news editor for Rental Management. He writes and edits articles for ARA’s In Your Region quarterly regional newsletters, Rental Management, Rental Pulse and other special projects. Outside of work, he enjoys biking and spending time at the few remaining vintage record stores in the region.

Other articles by Brock Huffstutler
Contact author

Contact author

x

Don’t miss the latest news from the equipment and event rental industry. Click here to subscribe to In Your Region. Also, be sure to sign up for a free subscription to Rental Pulse and Rental Management magazine.

 


An official publication of the American Rental Association.
Produced by Rental Management. Copyright © 2022 Rental Management all rights reserved