Recent elections bring new faces to the ARA of Colorado board
By Connie Lannan
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Recent elections bring new faces to the ARA of Colorado board

The ARA of Colorado recently held its board elections. Chris Dahmer, general manager, Arvada Rent-Alls, Arvada, Colo., and Phillip (Phil) Jordan, district sales manager, United Rentals, Front Range, based in Denver, are the newest members to join the board.

Dahmer began his rental career as a driver at Neff Rentals. “When I first started, I didn’t even know I could make a career in rental, but once I got in, I realized that this is something I truly love and enjoy doing. I saw the different avenues that can be taken and progressed from being a driver to inside sales, then outside sales and then strategic accounts manager. I was in branch management when I left Neff in 2017 after it was bought out by United Rentals. I transitioned to Arvada Rent-Alls as general manager,” he says.

When he joined Arvada Rent-Alls, he was exposed to all the different opportunities offered by the American Rental Association (ARA) at the national level as well as at the state level through the ARA of Colorado. “Our company is super-involved with ARA and several of the foundations in the community. I always had access to those, but when you work for a big corporation, they are not as well-known. Getting to go to The ARA Show™ — the first one I went to was in Louisiana in 2018 after I joined Arvada Rent-Alls. It was such a great experience. I have been every year since. I learned about a lot of great resources from ARA when I started working at Arvada Rent-Alls. I have seen so much value in being involved with ARA, and I wanted to be part of that a little more. I wanted to increase my knowledge and share my career experiences with some of the new members,” he says.

When the opportunity to join the ARA of Colorado board arose, he was excited to put his name in the running.

“I have a lot of experience in the industry as I have been doing this for close to 18 years now. I have been on the corporate side and am now on the independent side. I have both perspectives as well as the expertise and knowledge I have gained from working over the years. I would like to share that with new people who might be looking for a career in the industry. I wish there would have been someone there guiding me as I was working my way up in the industry. That is what I try to do with the young people who join our organization here at Arvada Rent-Alls — paint the picture of the opportunities our industry can provide for them. I know all my experiences — especially all those years spent on the rental counter — helped me be the person I am today,” he says.

Dahmer would like to “continue to give back as much as I can to this industry. I also would like to get more people involved with the ARA of Colorado,” he says. While board service is new to him, he is excited to “first absorb everything I can and then see how I can best assist.”  

Jordan grew up in a United Rentals household with his father working for the company. When it was time to start looking for a career after graduating from college, he immediately applied at United Rentals. “I got on with United Rentals at the location closest to the college I had just graduated from, starting as an inside sales representative on the counter,” he says.

That was 12 years ago. During this time, he quickly moved up the ladder. “I then went to outside sales, then branch manager and now I am the district sales manager for the whole Front Range, which spans from Wyoming to the New Mexico border and also covers Eagle, which is a city in the mountains in Colorado,” he says.

For Jordan, the equipment rental industry was the perfect career choice. “I kind of grew up around the industry since my father has been in it. I have learned that it keeps you on your toes. There is not really a lot of black and white, but there is a lot of gray, and it involves a lot of strategy. For instance, there are different problems you face every day. The fun part is finding a solution for your company and the customer,” he says.

When he learned about the opportunity to join the ARA of Colorado board, Jordan knew it was something he wanted to do. “I figured it would be a good way for me to be more involved, to network and to learn more by taking a deeper dive into the industry I love,” he says.

As a new board member, “I know there is a lot I need to learn about my part on the board, but I am eager to get involved and see how I can best help and serve the board,” he says. “I bring a lot of leadership skills as I have run several large branches across the country and have the sales background. Perhaps I can bring a different perspective, too, working for a large company. There are a lot of local players on the board, so it might be good to have someone from a bigger company on there to see the differences and similarities,” he says.

Be sure to thank all the rental operators who are serving in leadership roles for the state chapter:

President: Jeff Jackson, owner, All Purpose Rental & Sales, Greeley

Vice president: Meagan Priest, manager, Chair Rental, Englewood

Treasurer: T.J. Hermesman, owner, Ted’s True Value Rental, Durango

Board member: Chris Dahmer

Board member: Jesse Myers, manager, Black Dog Equipment, Montrose

Board member: Phil Jordan

Associate member director: Herb White II, president, Continental Divide Marketing, Golden

Connie Lannan

Connie LannanConnie Lannan

Connie Lannan is special projects editor for Rental Management. She helps plan, coordinate, write and edit ARA’s quarterly regional newsletters, In Your Region. She also researches, writes and edits news and feature articles for Rental Management, Rental Pulse, supplements, special reports and other special projects. Outside of work, she loves to bake for others, go for walks with her husband and volunteer for her church and causes she believes in.

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