Two members of the Oregon equipment and event rental community — Nathan Manning and Cynthia Costa — have stepped up to new leadership positions in the ARA of Oregon, one as a brand-new board member and the other as the new board president.
Manning, manager of Portland Rent All – The Party Place, Portland, Ore., is the 2022-2023 president of the ARA of Oregon board. His family-run company traces its beginnings to 1963 when it operated as a United Rent All franchise. The entity left the franchise in 1968 and was renamed Portland Rent All. The business offers a mix of construction, general tool and party/event rental equipment.
Manning was born into the rental business. He first started working at Portland Rent All – The Party Place on weekends and during summer breaks at age 12, and upon graduating from college, he began working in the business on a full-time basis. Manning’s leadership roles in the industry have included serving on the ARA of Oregon board since 2019 and on the board that plans the Northwest Rental Conference. He is a member of the American Rental Association’s (ARA) Young Professional Network (YPN) and in 2021, he participated in ARA’s Leadership Conference.
As he steps up to the ARA of Oregon presidency, Manning says he is approaching the position as a learning opportunity and plans to keep the momentum going on face-to-face events. “It will be a learning role as much as a leadership role,” he says. “Being part of ARA has always been a learning experience for me, so this will open more chances to learn about the industry with this role. I want to get back to holding in-person meetings and events in general. We held our yearly Crab Feed this past year after two years of missing it, which was a lot of fun.”
Costa, co-owner of Pacific Rental Equipment in Florence, Ore., is a first-time ARA of Oregon board member. She established the business alongside her husband, Nick, in May 2020 on a small scale, by appointment only, and has overseen the enterprise as it has steadily grown in clientele and inventory offerings.
“We started with just one piece of equipment — a mini excavator — and slowly started adding to our fleet. We have a little storefront. It’s just Nick and I running the show right now. He has a full-time job in sales at a local off-road motorsport dealership and I run the rental business: I rent stuff out, check things in, order equipment, educate customers and do the books,” Costa says.
Pacific Rental Equipment’s primary customers are DIY consumers, followed by commercial clients. The business maintains inventory comprised of general tools along with heavier equipment, including mini excavators, skid steers, dump trailers and mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs).
The Costas attended the ARA of Oregon Crab Feed in February 2022 and when the callout for new board volunteers was extended, Costa decided to step up. “I raised my hand. I have also joined the ARA’s YPN and the Women in Rental group. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to meet more people who are part of the ARA to get more education and grow my knowledge of the industry,” she says.