A message from your regional director
By Connie Lannan
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A message from your regional director

Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) Region Five members. If you are like me, you are grateful that summer was very busy and fall looks like it is following the same trend. I know this is a double-edged sword, though. While it is great to have so many customers, the labor and supply-chain issues have put a strain on everyone. To say it has been a challenge is an understatement.

Even so, remember that winter is coming. Those cold Region Five months are just around the corner, so here’s my pep talk for everyone in our region, including myself: We need to do our best to finish the season strong so we can squirrel away those acorns, so to speak. We want to sit a little easier during the slower winter months.  

Now is also the time when many members renew their health insurance policies. If you are looking to do that, I strongly encourage you to check out ARA’s new solution for your group health care needs. The self-funded program offered through Allstate Benefits could provide you the cost savings, flexibility and quality health benefits you need. I recently went through the process and gained a significant savings by changing over. Feel free to reach out to me with questions about what the transition was like. For details about the program, click here.

We just completed the voting process for ARA national board positions. Soon you will officially have another representative for Region Five. His name is Robert Copley, CERP. Not only does he serve as sales manager for Event Essentials, Windsor, Wis., his family’s successful event rental operation, but he also serves as ARA of Wisconsin president. He was named one of the “12 to watch under 40” in Rental Management in 2014, served on the Party & Event Services Shared Interest Group from 2014-2016 and received the Region Five Leadership Impact Award in 2022. He will assume his duties at the end of The ARA Show™ in Orlando this February. I know you will offer him a hearty welcome as you have so graciously done to me.

Speaking of the show, this one-and-only buying, education and networking event for the equipment and event rental industry will take place Feb. 11-15, 2023, in Orlando. Housing has been open for some time. You should have received the online Show Planner by now, so check out all that is in store for you in Orlando and register beginning Oct. 18 at ARAshow.org.

Also, I know that many owners are the gatekeepers for ARA information. If you have someone in your operation who would benefit from Women in Rental (WIR) or Young Professional Network (YPN) activities, I encourage you to get them involved and have them attend these events. While both conferences scheduled for November are already sold out, there are the WIR Breakfast and the YPN Reception at the show. Those are great networking events to be part of, so make sure those in your business sign up.

Before I close, I want to offer my congratulations to Gina Glas, CERP, managing partner, A Classic Party Rental, Indianapolis, who also serves as treasurer for the ARA of Indiana, and Carey Bisonet, president, Alpine Events, Grand Rapids, Mich., and a member of the ARA of Michigan board of directors. They are the rental professionals from our region who were profiled in the “12 to watch under 40” section in the September issue of Rental Management. Way to go, Gina and Carey.

I hope you all have a great fall.

Dean Miller, CERP, Region Five director
Miller’s Party Rental Center
Akron, Ohio
330-352-2107
cdm@millersparty.com

 

 

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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