Danny Showalter, president, Central Virginia Rental (CVR Rentals), Waynesboro, Va., has taken on the role of president for the ARA of Virginia. Showalter, who joined the ARA of Virginia board of directors in 2019 and has served as treasurer, succeeds Tom Morley, president, D&B Rentals, Sales & Service, Sterling, Va.
As he steps into the presidential slot, Showalter says his No. 1 priority will be to guide his board of directors as they ask some important self-assessment questions.
“I want to look at how we can create value for members,” Showalter says. “Our board wants to continue serving our members, so we’ll ask, ‘How can we create value for them? What are members looking for? and What exactly can we do to help members in different situations?’ The answers will be different for everybody in the state, whether they be in party, light construction or heavy equipment.”
Showalter hopes to find answers to these questions through direct outreach and finding new methods of involving overworked rental operators in state chapter activities.
“Some of that can be done through strategic outreach, where we can do specific things that target some of the smaller guys to help them get involved,” he says. “Maybe they can’t go to some of our events because they’re limited with help. Being that a lot of people are limited with help these days, we will need to reach out to those individuals, supply them with information and find learning avenues that can help them grow in their business. I think there are some takeaways that we can learn from other ARA state chapters and things they have done. We don’t necessarily have to recreate the wheel, but we also want to be creative in our own state in what we do.”
CVR Rentals was established in 1972 by Norman Kiser. Initially an equipment rental concern, the company opened a full-service party center in 1988. Today, CVR Rentals operates from eight locations in central Virginia and offers an extensive inventory of party/event supplies and equipment for homeowner, contractor, retailer and industrial needs.