As tradition has it, the new board of directors of the Texas Rental Association (TRA) was sworn in during Roundup, the state association’s premier event, which took place June 21-22 at the new Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Round Rock. Please offer your congratulations to the new TRA board. Learn more about those who were recently elected to the board or to new positions on the board.
President: Dillon Hughes, owner, Only 1 Rentals, Navasota. Hughes takes over as president after serving as vice president. He has been a TRA board member since 2015.
Vice President: Keith Kitchens, CERP, vice president, Tomball Rental Center, Tomball. Kitchens moves to the vice president role after serving as secretary and treasurer. He has been a TRA board member since 2018.
Secretary and Treasurer: Gary Jones Jr., CEO, North Main Tool Rental, Houston, and North Main Tool Rental Magnolia, Magnolia
Jones, who had been serving as Area 4 director, decided to run for the secretary and treasurer position because he wanted to expand his leadership responsibilities. “I wanted to move up to more of a leadership position as I enjoy working with the board and my fellow rental members. I view this as an opportunity to learn and teach as well,” he says.
After spending 10 years as an auto technician and 13 years in IT for an oil and gas company, Jones decided to purchase a construction and general tool rental operation in Houston in 2016. In 2019, he expanded by opening the Magnolia location.
His unique combination of experiences has prompted him to ask questions and think out of the box. “In my whole career, that is what I have been good at — thinking in a different way than what has been done before,” he says.
That is an effective skill for board service, he notes. “I like helping people think in different ways. I like to ask open-ended questions and be inquisitive of existing processes to see how we can think more out of the box on what we are doing and why,” he says.
Jones also brings plenty of enthusiasm and a desire to learn. “I want to work with a great group of people and learn from them as much as I can,” he says.
His No. 1 goal is to grow Roundup. “We don’t want it to be just a show for owners. We want people to bring their employees. We expanded some this year and had more participants. That is exciting and encouraging,” he says.
Immediate Past President: Angela Nussel, CERP, vice president, Premiere Events, Austin. Nussel moves to this position after serving as president. She has been a TRA board member since 2014.
Area 1 Director: Jonathan Darby, manager, Great Plains Equipment Rental, Lubbock. Darby continues in his role as Area 1 director. He has been a TRA board member since 2020.
Area 2 Director: Matt Cosby, vice president, Peerless Events and Tents, Dallas. Cosby continues serving in this role. He has been a TRA board member since 2020.
Area 3 Director: DeMita Torrans, owner, Dot’s Rentals & Sales, Texarkana. Torrans continues serving in this role. She has been a TRA board member since 2020.
Area 4 Director: Jenna Rekoff, president, Galveston Rentals, Galveston
Rekoff started in the industry 12 years ago, first working the counter and doing inventory at her family-owned rental company, which caters primarily to the construction and general tool markets. Working in her
family’s business and learning the ropes with each new position she took helped her develop a real love for the rental industry.
Rekoff admits she has learned a lot in those 12 years. “I have firsthand experience with various positions within the rental company. I have an understanding of what each position requires,” she says.
For the past several years she has worked side-by-side with her brother-in-law. Rekoff felt she was ready to use those experiences to help others. That is why she decided to run for the TRA board
“I am very passionate about our industry. I thought by being on the board I could further my knowledge of the rental business, make lasting connections with other rental operators and share ideas I have learned and hear ideas from other rental business operators. Those ideas could help grow their rental businesses as well as mine even more,” she says.
Besides her experience, she brings a lot of enthusiasm to her new role. “I feel like I could be a great advocate for everyone in the Southeast region. I think I can offer a fresh perspective as a young rental professional. I am always ready to learn and grow and help others do the same,” she says.
Rekoff has definite goals she would like to accomplish during her tenure. “I would like to make a positive impact overall as I assist with various board duties. I also would love to make connections to better serve my company as well as other rental operations. And a personal goal of mine is to grow as an individual and become more social. I am a very shy person, so this is a big deal for me and I am just ready to grow. I also think it will be a great opportunity to inspire other women and, in particular, other young rental professionals to get involved in TRA,” she says.
Area 5 Director: Amanda Jones, CERP, owner, Tyler Tents and Events, Tyler
Coming from a family of rental operators, Jones has been a fixture at TRA Roundup events as far back as her preteen years. Now, after working in rental in both large and small markets, being the owner of her own rental business, gaining a wider perspective on the industry after participating in the Global Business Leadership Program and surviving the worst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, she felt it was time to get more involved.
“I felt that now was a really good time to be a part of the organization at a higher level. I think that through the pandemic it has shown what a need we have to come together as a group — that we have more power together than individually. And I felt like more stores needed that help and support now more than ever,” she says.
Jones is excited to take on this new role and feels she brings a diverse background to the board.
“First off, I am glad to be able to bring another woman’s perspective to the board. I am happy to say that there are many women on the board this year, including our past president. I own my own business, which brings a particular perspective. I also have worked in a large metroplex and now work in a smaller metroplex. I think I have that flexibility to see both sides of the coin,” she says.
Because Jones has experienced rental on a global scale, spending time in Australia via the Global Rental Alliance and the American Rental Associaton's (ARA) job-shadowing program, she has learned how to work on a “path of growth,” she says. “That is one of the things I learned a lot about when I was in Australia and working at the larger company here in Texas. I learned how both companies grew from a small to a much larger company. That is important for the mom-and-pops to be able to see how to get on a path of growth. I hope I can share that with others,” she says.
Jones says her main goal during her tenure is to help “increase the number of members who are active in the TRA and help TRA Roundup grow into an even larger educational and social event. I also hope that we can find a way to have a larger voice when it comes to some of the government and employment issues we are having right now,” she says.
“This past year with COVID and the need to isolate for so long has taught us how much we need that social networking on both an individual and company level,” she says, adding that she looks forward to a great year.
Area 6 Director: Stephanie Alberti, branch manager, United Rentals, Corpus Christi
Alberti had been serving as Area 7 director when she was relocated to the Corpus Christi branch. While still wanting to serve on the board, she will now move to the Area 6 director role.
Alberti brings more than eight years of experience in the heavy equipment industry within Texas and New Mexico. She has a strong knowledge base of the heavy equipment field across platforms as well as the industrial oil and gas markets. Her overall experience in the fast-paced oil and industrial segment has allowed her “to think on her feet. With the heavy equipment field being a close-knit industry, the ability to be able to cross reference markets is a highly under-utilized trait,” she says.
She is an active member in several of United Rentals’ employee groups, the first being Women United – a female focus group, which encourages and develops active women participation in career progression and education in the industry. She also is a member of a mentor/mentee program called UR pathways, which aids employee with career progression. In addition, she does volunteer work for local charities like CASA and Toys for Tots in her local communities with her team.
“As the Area 6 director, I will aim to utilize my tenure in the heavy equipment field to achieve more community involvement from those in heavy equipment and event rental segment who serve the Southern Texas area,” she says.
Area 7 Director: Kalli Jennings, advertising manager, Kaige Equipment, Odessa
Jennings first learned about ARA and TRA in early 2020 when she joined her family’s rental business, Kaige Equipment. “My family’s rental business, which was started by my father and uncle in 2016, became a Kubota dealership that year,” she says.
She learned about the benefits through Kubota. “When I first started with the company, I learned about the benefits that come from being an ARA member, including the great sales and discounts members can receive on their equipment. That intrigued me,” she says.
That intrigue deepened when Jennings received a call from Stephanie Alberti, then TRA Area 7 director, to see whether she might be interested in getting involved on the TRA board. Alberti, who was relocating to Corpus Christi, wanted to find someone from West Texas to fill her current seat on the board. “Stephanie and I really hit it off. As we were talking, I discovered what a great organization it was, and I said, ‘Yes, I would love to do this,’” Jennings says.
Jennings says she is “thrilled about joining the board and spreading awareness to the rental community here in West Texas. I know that when we came onboard, there was so much to learn and know about. We didn’t realize all the benefits that we had. It was like picking puzzle pieces together. It is crucial when these new members come onboard to let them know all the tools they have at their disposal.”
Being on the board will allow her to use her knowledge of running a rental and dealership operation as well as her marketing background. While she looks forward to learning more about TRA and ARA, Jennings also wants to “raise awareness and help others see the benefits and push memberships. I believe there is an opportunity for growth in my area. We have a lot of large rental companies out here, but I definitely feel there are a lot of mom-and-pop rental shops who might not know about all the benefits,” she says.
Director-at-Large: Brandon Marrs, president, Top Gunn Equipment Rentals, Austin. Marrs continues serving in this role. He has been a TRA board member since 2019.
Associate Member Director-at-Large (party and event): Kimmie Dunlay, vice president, G.E.T. Serveware, Houston
Dunlay is new to the rental industry. “Our company caters to the food service and tabletop solutions. The rental market is a new segment for us. The ARA Show™ in Orlando was our first show. The overwhelming
support and welcoming by everyone who attended was so great that we couldn’t stop talking about it. It is the relationship part that means so much to me. I want to think of myself as a source when it comes to product. If someone comes to me and we don’t have that product, I say, ‘Let me go find it for you.’ After attending the show, I knew I needed to get more involved,” she says.
That opportunity came when she saw the email requesting that members join the TRA board. “I have been on boards before. I have been on the American Culinary Federation Board, which is the governing body that gives chefs their chef’s titles and sat on their education board for its apprenticeship program. Our industry is changing — not just party and event but catering, restaurants, etc. You need to learn and adapt to changes so you can be there for your clients. Since this segment is a passion for me and for my company, I figured I could help and learn at the same time,” she says.
That passion for the party and event industry runs deep. Her husband, a chef for more than 40 years, is opening up two restaurants and a wedding venue on a 400-acre ranch with his business partner in Wimberly, Texas, which is part of the Hill Country. Dunlay is going to help with overseeing the wedding venue.
Serving on the TRA board will help her learn from a company perspective as well as on a personal level as she and her husband embark on this new adventure.
Dunlay considers herself a “creative out-of-the-box thinker” and hopes to help cultivate that passion for the industry by working with the board to create programs for youth to be introduced to the industry.
“When I lived in Colorado, we had a pro-start program in which we helped kids who wanted to get into culinary/hospitality management have a choice of an elective in high school. We created a cooking competition. I see similarities — not just setting up a booth at a job fair but also creating some educational programs. How do we make the party and event industry the loudest and the funnest? How do we help bring the next generation of kids into and get excited about the industry? I would like to bring ideas that could focus more on the educational piece with younger students,” she says.
She also wants to learn and connect with members to see how TRA can best serve their needs. “For the most part, it is important to be in touch with members — face to face or phone calls. We have gone through so much technology. We forget that our industry is the service industry. My goal is to go around the state and get to know the members on the professional and personal level — seeing collectively for the association — where we can build programs to assist them,” she says.
Associate Member Director-at-Large (construction and general tool): Brad Jeter, partner, Walsh-Jeter & Associates, Spring
Jeter, whose company serves rental operators in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, has been supporting TRA for years by being an independent manufacturer’s representative (IMR) and previously by serving on the TRA board from 2006-2008. When the opportunity arose for him to serve again, he jumped at the chance.
“This is an industry I love. I am lucky to do it. There are a lot of good people in our business that I get to talk to and see every day. I really enjoy what I do and feel fortunate to do it. Because I have been part of TRA for so long and believe in the organization, I wanted to help it remain a relevant association for our members,” he says.
He brings a lot of industry experience to the position. “I have been a manufacturer’s rep since 1995 and have taken part in Roundup and other TRA events for years. I bring a manufacturer’s perspective to the board, which I think can be helpful. I also bring an understanding of the requirements and responsibility this position holds,” he says.
His primary goal is to “ensure the success of the TRA Roundup. That event affects the most people within Texas, and I think it is something that can have a great impact. I would like to see it grow and help find new ways to encourage people to attend and show how it can benefit those who go,” he says.
He also would like to be a strong liaison with other IMRs. “I want to help them know what is going on with TRA. I want to help disseminate information and share the benefits of being actively involved in the TRA,” he says.