To James Bruner, founder of All American Event and Party Rental Center, Cincinnati, who passed away May 12, the rental business was more than an occupation. It was a way of living that centered around assisting others, being a strong advocate for the industry and helping solve his customers’ issues.
His son, Kevin, worked side by side with his father at the rental business for years before taking it over, rebranding it to Cincinnati Event Rental and then selling it to Prime Time Party & Event Rental in Dayton, where he now serves as sales representative. At his father’s funeral, he summed up James’ love for and commitment to the industry.
“He always told me that what he loved was when a person walked in the door to our business. He knew they were walking in with a need and that we were going to be the people who helped them get through whatever that need is. It could be as simple as a clogged toilet or as detailed as a wedding, but he loved the fact that they have a specific need that we are going to help take care of,” Kevin says.
Helping solve needs was a constant theme throughout James’ life. It is why he became so involved at the local, state and national levels of rental, serving on the board of the Greater Cincinnati Tool Rental Association (GCTRA) for many years, including as president in 1986. He was elected American Rental Association (ARA) Region Five director in 1990 and spent several years on the ARA of Ohio board, serving as president from 1996-1997; from 2001-2007; and then again from 2012-2014.
Tim Maloney Sr., CERP, president, Canton Chair Rental, Canton, Ohio, served with James for years on the ARA of Ohio board.
“We started the ARA of Ohio association to provide mostly lobbying on a state level and to do training the locals could not afford to do but the ARA of Ohio could do. Jim was passionate about all of that,” Maloney says.
During their tenure, the state board was very active. “Jim, Larry Hutson [president, American Rent-All, Toledo, Ohio] and I, in conjunction with the rest of the board and ARA, were able to pass the theft of services and conversion bills. Conversion was first — both have been very important to all of us in Ohio. Jim was a great collaborator and always very good at recognizing that we should not work alone. That is why he leveraged our relationship with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) with our lobbying efforts. He was a big proponent of ARA of Ohio being a sponsor of NFIB’s Small Business Day at the Capital since NFIB had all the contacts with state lawmakers. He also had NFIB help us start our workers’ comp rating program, which saved Ohio rental store members tens of thousands of dollars. It still does. Jim pushed to have the savings from that program be used to start ARA of Ohio scholarships, which we now have the ARA Foundation administer. He was big on education, teaming with the locals to offer training for everyone in the Ohio rental industry. Jim recognized the importance of ARA, ARA of Ohio and the locals working together. He was strong but in a very nice way. He had a knack for bringing people together and wasn’t afraid to try new things,” Maloney adds.
Hutson agrees. “The neat thing on the ARA of Ohio board was that Jim brought us all together, and when we had a meeting, we got a lot done. We got theft of services and conversion laws passed and the workers’ comp group started. We did a lot of safety things. We solved some problems that other stores were having. Rental members would contact us to see if we could help them. We, as a board, would go and help them,” he says.
Mike Whalen, owner, Schulhoff Tool Rental, Cincinnati, who now serves as ARA of Ohio secretary, worked with James on the ARA of Ohio board. “Jim was a very moving force in getting things done. He and Tim went to the Ohio Legislature and testified several times to get the theft of services bill approved and passed. There was a story that when they were testifying for the theft of services bill, one of the questioners in the Senate started giving Jim a tough time. He became very passionate. That passion paid off. It passed,” he says.
On the national front, James and other members of the ARA of Ohio board lobbied through ARA’s National Legislative Caucus for the passage of surge brakes for small- and medium-size trailers. “He was on the ARA of Ohio board when that issue passed,” Kevin says.
Where did all that passion for the industry come from? Perhaps it was generated by the fact that he came from a rental family.
“Jim’s father, George, worked for Schulhoff Tool Rental,” says Charlie Neffle, chairman, All Occasions Event Rental, Cincinnati, who served as ARA president from 2001-2002. “Schulhoff hired a lot of firemen to work in his rental store. Jim’s father started that way. He then opened Cincy Tool Rental. Jim started in the restaurant business and then came back to the family equipment rental business.”
It wasn’t long though, given James’ background in the restaurant business, that the itch to move into party and event rental took precedence. “That is why he opened All American Equipment and Party Rental Center and then moved completely to party and event, renaming the store All American Event and Party Rental Center,” Kevin says.
“He loved the industry, and as far as ARA, the GCTRA and the ARA of Ohio, he put the importance on this community and the relationships that meant so much to him. He always looked forward to all the local shows and the national conventions just to see people in this industry he had been around all these years. He wanted us to support ARA because of all the good things that ARA did. That is what drew me to be on the ARA Foundation board a few years ago and be a member of the ARA of Ohio board — to try to follow in his footsteps and try to help in that way as well,” Kevin says.
While a quiet man, he had a fierce sense of humor. “He always was very, very funny. It was a quiet funny. You had to make sure you were listening,” Kevin remembers.
Maloney and Hutson say the three of them always had a lot of laughs.
“He had a very good sense of humor. When the three of us would get together, there would be a lot of shenanigans going on. Because of that, I started calling us the ‘three amigos,’” Hutson says.
Family also was very important to him. “He was a good man, a good friend and a real good father,” Whalen says.
Kevin saw that firsthand when he worked all those years with his father.
“We had a unique relationship. My dad and I looked at each other more like work colleagues. We could bounce ideas off each other. He never put me in a position where it was like, ‘This is my business and this is my way, and you are just my son coming into it.’ He let me have a voice. When I did voice an opinion, he made sure it was an educated opinion. He never hid anything from me as far as how the industry or the business worked. He definitely motivated me,” Kevin says.
James did suffer tragedy in his life. He and his wife, Linda, lost their daughter to cancer. They established “Ladybugs for Lisa” in her memory.
All agree he had a major impact on the industry.
“He was able to deliver locally in Cincinnati and in the state, rental benefits and training. He brought home on an individual level what was being done on a national level with the ARA,” Maloney says.
But it was the personal impacts he made that are just as lasting. “I learned a lot from him, especially how to be respectful of other people’s ideas and thoughts, especially on a board level. He listened far better and talked far less than I do. The ultimate compliment I believe you can give someone is that they are an all-around great person. He was that all-around great person and friend who made a difference in our industry and to everyone he knew,” Maloney adds.
Hutson agrees. “He wanted to make it known that we are all in this together. When he was Region Five director, he wasn’t impressed by the number of stores you had. He was impressed with what you did for your community and your employees. I remember I first met him after I bought my business. He mentored me and took me under his wing. He was a very good friend,” Hutson says.
James, who passed away at age 73, is survived by his wife, Linda Bruner; son Kevin (Cindy) Bruner; son-in-law, Eric Nusbaum; grandchildren, Maddie and Ella Nusbaum, and Owen, Amelia and Audrey Bruner; siblings, Bob Bruner, Don Bruner and Barb Leik. Memorials may be made to “Ladybugs for Lisa” at 5/3 Bank.