Hello, American Rental Association (ARA) Region One members.
I think we’re all feeling a little déjà vu at the moment: Just when people were ready to get back to normal and start planning summer events, a new strand of COVID is causing a spike in canceled events and quarantines of vital personnel. As always, we in the equipment and event rental community need to find silver linings amid an uncertain outlook.
Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do on the event rental side but “wait and see.” Hopefully, we’ll discover that cases will trend downward as we head toward spring and move past the season of close-contact illnesses. Yes, people are cautious all over again now, but we know that can change quickly with a little movement in the right direction. Hang in there.
Things are looking positive on the equipment rental side. There have been a lot of mergers and acquisitions across that segment, but 2021 ended positive for many companies and 2022 seems off to a good start. Equipment that was ordered during the previous years is starting to arrive, which points to the supply chain tie-ups easing a little.
Staffing is still a large problem for most of us and starting wages have had to be crazy compared to previous years. But there are people out there looking for work in our industry — just look at the ARA Job Board. Since the job board launched last spring, more than 14,000 open positions have been posted by rental companies, and more than 500,000 candidates have reviewed those openings. Give this resource a try. Remember, ARA members receive five free job postings per year on the job board.
Free money is always good news. If you’re fortunate to have people in your family or operation intent on a career in rental and planning to attend school in the fall, know that there is $128,500 in scholarship money on the table through the ARA Foundation. Get all the details inside this issue of In Your Region.
As we move deeper into 2022 — my last year as a qualifying member of ARA’s Young Professional Network (YPN), incidentally — may we all experience a wellspring of hope and prosperity. Speaking of YPN, I strongly encourage those of you aged 40 and under to check out the terrific networking and industry friend-making benefits of that awesome group. If you’re not part of it, sign up today.
Please reach out to me with any questions, concerns or just to “talk shop.”
Julie Creedon-Linton, CERP, ARA Region One director
Creedon & Co.
Worcester, Mass.
508-792-3100
julie@creedonandco.com