Counter Talks

Smart contractors are always looking for ways to reduce or prevent injuries on their jobsites. The effort pencils out pretty easily: balance the cost of putting some procedures in place and renting ergonomic equipment versus the cost of lower productivity, lost labour time and potential compensation claims. Rental stores can help by asking the right questions about how equipment will be used and recommending options that reduce fatigue, strain and exposure to vibration. Lin Yu from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, Issac Rudik, Canadian safety manager for HERC Rentals and Peter Maginnis, president of Makinex, joined Counter Talks to educate about common construction injuries, how the latest technology can help and what rental stores should think about when providing equipment to customers and their back shops.

Robert Elias has brought a wealth of experience in marketing and publishing in the construction industry to his new role at Canadian Rental Service. In this episode, he an host Patrick Flannery indulge in some inside-baseball talk about his experiences in the trade press, how things are changing in the world of corporate communications, what an effective marketing campaign looks like and the importance of old-school media like print magazines and trade shows.

Last year in Ontario, 30 percent of all the working people who died from opioid overdose worked in the construction industry. It’s clearly time for we who employ tradespeople to pay some extra attention to this issue and be prepared to help those in our companies who struggle with substance use and misuse. To help, Jan Chappel, a senior occupational health and safety specialist with CCOHS, joined Counter Talks to give us some advice on what to look for in employee behaviour that might indicate a problem; how to address the issue; and where to find the resources both you and your employee might need.

It’s only taken 28 years but Jim Clipperton is realizing his dream of being able to provide the Nor-Val Rentals standard of service from one end of B.C.’s Okanagan Valley to the other. With his latest acquisition, Nor-Val is up to six locations serving mostly construction and homeowner needs, as well as two Bobcat dealerships. Clipperton joined CounterTalks to talk about how he’s done it, what he’s learned and to reflect on where the rental industry is and where it’s going. In the end, it’s all about the people and the people who like them.

Kevin Forestell is CEO and founder of Dozr, a successful online rental service that could be described as the Expedia of rentals, matching contractors to the rental equipment they are looking for through a network of participating rental stores. Kevin explains what Dozr is and how online rentals and e-commerce works to improve the lives of customers and store owners alike. But he fields some tough questions, too: how can online rentals emulate the service and interaction you get at a store? And will they drive rates down?

Angie Venekamp, the American Rental Association director for Canada, and James Auerbach, vice-president of the event sector, join Counter Talks to update us on the association’s activities and focus as we start 2022. The ARA has big initiatives in the works including some Canadian-specific online webinars, a new certified training program for equipment rental operator, elevated lift training and more. Plus we talk about plans for the return of the ARA show in 2023. And, this just in, Canadians can now pay their ARA dues in Canadian dollars!

And now for something a little different. Annex’s group publisher for the Light Construction Group, Danielle Labrie, joins Pat Flannery to talk about the last year in the rental industry and what they’ve been hearing and seeing in our industry. We take a look behind the curtain at our magazines, podcasts and social media channels and all the changes and developments that happened in 2021 and are coming up for 2022. It’s the start of a new year, so here’s to a great 2022!

Nick Holsinger is the Canadian account manager for EquipmentWatch, a construction data group. EquipmentWatch does a particularly good job of compiling information on the rental industry, so Nick joined the podcast to share their insights into how Canadian rental rates have moved during the pandemic and what that might tell us about the overall impact of COVID on the industry. The talk went farther afield that that, though – Nick also gets into used equipment prices, inflation, supply chain impacts and much more.

Keeping an eye (and ear) on your critical materials, equipment and personnel is more important than ever. Luckily, technology in site security systems is advancing quickly. Gavin Daly of Axis Communications joins Counter Talks to talk about the principles of security systems: what are the objectives? What is possible and not possible? What threats and opportunities should you consider? He touches on the other uses of site surveillance, too, including controlling access, identifying safety risks and improving operations. With possibilities for audio pickup, networked speakers, low-light and high resolution cameras, facial recognition and remote monitoring, it's not about getting a grainy black-and-white video picture any more.

Jim Boddez knows western Canadian rentals. He’s been working in the industry since the late ‘80s, including 16 years with Finning where he was involved with the acquisition of several rental stores. Since 2016, he and his brother, Bob, and business partner, Craig Barnstable, have been building Five Bo into a major rental equipment supply house in the prairies and B.C. Now, with the acquisition of Hy-Cor, they are turning their eyes to Ontario. Boddez joined Counter Talks to talk about mergers and acquisitions in the rental industry; the western Canadian rental market; the rapid growth of Five Bo and much more.