Counter Talks

Governments across Canada have started mandating proof-of-vaccination for customers attending non-essential public spaces. They aren’t affecting us yet, but could down the road depending on the pandemic numbers and how governments decide to return us to normal. Ryan Mallough, Ontario director of provincial affairs for CFIB joins the podcast to give us the full FYI on vaccine passports and outline some of the benefits and concerns he sees for small businesses across the country. He’s also got some recommendations for businesses wondering what to do about vaccine-hesitant employees, and doesn’t mince words when it comes to anti-vax protestors showing up at stores and restaurants.

Derek Betcher, sales support manager for John Deere, joins Counter Talks to give us the manufacturer’s-eye-view of the Canadian construction equipment market:what’s hot, what’s not, what’s hard to get and what’s coming. Our conversation touches on the automation and tracking trends, the changes Deere is seeing in demand across the country, the effects of the pandemic on sales and supply and much more. Deere’s businesses a bellweather for all our businesses, so Betcher’s insights give us the lay of the land when looking at our fleet needs for the next rental seasons.

Adam Snook, serial rental industry entrepreneur and owner of JustBins in Regina, joins Counter Talks to talk about his regular column in Canadian Rental Service magazine, “Hope is Not a Plan,” and just about every other rental issue under the sun. Adam has some strong ideas about how to compete, how to reach new customers, how to position your company and how we should feel about surviving the last two years.

If you think women have the same experience as men in the rental world, think again. Canadian Rental Service associate editor, Sukayna Ray Ghosh, leads a discussion with three women who have risen to leadership in the rental industry. They’ll talk about what it took for them to make their careers, the changes they’ve seen over the years, the challenges women still face and the prospects for young women in our stores and yards. Store owners looking for the next generation of talent – listen up!

There seems to come a time in the evolution of every large rental chain where it becomes interested in creating specialized rental operations focused on a specific niche. Cooper Equipment Rentals, now at 50 locations across Canada, reached that point a few years ago. Cam Dougherty helped start Cooper’s first foray into trench safety rentals and now heads the specialized rental division of the company. He joined Counter Talks to talk about Cooper’s strategy in choosing niches to focus on, the hard work required to get established in a niche, the benefits it brings to the overall business and the increasing interest in safety as part of what a rental store does.

Like the sign on the bar promising free beer tomorrow, self-driving vehicles and automated construction equipment always seems to be five years away. Allan Rutter of Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute joins CounterTalks to update us on where this technology is now and how far away it might be from your rental store. We discuss the technology behind self-driving vehicles; the places and ways they are being used now; what the immediate future of automated trucking might look like; where automated construction equipment is likely to be most effective; safety; liability and much more.

Equipment theft has always been a big concern for the rental industry. We put big, expensive machinery out there that is purposely made so that anyone can jump in and operate it. We have no control over how well our customers secure their jobsites after hours. There’s a robust black market for the machinery, and insurance companies charge hefty premiums to cover the risk. Added to all that, the legal status of machinery that is rented and then kept past the contract is ambiguous in many jurisdictions. It’s often down to us to track and recover the equipment we rent. Clyde Arceneaux provides anti-theft technology to rental stores and joins Counter Talks to share his thoughts, experiences and expertise on how to best keep your valuable assets safe.

On March 24, Jeff Campbell of St. Thomas Rent-All, Blake Menning of All Choice, Paul Van Staveren of Stayner Rental and Mike Wood of Ottawa Special Events joined the Rental Mart online event to shoot the breeze about the big issues facing the rental industry today. Like how to keep your tow-behind booms from icing up. It was a lot of fun and some great insights were exchanged. Here’s the audio ICYMI.

One of the most frustrating things for any business owner is to face circumstances that hurt your business that you can do little or nothing about. The pandemic has certainly been this for Canada’s party and event rental industry. Eureka! is doing its part to help with two new guides that suggest ways event rental stores can find at least some replacement revenue, both from old sources and new. Tim Cronk joins CounterTalks to expand on some of the excellent points in these guides and talk about the innovative approaches he’s seen in the party sector.

From wildfires to floods to ice storms, our country is no stranger to disasters that do significant property damage. And climate change appears to be driving more of them every year. Jim Mandeville and FirstOnSite are, as the name suggests, some of the first people on site when disaster hits and they do important work coordinating the efforts to mitigate damage and rebuild afterwards. As such, Jim has had the chance to work with local rental stores across the country who form a critical part of these rebuilding efforts. He’s seen a lot of wild stuff, and he knows a lot about the special challenges of reconstructing people’s homes and businesses after some awful event has taken them away. In this episode of Counter Talks, we talk about what the rental store needs to know in order to be ready to assist in disaster remediation efforts.