A.R.A. President Neffle
takes the baton and adds important new initiatives to the association’s agenda
By CHARLES NEFFLE
A.R.A. President
All Occasions Event Rental, Cincinnati
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For years, the officers of the
American Rental Association have worked as a team. That
has produced continuity from one president to the next.
So, while each president sets goals to achieve, each
also is committed to completing the unfinished business
of his predecessor. That’s why the first four
priorities for my presidency may sound familiar. During
2001 your association will take the next steps in these
programs begun under earlier presidents:
First, we will continue working to
bring A.R.A. and the Rental Industry Association into a
closer and more productive relationship. Leaders of both
organizations will continue to meet this year. Together
we will enrich both the California state and the
national associations.
Second, we will continue to examine
the educational needs of the rental industry. We
successfully launched the Certified Event Rental
Professional program, and the event segment of our
industry is embracing it. This program is a big step
toward creating careers — not just jobs — in this
rental industry. Now we must look at the needs of the
other sectors — general tool and construction. Will
certification help them professionally? We are working
with focus groups to implement a program that makes
sense to everyone.
Incidentally, we have already begun
to change another method of delivering education to
members — the City Conferences. Along with two City
Conferences this year, A.R.A. will offer one stand-alone
educational seminar. Next year, there will be three
seminars and one City Conference, near Washington, D.C.
Third, we will continue to expand the
network of field offices around the United States. This
link between the national organization and members is
vital to A.R.A.’s future. Now we have offices in Texas
and Pennsylvania. Later this year, we will open another,
in the West.
Fourth, this year we intend to
involve the national rental companies more directly in
the association. Representatives of national companies
have been invited to the Washington legislative caucus
this spring to participate in A.R.A.’s governmental
relations agenda — which benefits all rental
companies, large and small. We are looking at creating a
safety advisory group for the rental industry. All
elements — rental companies and suppliers — will
begin that process while we’re in Washington. This new
entity would monitor federal regulations and bills to
judge their impact on this industry. Many national
companies and suppliers already employ experts in this
field — and that expertise can jump-start this effort.
In addition, we will launch two more
initiatives that will further shape this association:
First, we will work this year to
establish the American Rental Association as the primary
source of research-based information on the rental
industry. This will help our national office explain the
industry to potential suppliers and investors. It will
help us tell the government about the economic impact of
our industry.
Most importantly, it will help each
of us run our businesses better. This work has already
begun. The Gallup Organization is researching how
consumers view the rental industry. Results of that
survey will be published this summer. We will continue
to gather data to develop an ever more accurate profile
of our industry.
Second, we will extend the rental
message to new audiences. We will reach out to other
industries, to consumers and the media. Our message will
be simple: “The rental industry can help you.” As
our slogan says, it is “the smart way to get things
done.”
In fact, we’ve already begun. While
in Washington, D.C., to plan this spring’s caucus,
A.R.A. leaders met with officials of the Associated
Equipment Dealers and the Construction Industry
Manufacturers Association to learn about their
government-relations programs. We plan to do the same
thing with some major manufacturers who supply products
to this industry.
Similarly, some A.R.A. leaders met
recently with counterparts in the International Special
Events Society.
To tie all these initiatives
together, A.R.A.’s next strategic plan is already
being developed. Focus groups have been conducted. More
are coming soon. Every stakeholder group is being heard.
By this fall, we will have a new three-year plan. But
this one will be different. It will be more of a
visionary process, not a static plan — changing
continually as we move into the future.
This teamwork of officers has been an effective system.
But this new planning process will add further
dimension. It brings everyone in the industry — rental
companies, suppliers and the professional staff —
together to determine our collective future. Now more
than ever, we will work together to achieve new heights
for the entire rental industry. |
