Is the independent company becoming an endangered species? Steve Nelson, who until December was president of TruServ's rental business unit, asks that question in Industry Perspectives, page 14. The basic answer is an emphatic no! He points out that the U.S. rental industry could be at least double the size it is today.

But there are some conditions. Rental companies have to get customers into their stores. Sounds simple, but the most obvious and most difficult things in business often do sound simple.

Nelson contends that insufficient, ineffective promotion, communication and store design have "significantly stunted the growth of the U.S. rental industry As an industry, we are under-penetrating our markets." He believes the independent has not been motivated to solve these problems and move the industry forward because demand has been sufficient to provide steady growth in a fairly noncompetitive market; customers were driven by need and there was little incentive for dealers to improve their competitive position.

Nelson argues that the entry of large, national players will grow awareness of rental and expand the market, and all rental companies can share in the good fortune IF they make themselves competitive.

Is there room in the rental industry for more independent companies? The answer is an emphatic yes! - this is a vigorous, growing industry, loaded with opportunity. This month we talk about "getting started in rental" in our cover story and other articles, starting on page 26. The new A.R.A. president, Frank Wilson, opened this discussion in the January cover story with this comment: "The opportunities in the next 20 years are going to be unlimited."

Does Rental Management care about large and small alike? Another emphatic yes! We find everything about rental interesting and worth reporting on; we are interested in everybody who is in the equipment rental business. Something will go straight to your specific interests one month and to somebody else's next month, but over a year's cycle, we expect all of our readers will find something just for them. It was easier when the rental industry was virtually all small independents. Consolidation and growth have changed this industry completely. Most are still, and will remain, small independents - but none can afford to be small in purpose, short of will to succeed or hesitant to compete with anyone. We're here to help rental operators make intelligent management decisions, so we'll go anywhere, talk to anyone, and bring it all back for you to pick through and find what you need. I mention this only because someone asked recently if we were oriented more toward large companies or small ones, and it seemed like a good chance to state our purpose once again: Rental Management is here to help everyone in the rental industry, large and small alike, manage for success.