RM Online - Hey, give it a rest - A.R.A. will not be pecked to death

Well, I don't know about you, but I am getting sick and tired of having the American Rental Association's decisions, intent and operational style continually come under attack by one particular rental magazine representative who seems determined to peck A.R.A. to death without knowing or even caring about the facts. This time, his implication that "the powers that be" in A.R.A. "just don't get it" is nothing more than a reactive, half-baked ploy to stir everyone up - particularly the associate membership of the A.R.A.- about the A.R.A. Member Buying Alliance. And it's an insult to all those A.R.A. volunteers who put their hearts and hard work into developing the MBA program.

The A.R.A. has been studying the issue of buying groups in our industry since 1994. Since then this has become the single most-requested membership service. (Did you know that 215 manufacturers out of 725 on the Orlando show floor were selling at lower prices through the TruServ buying co-op?) A.R.A.'s decision to seek a level playing field prompted the formation of an ad hoc committee in early 1997 to study this growing membership need and determine what to do about it. One of our meetings included eight prominent rental equipment manufacturers, who were flown in at A.R.A.'s expense to help us understand their points of view.

And what about the four A.R.A. informational meetings for vendors and rental people at the convention? These meetings were controversial and difficult, both for the people who fielded the heat and for the rental owners, suppliers, reps and distributors. Do you think A.R.A. should be lambasted by a trade magazine for having faced the music, both in these meetings and throughout four days of talks on the trade show floor with everyone who holds an opinion? I don't. I think the courageous rental people who decided to form the MBA and then stand behind their decision should be applauded for their efforts. I think that holding these meetings shows that A.R.A. cares very much about its supplier base. We are going to make this thing work for our members, and we are going to do so in partnership with the A.R.A. associate membership.

Let me speak plainly to that magazine executive who so likes to peck at the American Rental Association. You say "A.R.A. might be surprised to discover there are some bright minds within the manufacturing community." That simple-minded statement is intended only to provoke, not educate. Your contemptuous attitude toward A.R.A. and the thousands of rental people who depend on it, own it and mold its future is getting to be very transparent.