BIT Program Praise
The Biennial Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program requires all motor carriers operating commercial trucks from terminals located in California to undergo an inspection of each operational terminal to rate their compliance with applicable laws and regulations relating to motor carrier safety every 90 days. John Bugera of San Diego BIT, an outside inspection company was hired by Rebel to do our 90 day BIT inspections for all our delivery vehicles that fall under this program. We just received this email from John Bugera.
The new trailers are great. Since the first inspection I performed on a Santee truck in February 2003, the quality of the fleet of delivery trucks has increased exponentially. It's encouraging for me when I note safety discrepancies and see they are repaired when I return. I think the delivery fleet quality and safety program that you have initiated is a win win. I've worked for other fleets and know that when time is taken for safety, that time and money is saved in less employee injuries and equipment downtime. The latest and greatest thing I'm seeing is an attitude change in the managers I deal with. When I started I felt like a necessary evil. Now I see managers valuing what we see in safety. There is no doubt in my mind that the result of Rebel Rents investment in quality will result in a greater market share for Rebel Rents.We believe this shows just how far Rebel has come. Congratulations to all our team members!
New Fleet Announcement
We at Rebel Rents have just taken on a new line of water trailers from Watertrailers.net. The Workhorse 500 Gallon Water Trailer has a sleek, low profile, elliptical design that is rugged and heavy-duty. It features a simple, easy-to-use control manifold that incorporates a rear spray, 1 1/2" fire hose side spray and garden hose faucet. This trailer also comes standard with a "water hammer" flow check valve. This valve prevents damage to the pump if the discharge hose is run over, a benefit to our customers. It also has drafting capability and a hydrant fill pipe for ease of loading. A hose storage area is located in front for easy access. All controls are conveniently located on the drivers side for ease of operation and more efficient use of water, all of which will save our customers time and money! This is a welcome addition to our already extensive fleet.
www.watertrailers.net
Communication Breakdown
The Rental Equipment Register recently published an article entitled "Communication Breakdown." The piece dealt with the relationship between contractors and rental companies.
The RER interviewed over two dozen contractors throughout the United States, ranging from the smallest to the largest firms, in order to learn their opinion of the rental industry as a whole and what they expect from us in order to keep their business. The ongoing theme was expecting great service, rental ready equipment and on time deliveries and pickups. This article offers great insight of how we should conduct business as a company in order for us to succeed. At Rebel we believe we conduct ourselves in this way. However, there is always room for improvement. Please follow the link below and read the article in its entirety.
http://rermag.com/mag/equipment_contractors_cant_accept_080105/
Mira Loma & San Jacinto Fall Marketing Mailers
We have just completed a fall Rent & Save promotional mailing for our Mira Loma and San Jacinto locations. This promotion, which offers great discounts to our customers, will run from September through November. We specifically targeted homeowners in the immediate vicinity of both the Mira Loma and San Jacinto locations. The purpose of the mailing is to let potential customers know about our new and expanded fleet that can better serve their needs. We have done this type of promotion in the past with great results and believe the same thing will happen again.
September Contests Set to Begin!
The September contests have just been announced! We will be holding two separate contests, one for the store personnel and one for the sales staff.
September Stores ContestWe all know that the cost of transportation is at an all time high. Because of this we want to make sure we are receiving our fair share of transportation revenue. Each store with the largest revenue and/or percentage increase in transportation revenue over August will receive a reward.
September Sales ContestFor the Rebel Rental Salesforce, we will be passing out a list of accounts that have been dormant for the past 90 days. We want to invite these inactive customers to get active again and rent from Rebel! This is one of our most aggressive sales contests yet!
Good luck to our Rebel Rental Team Members!
Construction Equipment Theft Ring Caught
Rebel Rents and our customers have recently experienced an increase in thefts of stolen equipment off of jobsites. Now, according to an article printed in today's LA Times, authorities say that they have cracked a ring that stole millions in construction equipment from jobsites throughout Southern California. They have recovered an estimated $3.5 million in stolen property, mainly construction equipment. The ring reportedly operated out of Norwalk, but their reach extended throughout 9 states. Police believe the ring focused their attention on this area because of the tremendous housing boom the Inland Empire has been experiencing in recent years. There is no end to construction sites in the area. Police believe the ring would case construction sites during the day and then hit them at night with teams of people. According to San Bernadino County Sheriff's Spokeswoman Cindy Beavers, theft in the area has mainly been concentrated in the Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville areas. "It's a common problem throughout the county, especially now with the construction boom going on," Beavers said. "We're unsure if the thefts are part of this ring, but it's definately happening here."
While the above information is certainly good news, there is no way the ring was responsible for all thefts. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our assets. Let customers know that equipment theft is at a high so that they can take protective measures if necessary.
Third Quarter Equipment Goal Obtained
One of Rebel Rents 3rd quarter goals was to upgrade the remaining riding and walk behind trenchers to the new and latest Ditch Witch models, and at the same time update our service vehicle fleet and delivery trailers. Now this major project has been completed. Last weekend, through our partnership with Western Construction Auction Inc., we have disposed of these unproductive assets that were at the end of their lifespan. We exceeded our expectations with the help of Western's professional staff. We must not forget to take the time to thank the Rebel Rental Team for getting these assets auction ready. Special thanks go out to John Benson, our Service Manager, and his staff for their team effort. We would not have had the success we did without them.
Rebel Rents Invited to ARA Roundtable
The American Rental Association has invited Rebel Rents to participate in a roundtable session. The focus of the discussion will be on developing qualified and skilled service personnel for the rental industry. Nine various-sized rental companies from across the country were chosen by the ARA to participate. Doug Fleury, Marketing Manager for Rebel Rents, has been asked to represent Rebel Rents. It is an honor to be recognized by our peers and to have the opportunity to give input that will have an impact on the rental industry. The roundtable will be held on Wednesday, September 14 in Chicago and will be facilitated by Carla Brozick, ARA's Director of Education and Training.
Business Spotlight of the Month: Rebel Rents San Jacinto
The San Jacinto City Council recognized Rebel Rents San Jacinto as their business spotlight of the month. At their city council meeting last night Randy Williams, Economic Development Senior Specialist with the city, gave a short speech about Rebel Rents and shared some of his own personal experience with Rebel Rents. The San Jacinto mayor was there to present Rebel Rents a plaque which acknowledged Rebel Rents "in appreciation for business services rendered to our community." On hand to receive the award were Doug Fleury, Marketing Manager and Harry Coffman, the San Jacinto Branch Manager. We would like to congratulate Harry and everyone at San Jacinto for this prestigous award.
Business Spotlight of the Month / Economic Development Specialist
Speech by Randy Williams, Economic Development Senior Specialist
City of San Jacinto
Good evening Council. I am pleased to present Rebel Rents as our Business Spotlight for August 2005. Founded in 1995, the Company has grown from a single store in Riverside County to 10 stores in 3 counties – Riverside, Orange and San Diego – and relocated to San Jacinto from Hemet in May, 2005. Today it has 120 employees, a rental equipment inventory in excess of 30 million and its annual revenues ranks 69th nationwide out of thousands of rental companies. It is headquartered in Temecula and is the largest independent rental company in Southern California.
They looked for an opportunity to expand and relocate their Hemet store on State Street. They chose the City of San Jacinto and a location near the intersection of Esplanade and Santa Fe due to the growing market and San Jacinto’s proximity to their customers.
The San Jacinto store had the largest grand opening of any store. Rebel Rents catered a meal to over 300 people who came to welcome them to the community. The store has exceeded their expectations. The new store is on an acre and a half, has a 10,000 square foot building, and employs up to 10 full-time employees. Doug Fleury, their Marketing Manager, has been an integral part of their success. He is with us tonight and I would like to invite him to the stand.
Rebel offers the public the opportunity to rent an item as small as a drill and as large as a Skip Loader. They rent lawnmowers to large construction equipment, along with specialized equipment such as a rock splitter that no one else rents. They made national headlines when a major home builder built a large residential track near a hill that had boulders as large as buses. A geological inspector informed them the boulders would need to be removed but the problem was the homes were already framed and getting equipment in let alone removing a bus sized boulder was impossible. The developer could not find a company to solve the matter till he hooked up with Rebel Rents and their rock splitter.
As of last weekend, I can attest to the value of Rebel Rents. I needed a trailer to haul some large items and called open a rental company in Temecula I used in the past. They had the right size trailer and made a reservation. I drove my Van towing a personal trailer there with some items I would then need to transfer to the new trailer. When I arrived I asked if I could leave my personal trailer there till I returned and the employee called his supervisor to get permission. I was told due to past experiences the supervisor declined. The employee who made my reservation then noticed I was driving a van. He said the trailer he reserved for me, per company policy, can only be towed by a truck. I said it would have been nice to have known that before I came here. Instead of an apology the person responded by saying why trucks were better than vans. I left but was fortunate that there was a Rebel Rents nearby.
The Rebel employee who greeted me had never seen me before and I did nothing to revel to him that I was interviewing their executives or going to spotlight the company. He reviewed the van, engine, towing assembly, asked what I was hauling, where, etc. and said the van will work. Then, observing I was towing a personal trailer said “Would you like to leave your trailer here till you return?” That would be a big help I said. The service did not end there. He said my towing assembly might work better if it was reconfigured. This would not only help with the Rebel trailer but any trailer I towed in the future. I agreed. They took parts of the package back to their work shop and reconfigured it. I was on the road in about the same time the other company took to inform me I could not utilize their services and why. Rebel Rents can expect to have me back and I suspect that is why so many others are using their services. And for their success and contributions to our community, we are pleased to spotlight them for August 2005.
Congratulations is in order to the Del Rio Rental Team who recently exemplified Rebel's committment to outstanding customer service and product knowledge. The comments made by Randy Williams, Economic Development Senior Specialist with the city of San Jacinto, while presenting Rebel Rents with the Business Spotlight of the Month Award are testament to the extraordinary service and experience at this location. We believe these attributes are what separates us from our competition. Rebel Rents not only rents the best equipment we also pride ourself in having the best and most knowledgeable staff in the rental industry. We would like to honor the Del Rio staff by inducting them into the Rebel Rental Team Hall of Fame in special recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments. They will receive their own personal plaque acknowledging this award for display at their location and they will get their name on the plaque at the corporate office. Let's all take some time out to congratulate the Del Rio branch for their excellence! Thank you again!
The San Jacinto Business Spotlight of the Month plaque.
Coaching & Teambuilding Seminar a Success!
Yesterday, Skillpath Seminars put on a class for Supervisors and Managers at our Corporate Office. The seminar, titled "Coaching and Teambuilding Skills for Managers and Supervisors," was given by Tom Cafone, noted author of the book "Isn't It Finally Time." The seminar was tailored to Rebel Rents and our specific needs and focused on how to be an effective leader. It was a very informative, educational and enriching course and we hope everyone who attended to will take what they learned and apply it in their job. We would like to especially thank Jill Widtfeldt in Human Resources for putting everything together and brining the seminar to us. Continual education and training of our employees is essential to our growth as a company.
Towmaster Trailers Safety Training
At Rebel Rents we take the safety of all our employees very seriously. In conjunction with the new Towmaster Trailers we recently received, we have implemented a training program for our drivers on the proper safety and loading procedures of these new trailers. This program, headed up by John Benson, ensures that our drivers have the proper training necessary to use these trailers safely. John will be visiting each store to educate and administer tests to each driver. Upon completion, each driver will receive a certificate acknowledging their training. After all, trailer safety is no accident.
Managers & Supervisors Training Course
At Rebel, we believe you can never have enough information and training. That's why on Wednesday, August 17 we will be holding a training seminar for Managers & Supervisors at the corporate office. The class starts at 8am and goes until 3pm. The topic is "Coaching and Teambuilding Skills for Manager." The seminar will be customized to us and our needs and promises to be an educational and informative experience. At Rebel, we believe that we not only rent the best equipment but we have the best employees and continual training and growth is what we need to keep it that way.
July Customer Drive Results
The Rebel Rents July Customer Drive has ended. We would like to start off by thanking everyone for their participation. We increased our number of monthly new accounts opened by 300%!! Out of the new accounts opened we had 35 rental contracts written! Special congratulations go out to Peggy Megrdichian of Santa Ana who opened up the most new accounts! Steve Tao of Mira Loma was second and Denis Bonneau of Mira Loma and Tony Montanez of Del Rio tied for third place. Santa Ana was the store who opened up the most new accounts.
We would also like to thank the Rebel Rents support staff for all their hard work in processing the new accounts. We couldn't have done it without you.
Congratulations again to everyone who helped make this contest a success. Let's keep up the good work in August!
Who's The Boss?
We would like to share with everyone something we recently received in the mail from Clyde Inman, Fleet Manager at Tustin Ford. We had written him a thank you letter in appreciation for his help in our purchase of several Ford trucks. Along with his own letter of thanks, he included this lesson entitled, "Who's The Boss?"
Who's The Boss?
There is only one boss, and whether a person shines shoes for a living or heads up the biggest corporation in the world, the boss remains the same. It's the Customer. The Customer is the person who pays everyone's salary and decides whether a business is going to succeed or fail. And "the boss" doesn't care if a business had been around for 100 years. The minute you start treating "the boss" badly, "the boss" will put you out of business. "The boss" has bought and will buy everything you have or will have - all of your clothes, your home, your car, your children't education and your vacations. "The boss" pays all of your bills, and pays in exact proportion to the way you treat him or her.The person who works inside a big office building or plant might think that he or she works for the company that writes the paychecks, but that's not true. They are working for "the boss" who buys the product at the end of the line. In fact, the Customer will fire everybody in the company from the President down. And they can do it simply by spending money somewhere else.Some of the largest companies that had flourishing business a few years ago are no longer in existence. They couldn't or didn't satisfy th customer. The forgot tho "the boss" really is.
Rebel Rents Website News
Rebel Rents has just started Phase II on our website to better serve our customers and to let them know what we do. Some of the exciting and beneficial features we have added are a detailed location map, email capabilities for customers to ask questions, new graphics and a link to our blog. Please visit our site and check out the changes at
www.rebelrents.com. This is just another way that Rebel Rents is constantly improving.
Summer Caps Are In!
We all know it's been extremely warm outside. That's why we have provided summer caps for all employees! They are blue with the Rebel logo embroidered on them. Not only will they protect you from the sun but the back of the cap is mesh, allowing for ventilation. These hats are in the process of being distributed to the stores and employees can expect to receive them shortly, if they haven't already!
Pump & Pipe Holds Water Filtration Class
The Pump & Pipe Division held an informative class on water filtration on Wednesday. David Beard from Clear Creek Systems, Inc. came and spoke about water filtration uses and how to incorporate this into additional rentals.
