Editorial: Employee training offers great ROI
While the vast majority of construction rental centers trend toward the scoops to nuts variety of diverse equipment, it’s quite different at Pinnacle Central Company.
Instead, it focuses on what it knows and what it does best, and that’s renting and selling abrasive blasting equipment and its related supplies. It’s the leading provider of this type of equipment in the southeastern United States and is well-known throughout the country for its capabilities.
Serving customers in that niche market opens up rental opportunities for support equipment ranging from compressors, light towers, work platforms and lift trucks. It’s been a successful mix for Steve Archibald, president of the company, but it also means he and his staff must be the preeminent experts in all things related to abrasive blasting.
The Pinnacle staff is made up of long-time professionals who know the finer points of the abrasive blasting business. Their customers, made up primarily of construction contractors serving industrial, government and military projects, look to them for guidance to help them complete jobs on time, on or under budget and help them remain compliant with safety and health rules.
The reputation that Pinnacle has with its customers, in my opinion, one of its many secrets of success. Archibald has been fortunate to leverage his multiple decades of experience into a solid business.
When rental operations fully understand their customers’ jobs and job challenges, they can leverage their experience to help customers select the best equipment for their jobs at hand. While the rental center may not have the lowest price, customers are assured they will be getting the most efficient equipment for their jobs. At the end of the day, that should lead to lowest possible cost because the right equipment operated efficiently with little or no downtime.
The success of Pinnacle ties in well with the employee development story on page 44. Few companies have a strategy or plan to offer employees a path to career development. Investments into such training can offer a tremendous ROI to the company in larger rental orders and greater customer loyalty. I suggest you consider implementing a program that helps develop employees. It’s a great way to address issues that may be holding back your profits while increasing employee pride and satisfaction in their work.
-- Clair Urbain, editor, Pro Contractor Rentals
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