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Are you the dumbest guy in the room?
by Clair Urbain, editor/publisher
While visiting with Brad Kneip at American Rental based in Morton, Illinois, he referred to himself as “being the dumbest guy in the room.” At least when he’s visiting other rental centers around the country; it’s helped him and his business partner, Robert LeVar, rethink how they wanted to build their new American Rental home base as well as headquarters for its other three divisions, Create a Scene, Crane and Aerial department and Towing division.
It’s how they came up with the idea of streamlining pick-ups and drop-offs of rental equipment. Featuring three lanes, picking up equipment feels more like a fast-food drive-through experience, aiming to get customers in and out with the equipment they need quickly and efficiently.
They came up with this idea after visiting scores of other rental centers around the country. It’s working well, and customers appreciate the fast service. Instead of standing around in the lobby waiting to place their order, renters can use American Rental’s online portal to reserve equipment and can pull up, have the tools or equipment placed or hitched to their vehicle and be on their way, all without having to get out of their vehicle.
Similarly, on the event side of the business, It has developed a flow for storing and retrieving stock. Its showroom allows event planners to actually preview a table setting before it’s ordered. In the warehouse, an overhead conveyor system will store linens; all item are assigned to a warehouse location for fast and easy retrieval.
For being the dumbest guys in the room, Kneip and LeVar have designed and built a modern rental center, and have impressed me as being very sharp cookies.
These articles were originally featured in the July-August 2022 issue of Pro Contractor Rentals magazine. ©Urbain Communications LLC. All rights reserved.
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