Rental Center: Movin' on up in Pahrump
Opening in 2020, Rent2Go’s Christian Morales is ready to expand into new quarters in Pahrump, Nevada.
by Clair D. Urbain
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| “Our rough-terrain, 40-foot reach telehandlers are a popular rental because just about any house that’s getting built here is a single-story house and that size is perfect for truss placement. Skid steers are also in demand because they’re user-friendly and they’re compact and strong enough to take over a mountain,” says Christian Morales, head of Rent2Go. |
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| With the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Top Rank Builders faced a steep decline in work and its aggregate operation, M Aggregates, was also looking for a way to increase utilization of its equipment fleet. So Rent2Go was born, says Rene Morales, founder of the firms. |
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| 'We have been in the construction business and know what they are up against. They know they can call us at all hours of the day and night with an issue and we will handle it," says Christian Morales, head of Rent2Go in Pahrump, Nevada. |
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“About 90 percent of our rentals are delivered by our crew, while about 10 percent are pick-ups,” says Christian Morales, who also handles the bulk of the equipment deliveries and pick-ups for customers. |
Following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Top Rank Builders out of Pahrump, Nevada, faced a steep decline in work. Similarly, its associated privately owned aggregate operation, M Aggregates, was also looking for a way to increase utilization of its equipment fleet. So Rent2Go was born, says Rene Morales, founder of the firms.
Pahrump is less than an hour drive west of Las Vegas through the Spring Mountain range. One of the five fastest growing cities in the west, it’s well-known as a retirement destination for recreational vehicle owners, outdoor enthusiasts and golfers. It is home to Mountain Springs Motor Sports, the world’s largest privately owned racetrack as well as Prairie of Fire, the world’s largest privately owned shooting range; it is also a mecca for retired military personnel.
Today, Rent2Go is headed by Rene’s son, Christian; the rest of the crew is made up of Rene, two equipment delivery drivers, two yard workers and one full-time and one part-time secretary. They are open seven days a week. “Being open seven days a week means a lot to our customers. We can help them when the other rental houses that are only open weekdays, can’t. Being open those two extra days pushes us a mile ahead of our competitors,” says Christian.
Rent2Go’s present equipment value is right around $4 million. “We started with10 pieces of equipment in 2020 and today, we have more than 80 pieces of equipment for rent,” says Christian. “Growth has been 20 percent annually and we plan that to continue,” says Christian. “Customers like our 40-foot telehandlers and we have skid steers and compact track loaders. We also have backhoe loaders, aerial lifts and water trucks. Customers ask us for equipment and if we don’t have it, we will find it.”
Telehandlers popular
“Our rough-terrain, 40-foot reach telehandlers are a popular rental because just about any house that’s getting built here is a single-story house and that size is perfect for truss placement. Skid steers are also in demand because they’re user-friendly and they’re compact and strong enough to take over a mountain,” Christian adds. “Most are open-cab models, but we do have some requests for skid steers with cabs, but they are harder to maintain and cost more to rent.”
While they cater to construction contractors, they also get a nice variety of customers from all walks of life. “We get a lot of first-time homeowners that come from a big city and they want to feel the small town way of life and want to do stuff themselves, but we also serve a lot of contractors, anywhere from plumbers, electricians, roofers and framers,” Rene says.
While its service area is primarily in the city of Pahrump, they also serve gold mine towns to the north of the county as well as far away as Las Vegas. “We go anywhere where our customers ask us as far as Las Vegas to towns in northern Nye County that are known for gold mining,” Christian says.
Company growth
Gaining traction and awareness for any new equipment rental business is a challenge, but Top Rank Builders, Rene’s construction company, and M Aggregates, the aggregate company that’s owned and operated by Rene’s other son, Arturo Morales, have the local connections to fill the needs of area contractors for construction projects. The construction firm has been in business 33 years, serving customers throughout Nye County, which is the third largest county in size – almost 18,160 square miles – in the contiguous United States. “Understanding construction sets us apart from the other rental houses. We understand the needs of these contractors and what it is to meet deadlines and prioritize time over anything else,” says Christian.
“We have that personal interaction with the customer,” Rene adds. “Christian owns the company and he’s involved with the day-to-day operations vs. a large chain rental operation driving the decisions. If a customer has a certain need, it’s in our hands to make those decisions. You won’t find that in national chains.”
With decades of experience in construction, the Morales family is well-connected to the construction industry in the Pahrump area. Being a privately held company with lower overhead than publicly held equipment rental chains, Rent2Go’s rental rates average 35 percent less than its competitors. Well-aware of the senior population that has settled there as well as it being a popular retirement area for military personnel, Rent2Go offers an additional five percent discount for seniors plus another 5 percent discount for retired military.
The association with M Aggregates also helps feed the rental operation. “Our biggest niche is when contractors buy gravel from us, we can also provide the equipment to spread it. Maybe two out of a hundred customers can spread the aggregate, so that’s our biggest niche,” says Christian.
Growing plans
Rent2Go moved to its present location on four acres of land right near Highway 160, the main road in Pahrump last September, sitting across the road from the Spring Mountain Motorsports, the largest privately owned racetrack in the world. By the end of 2025, a new Silverton Casino will open nearby. “Because we sit across Highway 160 from these two properties, we will have great visibility,” says Christian.
At the new location, Rent2Go presently operates out of a 14- x 60-foot construction trailer on a five-acre fenced-in lot. A wash rack in the back of the trailer serves as intake for equipment coming off rent; any repairs are completed at the shop at the construction company. “About 90 percent of our rentals are delivered by our crew, while about 10 percent are pick-ups,” says Christian, who also handles the bulk of the equipment deliveries and pick-ups.
A new store is in the works. It will be 4,000 square feet and will be built to resemble the Top Rank Builders’ office. It will have a very modern look with an arched roof,” says Rene.
About two thirds of it will be used for retail space and a third of it for administrative support. “We plan on carrying consumable and safety items, such as safety vests and gloves and hats,” says Christian. They plan to have the new facility up and running by the end of 2025; a separate 50- x 200-foot shop will be built behind the new facility by mid-2026.
The Morales team sees nothing but growth in the next five years and expects to have expanded the rental fleet to 300 units. Plans are underway to open a facility in Las Vegas as well. “The Las Vegas market is different than here in Pahrump,” says Christian. “There are air quality regulations that we don’t deal with here, so we need to make sure equipment meets those regulations.”
Greatest challenge: logistics
With a burgeoning demand for rental equipment in the area, Christian says the most challenging part of this business is handling logistics. Rent2Go uses EZRentOut software for its customer resource management. “Our biggest issue is overbooking equipment; a user says they will be done with a piece of equipment and then call in for an extension and we’ve already promised that piece of equipment to another user,” says Christian, “But that’s where we shine vs. our competitors. We have been in the construction business and know what they are up against. They know they can call us at all hours of the day and night with an issue and we will handle it. If they rent from a chain store and need assistance after hours, they need to call a national 800 number; with us, they get one of us and we take care of them right away. That is a big point of difference for Rent2Go. We treat our customers like they are our friends, not as just another rental. We don’t have a two-foot sign saying no haggle price like some of the other rental houses. We make it easy. You get to deal with a human and we understand issues contractors face. We work with them.”
This article originally appeared in the March-April 2025 issue of Pro Contractor Rentals magazine. ©2025 Urbain Communications LLC. all rights reserved.
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