Rental Hall of Fame inductees announced
Each year, the American Rental Association (ARA) honors individuals for outstanding service to the association and the rental industry. This year, two longtime rental industry leaders will become the newest inductees into the Rental Hall of Fame and will be honored at The ARA Show™ 2024 in New Orleans.
The Rental Hall of Fame was created in 2000 to honor those individuals who have changed the trajectory of the equipment and event rental industry. Each year, nominations are accepted to recognize outstanding industry leaders who have made a substantial and lasting impact on the industry’s success and growth at the national and/or international level.
Tony Conant
“The Rental Hall of Fame is ARA’s most prestigious award. This year, we recognize two individuals whose contributions made a significant impact on growing the equipment and event rental industry. Their dedication has been felt across the rental community and we look forward to bestowing them with the rental industry’s highest honor,” says Tony Conant, ARA CEO.
Bruce Campbell, Do It Best Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Bruce Campbell, an equipment rental industry veteran began his career in 1968 in Fort Wayne, Ind., as an employee of an independent rental store. In 1974 he relocated to the Cincinnati area. Then in 1984, he founded L&B Equipment Rental in Harrison, Ohio.
As a rental operator, Campbell served a term as vice president of the ARA of Ohio and two terms as president of the Greater Cincinnati Tool Rental Association. In 1989, he earned an ARA President’s Image Award for L&B Equipment Rental. Campbell sold his rental business in 1992, retired, and became a rental consultant.
In 1994, Campbell was instrumental in the launching of a rental program for Do it Best Corp., then known as HWI (Hardware Wholesalers, Inc.). Do it Best Corp., a cooperative that supplies products and services to independent hardware, lumber, and home improvement retailers, was looking for an expert with rental knowledge to help develop the program. Campbell contributed his consulting services to the initiative and helped many Do it Best Corp. members become successful rental operators.
Campbell helped create the Do it Best Rental School – a member education event through which he provided extensive knowledge of equipment, procedures, safety, the latest trends and strong financial knowledge. Through this program, Campbell aimed to instill high standards and the importance of product quality, inventory and customer service.
Over the years, Campbell has worked to continuously enhance the Do it Best Rental School’s curriculum and offerings. Along the way, he has served as an invaluable resource for learning all aspects of the rental industry for program members across the U.S. and abroad. Campbell also strongly advocates for his Do it Best Rental School students to become active in ARA both locally and nationally.
Jay D. Chapin, Taylor Rental Corp., Springfield, Mass.
The late Jay D. Chapin of Westfield, Mass., past president and co-founder of Taylor Rental Corp., began working at Dealer Supply Co. in 1959, the same year that the organization put together the first Taylor Rental franchise. He became vice president of Dealer Supply Co. in 1963.
Chapin was named company president in 1971, and in 1972 Dealer Supply Co. became Taylor Rental Corp. Seven years later, there were 626 Taylor Rental Centers (TRCs) in full operation in 49 states in the U.S. As president of the organization, Chapin helped family owned, small-business entrepreneurs prosper by backing them with the knowledge, experience and opportunities that a major corporation could provide.
Under Chapin’s leadership, Taylor Rental Corp. was at the forefront when digital information was in its infancy in the rental industry. In the late 1970s, he introduced TOPIC–the TRC equivalent of Taylor Rental Corp.’s proprietary point-of-sale computer system, CompuRent. In 1982, he made CompuRent available to independent rental outlets.
During his career, Chapin developed many products, programs and services that enabled TRC franchises to grow and expand the rental concept in communities throughout the
U.S. He instituted a team of business management consultants to provide on-site guidance and support to franchisees, developed private-label products to enhance brand recognition, created in-store designs and signage, built a 100,000-sq.-ft. warehouse to allow for faster delivery of products to franchisees, and instituted national advertising programs.
Chapin also encouraged TRC members’ involvement in ARA.
