Counter Talks

Our emergence from COVID is official – the ARA Show is returning as a live event to Orlando this February. With registration opening up, Christine Hammes joins the podcast to give us the advance preview of the world’s largest trade event for the rental industry. We take a look at the great events and education on offer; talk a bit about the venue and location; and go higher level for some discussi...

There are more government rebate programs out there than you can shake a stick at. Luckily, Bonny Koabel of AKR Consulting has a whole basket of sticks and spends most of her time shaking them at the various government agencies so you don’t have to. Bonny joins Counter Talks to discuss the $547.5 million of funding that the Government of Canada has recently announced that offers everyone from prov...

With auto companies promising to eliminate internal combustion engine vehicles and cities banning fuel-burning equipment on jobsites, the end of gas and diesel engines powering the equipment we rent may be in sight in our lifetimes. Rob Messina, vice-president of product development for JLG, joins Counter Talks to bring us up to speed on the state of technology in electrified aerial equipment as h...

Insuring rental operations for fleet loss and liability has always been a special challenge and now the American Rental Association has stepped up with a members-only product for its Canadian members. The ARA has partnered with insurance providers to make insurance available to its U.S. members for many years, but now it is working with Westland, a B.C.-based insurance broker, to make a rental-foc...

Smart contractors are always looking for ways to reduce or prevent injuries on their jobsites. The effort pencils out pretty easily: balance the cost of putting some procedures in place and renting ergonomic equipment versus the cost of lower productivity, lost labour time and potential compensation claims. Rental stores can help by asking the right questions about how equipment will be used and r...

Robert Elias has brought a wealth of experience in marketing and publishing in the construction industry to his new role at Canadian Rental Service . In this episode, he an host Patrick Flannery indulge in some inside-baseball talk about his experiences in the trade press, how things are changing in the world of corporate communications, what an effective marketing campaign looks like and the impo...

Last year in Ontario, 30 percent of all the working people who died from opioid overdose worked in the construction industry. It’s clearly time for we who employ tradespeople to pay some extra attention to this issue and be prepared to help those in our companies who struggle with substance use and misuse. To help, Jan Chappel, a senior occupational health and safety specialist with CCOHS, joined...

It’s only taken 28 years but Jim Clipperton is realizing his dream of being able to provide the Nor-Val Rentals standard of service from one end of B.C.’s Okanagan Valley to the other. With his latest acquisition, Nor-Val is up to six locations serving mostly construction and homeowner needs, as well as two Bobcat dealerships. Clipperton joined CounterTalks to talk about how he’s done it, what he’...

Kevin Forestell is CEO and founder of Dozr, a successful online rental service that could be described as the Expedia of rentals, matching contractors to the rental equipment they are looking for through a network of participating rental stores. Kevin explains what Dozr is and how online rentals and e-commerce works to improve the lives of customers and store owners alike. But he fields some tough...

Angie Venekamp, the American Rental Association director for Canada, and James Auerbach, vice-president of the event sector, join Counter Talks to update us on the association’s activities and focus as we start 2022. The ARA has big initiatives in the works including some Canadian-specific online webinars, a new certified training program for equipment rental operator, elevated lift training and m...

And now for something a little different. Annex’s group publisher for the Light Construction Group, Danielle Labrie, joins Pat Flannery to talk about the last year in the rental industry and what they’ve been hearing and seeing in our industry. We take a look behind the curtain at our magazines, podcasts and social media channels and all the changes and developments that happened in 2021...

Nick Holsinger is the Canadian account manager for EquipmentWatch, a construction data group. EquipmentWatch does a particularly good job of compiling information on the rental industry, so Nick joined the podcast to share their insights into how Canadian rental rates have moved during the pandemic and what that might tell us about the overall impact of COVID on the industry. The talk went farther...

Keeping an eye (and ear) on your critical materials, equipment and personnel is more important than ever. Luckily, technology in site security systems is advancing quickly. Gavin Daly of Axis Communications joins Counter Talks to talk about the principles of security systems: what are the objectives? What is possible and not possible? What threats and opportunities should you consider? He touches...

Jim Boddez knows western Canadian rentals. He’s been working in the industry since the late ‘80s, including 16 years with Finning where he was involved with the acquisition of several rental stores. Since 2016, he and his brother, Bob, and business partner, Craig Barnstable, have been building Five Bo into a major rental equipment supply house in the prairies and B.C. Now, with the acquisition of...

Governments across Canada have started mandating proof-of-vaccination for customers attending non-essential public spaces. They aren’t affecting us yet, but could down the road depending on the pandemic numbers and how governments decide to return us to normal. Ryan Mallough, Ontario director of provincial affairs for CFIB joins the podcast to give us the full FYI on vaccine passports and outline...

Derek Betcher, sales support manager for John Deere, joins Counter Talks to give us the manufacturer’s-eye-view of the Canadian construction equipment market:what’s hot, what’s not, what’s hard to get and what’s coming. Our conversation touches on the automation and tracking trends, the changes Deere is seeing in demand across the country, the effects of the pandemic on sales and supply and much m...

Adam Snook, serial rental industry entrepreneur and owner of JustBins in Regina, joins Counter Talks to talk about his regular column in Canadian Rental Service magazine, “Hope is Not a Plan,” and just about every other rental issue under the sun. Adam has some strong ideas about how to compete, how to reach new customers, how to position your company and how we should feel about surviving the las...

If you think women have the same experience as men in the rental world, think again. Canadian Rental Service associate editor, Sukayna Ray Ghosh, leads a discussion with three women who have risen to leadership in the rental industry. They’ll talk about what it took for them to make their careers, the changes they’ve seen over the years, the challenges women still face and the prospects for young...

There seems to come a time in the evolution of every large rental chain where it becomes interested in creating specialized rental operations focused on a specific niche. Cooper Equipment Rentals, now at 50 locations across Canada, reached that point a few years ago. Cam Dougherty helped start Cooper’s first foray into trench safety rentals and now heads the specialized rental division of the comp...

Like the sign on the bar promising free beer tomorrow, self-driving vehicles and automated construction equipment always seems to be five years away. Allan Rutter of Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute joins CounterTalks to update us on where this technology is now and how far away it might be from your rental store. We discuss the technology behind self-driving vehicles; the places and ways...

Equipment theft has always been a big concern for the rental industry. We put big, expensive machinery out there that is purposely made so that anyone can jump in and operate it. We have no control over how well our customers secure their jobsites after hours. There’s a robust black market for the machinery, and insurance companies charge hefty premiums to cover the risk. Added to all that, the le...

On March 24, Jeff Campbell of St. Thomas Rent-All, Blake Menning of All Choice, Paul Van Staveren of Stayner Rental and Mike Wood of Ottawa Special Events joined the Rental Mart online event to shoot the breeze about the big issues facing the rental industry today. Like how to keep your tow-behind booms from icing up. It was a lot of fun and some great insights were exchanged. Here’s the audio ICY...

One of the most frustrating things for any business owner is to face circumstances that hurt your business that you can do little or nothing about. The pandemic has certainly been this for Canada’s party and event rental industry. Eureka! is doing its part to help with two new guides that suggest ways event rental stores can find at least some replacement revenue, both from old sources and ne...

From wildfires to floods to ice storms, our country is no stranger to disasters that do significant property damage. And climate change appears to be driving more of them every year. Jim Mandeville and FirstOnSite are, as the name suggests, some of the first people on site when disaster hits and they do important work coordinating the efforts to mitigate damage and rebuild afterwards. As...

Bonny is back on Counter Talks with crucial information on changes to various federal and Ontario pandemic relief programs. Overall, eligibility is tightening, but some new programs are on the horizon. We also chat about how effective these efforts have been and what is likely to happen to them going forward.