The Rental Roundtable

Patrick Ferris has spent six years as a sales rep at Herc Rentals in Richmond, Virginia, spending 90% of his time in the field. In this episode, he breaks down how deep knowledge of construction stages became his biggest differentiator, why trust compounds over time in a small market, and what traits actually separate the sales reps who last from the ones who don't.

Cody Stewart grew up in a family rental business that Sunbelt eventually acquired, and talked his way onto the analytics team from there. In this episode, he breaks down the 3-30-3 rule for building reports that actually drive decisions, why understanding the why has to come before measuring anything, and why AI is becoming the great equalizer for independents who can't afford a data team.

Chris Graeler answered a help-wanted sign at 16 and spent the next 30 years building Expert Rentals into one of the fastest-growing independent rental companies in the country. In this episode, he breaks down how he thinks about fleet risk, why tracking every "no" is one of the most underrated growth tools in rental, and what it took to rebuild after losing his building to a fire five months after...

Theft is still the number one topic in equipment rental, and the schemes keep getting smarter. In this episode, Joe Besdin , Co-founder and CEO of Hapn , covers how the Ghost Tracker flips the script on equipment thieves, why clean data has to come before AI, and what becomes possible for independent operators when their systems finally stop working in silos.

Most rental owners are still chasing the top spot on Google. That used to be the whole game. In this episode, Krista Chapman , founder of Path & Compass , breaks down the biggest shift in local search in years, from SEO to AEO and GEO, and what independent rental operators need to do right now to make sure AI recommends their business instead of their competitor's.

Theft is the number one topic in equipment rental, and after 10 years of running one of the industry's largest owner communities, Ed Craddock of True Value Rental in Bay City, Michigan has seen every scheme in the book. In this episode, Ed walks through how theft methods are evolving, how to train your counter staff to respond, and why staying connected to other operators is still your best de...

The rental companies growing fastest this season are not the ones with the biggest fleets; they are the ones with a real plan. In this episode, Dan Crowley, CEO of Peer Executive Groups , breaks down what that plan looks like right now, from building a sub-rental network and turning counter staff into inside sales, to hiring your first outside rep and using AI to generate leads before your competi...

Selling an independent rental company is one of the biggest decisions an owner will ever make, and most don't know what to expect until they're already in the process. In this episode, Gary Stansberry , owner of The Stansberry Firm , walks through how the M&A process actually works, what buyers look for, and why independent operators need to step up their game to compete and build something wo...

One hundred episodes in, we sat down with Steve and Austin Mau, the father-son owners of Brainerd General Rental in Minnesota, to talk about what it actually takes to build a rental business that lasts. From navigating a family working relationship to the industry's shift from gut feel to data-driven decisions, this is a candid conversation about community, growth, and what 20 years in rental...

Most AI initiatives fail not because of the tools, but because of the people and processes behind them. In this episode, Achille Ettorre , owner of GTA Equipment and a widely recognized AI speaker and author, shares a practical framework for implementing AI in equipment rental, including how to evaluate tools, structure 30-day sprints, and tie every initiative to a real financial outcome.

Scaling from one location to many is where a lot of independent rental companies get into trouble. In this episode, three multi-location operators, Grant Christopher of Christopher Equipment , Josh Nickell of Northside Tool Rental , and Kayle Turpin of Robertson Rent-All , share what it actually takes to grow without breaking your operations, your team, or your culture.

Brett Baker built States Rentals into one of the fastest-growing independent rental companies in the country by out-maintaining and out-thinking competitors ten times his size. In this episode, he breaks down the maintenance strategies, branding tactics, and cash flow discipline behind that growth, along with a candid look at why the rental market is at an inflection point and what independents ne...

Damage waivers are one of the most misunderstood tools in equipment rental. In this episode, Ted Wagner , COO of Specialty Equipment Insurance Services , breaks down the two pillars of risk management — risk control and risk financing — and what rental companies should actually be doing with each. Note: Ted Wagner is COO of Specialty Equipment Insurance Services. We incorrectly referred to him as...

Most equipment rental companies are optimizing for traffic and keyword rankings — neither of which pays the bills. In this episode, Catherine Michel , VP of Content at JCT Growth , shares how to build a local SEO strategy around revenue, not vanity metrics. She covers why your equipment pages are your most important revenue pages, why operational reality has to drive your marketing strategy, and h...

Most rental companies compete on equipment. The ones pulling ahead are competing on something harder to copy. In this episode, Kyle sits down with Elliott Vigil , one of the most respected sales coaches in the construction equipment industry, to break down why trust is the only competitive advantage that truly compounds, how to apply the Pareto principle to your customer base, and why Elliott beli...

Most rental companies collect data. Very few know what to do with it. In this episode of The Rental Roundtable , Anthony Durante shares lessons from more than 30 years in the equipment rental industry, from building and selling a multi-location rental company to launching The Owl, a data platform designed to turn insights into action. We discuss why safety metrics like TRIR reveal more than revenu...

Revenue is growing across the rental industry, but that doesn’t always mean businesses are getting healthier. In this episode of The Rental Roundtable, Rebecca Warnick , CEO of the Warnick Group , breaks down the financial patterns she’s seeing across rental companies, including why some businesses are “busier but broke,” “bigger but weaker,” and “growing but gasping.” She also shares key tax upda...

Fleet and financials still matter in rental acquisitions, but they are no longer the first thing buyers evaluate. In this episode of The Rental Roundtable, Joe Kondrup and Josh Mosko of Catalyst Strategic Advisors share how the equipment rental M&A market has evolved and what buyers actually look for today. From the rise of private equity to the growing importance of specialty rentals, leaders...

Dan Crowley, CEO of the Peer Executive Groups , shares a practical rental playbook for 2026 recorded live at Rental Roundtable Live, Quipli’s first-ever user conference. He explains how rental companies can forecast growth by tracking their rate of change in sales (1/12, 3/12, 12/12) and using economic indicators like the Dodge Momentum Index. If you want a clearer picture of where the rental mark...

Quipli just released the 2026 State of Rental Report , and in this episode of The Rental Roundtable we break down what it means for equipment rental businesses going into 2026. Growth is still present in rental, but it’s slower, tighter, and more dependent on execution than ever before. Drawing on insights from more than 50 podcast interviews, a survey of independent operators, and anonymized plat...

Scott Cannon, CEO of BigRentz , shares why AI is overhyped in the short term but massively underhyped for the long term. We discuss why most AI projects fail, why integrations and APIs create more value today, and how data will reshape the rental industry over the next decade.

Leonard St. Germain spent 47 years in the equipment rental industry, helping scale H&E from five locations to over 100 and later doubling the size of Bottom Line Equipment. In this episode, Leonard shares hard-earned lessons on leadership, building the right teams, navigating major inflection points like COVID, and why long-term success in rental still comes down to fundamentals like vision, e...

Rental software has always been built to record what already happened. In this episode, Kyle sits down with Evan Read , Head of Product at Quinn , Quipli’s AI agent platform for equipment rental, to explain why the next shift in rental technology isn’t better dashboards or chatbots, but software that actually takes action. They break down the difference between systems of record and systems of act...

Rental penetration in waste and recycling is still just 3%, creating a massive opportunity for growth. In this episode, Zach Martin , CEO of Big Truck Rental , shares how his team educates the market, uses data and technology to build trust, and scales a specialty rental business in a traditionally ownership-driven industry. We also discuss why culture and people-first leadership are central to BT...

In this episode, Jeff Janczak , President of Incus5 , explains why fragmented systems, siloed telematics, and “more tools” often create more problems instead of clarity. Jeff shares how a device-agnostic, less-is-more approach to data helps rental companies improve customer retention, reduce costs, and prepare for a future where AI plays a much bigger operational role. The conversation covers why...