ARA to Recognize Members for Service at The Rental Show

February 4, 2009 – During The Rental Show, the American Rental Association will recognize individuals for outstanding service to the association and the rental industry. Honors will be given for Distinguished Service, Meritorious Service, Special Service, Outstanding Leadership, and the Regional Person of the Year.

 

Distinguished Service Award

The award recognizes an ARA member for continuous involvement and contributions to ARA at the international, national, regional, state and local levels. On March 2 at Dessert With ARA, the 2009 award will be presented to Gene Rahll, vice president of Rabern Rentals, Amarillo, Texas, and partner in ABC Rental Centers in Catonsville, Md., Towson, Md., and Columbia, Md. Throughout his 40-year rental career, Rahll has hired and mentored nine rental entrepreneurs who, with Rahll’s guidance and support, since have gone on to successfully run their own rental businesses. Rahll has been active in ARA, serving as Region Two director and currently as an ARA Foundation REAP (Rental Executive Advisory Program) advisor and was former with the Maryland Equipment Rental Association.

 

Meritorious Service Award

Nancy Marshall-Vokorokos of Reading Rentals, Reading, Pa., will receive the Meritorious Service Award at Dessert With ARA. The award honors an ARA member who has made a significant contribution and demonstrated leadership pivotal to the success of a project or program. She is being recognized for her work with the ARA Foundation scholarship program. As a trustee from 2006 to 2008, she was instrumental in creating the Foundation scholarships for technical and vocational students in 2007 and worked to develop the affiliate scholarship program.

 

Special Service Award

The Special Service Award goes to an individual who has made significant contributions through involvement in ARA but is not in the general rental business. Roger Euliss, who retired as president of Multiquip at the end of 2008, is being recognized for the company’s involvement with the National Equipment Register (NER). In 2007, Multiquip began registering equipment that it sells with NER to help its customers combat equipment theft. Other equipment manufacturers have since followed Multiquip’s lead.

 

Outstanding Leadership Award

Recipients of this award provide examples of superlative leadership at the grassroots level of the American Rental Association. Timothy Cahall, CERP of The Main Event, Mount Airy, Md., is being honored for his work in reactivating ARA of Maryland.

 

Regional Person of the Year Awards

This award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions at the regional, state, or local level. Awards are presented during the regional lunches on March 2.

• Region One – Eugene LaPierre, retired, West Springfield, Mass.
• Region Two – John Haedo, National Insurance Specialists, Garnet Valley, Pa.
• Region Three – Roscoe Nesmith, Portable Air Conditioning, Cocoa, Fla.
• Region Five – Dick Fullmer, Caro Rental, Caro, Mich.
• Region Six – Bob McClelland, Bob McClelland Sales Co./Party On, Buffalo, Mo.
• Region Six – Michelle Evans, Evans Equipment Co., Glenwood, Iowa
• Region Seven – Krista L. O’Rourke, USI Rental Specialties, Elizabeth, Colo.
• Region Eight – Doug Hanson, A-1 Rentals, Billings, Mont.
• Region Nine – Sherri Creighton, Pleasanton Rentals, Pleasanton, Calif.
• Region Ten – Ken Fingler, Hayhurst Elias Dudek, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

 

President’s Image Award

This is a store award that celebrates a commitment to improving the rental industry through a remodeling, rebuilding or renovation project. Awards are given during the regional lunches on March 2.

• Region Two – Norman Longman, Choice Party Linens, Prospect Park, Pa.
• Region Three – Jim Baxter, East Tennessee Rent-Alls, Johnson City, Tenn.
• Region Three – Jeremy Rardin, Rent-All Store, Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Region Four – Delores Crum, CERP, Austin Party Central, Austin, Texas
• Region Four – Tommy Reynolds, Ken’s Rent-It Center, Midland, Texas
• Region Five – John Bibbo Jr., CERP, Event Source, Lewis Center, Ohio
• Region Six – Kevin Barrera, The Aries Co., St. Louis, Mo.
• Region Six – Tom Fouts, Bledsoe Rentals, South Lee’s Summit, Mo.
• Region Nine – Scott Maxson, Pape Rents, North Las Vegas, Nev.
• Region Ten – Carlos Serpa, Bel-Ayre Rentals, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada