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| Bryan Rich |
September 12, 2007 • Bryan Rich, executive vice president and vice chairman of Sunbelt Rentals, Fort Mill, S.C., announced his retirement after 31 years in the equipment rental business. “My integration commitments are complete, and it's now time for me to move on,” Rich said. “However, before doing so, I would like to thank all the former NationsRent team members and my trusted friends and believers for all of your efforts in helping me resurrect a great company and support a fabulous new merger opportunity with another great team at Sunbelt Rentals. It's always people that make the difference. For me, this chapter is now successfully closed, thank you.”
Rich began his career with Logan Equipment Corporation in 1977. Logan was started in 1963 by his father, Frank Rich. Rich began working in the industry at a young age and was running his first rental location at 20. After purchasing controlling interest in Logan from his father in the early 1980s, Rich grew the company into a dominant northeast sales and rental provider, eventually selling the company to NationsRent in December 1998.
Rich stayed on with NationsRent until October of 2000 when he left to form Commonwealth National Bank, a public commercial national bank located in central Massachusetts. NationsRent entered into bankruptcy in 2001 and all signs pointed to a liquidation of the company. But Rich believed there was another option so he and his partner formed Phoenix Rental Partners, raised the additional funds from The Baupost Group and purchased NationsRent. Rich and the NationsRent management team brought the company out of bankruptcy in June 2003 and then sold to Sunbelt in August 2006.
“Bryan is a true leader in the industry and was instrumental in turning NationsRent around,” said Charles Snyder, executive vice president of sales and fleet management for Sunbelt Rentals. “I have never met a person with more drive, enthusiasm and compassion for the industry and its people.”
Rich has been instrumental in assisting in the merger and integration of NationsRent with Sunbelt. Leadership in the communication to staff and assisting in the formulation of a merged management team, IT projects, fleet and vendor relations, were just some of the important areas of focus for Bryan in the merger of the two businesses.
“Bryan's a true industry veteran. His leadership expertise and relationships were real assets as we worked to integrate the operations of two great organizations,” said Cliff Miller, president and CEO of Sunbelt Rentals. “Bryan will be missed and we wish him the best of luck in the future.”
