Based in Morton, Illinois, American Rental quickly grew from a humble start in a two-stall garage. Just 11 years after the company was founded, a new facility opened in 2022 to accommodate this growing rental business with an ever-expanding line of equipment and materials. American Rental prides itself on the ability to provide customers with the tools necessary to get the job done. Their success is built on fostering strong relationships with customers.
“We just want to build a rich relationship with each customer. The more of those we have, the longer we will be in business and the more fun we will have at work every day,” said Brad Kniep, director of operations at American Rental.
Rental allows customers to do more
This growing rental business fills an important need for many of its emerging customers. Startup construction and landscape customers often rely on American Rental for access to reliable equipment that helps them to grow their business and reputation. These businesses can perform services that would not be possible without specialized equipment. A rental partner provides access to well-maintained quality tools and the expertise necessary to efficiently complete the job.
“Being able to rent equipment from American Rental allows me to get more jobs, more opportunities every single day,” said Justin Sharum, American Rental Customer and owner of Humble Heart Services LLC. “Being able to grind out stumps isn’t even possible for a small company like mine without this equipment available to me. Half of my business relies on equipment that comes from American Rental.”
Vermeer has been a part of American Rental’s success from the beginning.
“We bought our first Vermeer piece of equipment in 2011,” said Robert Levar, outside sales at American Rental. “We tried all of the competitors, but we liked how Vermeer Midwest was easy to work with.”
The Vermeer reputation helped this growing rental business attract more customers.
“It is pretty important that I use Vermeer,” said Sharum. “I have used it my entire life and I prefer not to stray away from that. For the tree work and landscape business, it is quality. Their mini skid steers are fantastic. You want to rent the best equipment you can find and not break down. People want to see you using quality equipment. That is why I go to Vermeer every time. I pretty much refuse to use anything else.”
More types of customers
American Rental continues to grow its customer base by providing an expansive product offering that attracts a wide range of customers.
“We have a variety of customers from the walk-in DIY homeowners who might need a small sander or nailer to large landscape contractors who are coming in looking for excavators and skid steers. So we really need to be versatile as far as providing the right equipment for the right people,” said Aaron Hodel, inside sales manager at American Rental.
Vermeer provides a wide range of proven products and support that helps this growing rental business meet its customers’ diverse needs with confidence.
“We are able to provide good equipment that is maintained well by Vermeer and help small businesses get their jobs done. They are able to charge a fair rate for their service, but also get it done in a timely manner,” said Levar.
To be successful, a rental company needs the right equipment for the work being performed and it must be available for customers. The dealer plays a vital role.
“Vermeer Midwest is really good about supporting us, getting us new equipment in a timely manner and supporting us on the equipment that we already own. They get a service tech over here if we are still under the warranty program or assist our techs with what might need to be done to diagnose and fix that equipment,” said Hodel.
Asset protection plus more confidence
The Vermeer Confidence Plus® asset protection program gives American Rental peace of mind that its equipment will be ready.
“I really believe strongly in [Vermeer] Confidence Plus. Vermeer Midwest here in Goodfield, Illinois, has done a great job of keeping service lead times down. We know when we buy a piece of equipment that it is going to get serviced. It is going to get serviced right and it is going to get serviced quickly. It’s going to get done by service-trained providers that make sure everything is good on it,” said Levar.
The Vermeer Confidence Plus program helps minimize unexpected expenses, allowing this growing rental business to better plan for the future. “It is really important for us as a business to have something like [Vermeer] Confidence Plus because we know our cost going into that asset. It helps us to choose how many of a certain product line we want to buy. We can invest properly on the front end, and we know that there are no hidden costs. That is really important to us as we grow with our customers,” said Kniep. “I am a firm believer in [Vermeer] Confidence Plus.”
This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Testimonials and/or endorsements by customers in specific circumstances may not be representative of normal circumstances experienced by all customers.
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