2 minute read
Rental Snapshot
RACHEL O’BRIEN
of J&F Reddy Rents
Rental: How did you first get your start in the rental industry?
Rachel O’Brien: My business was started by my father in 1963, and we’ll hit 60 years in 2023. I never figured I would stay in the family business. I did a few things after college and then decided to return. My sister, Maureen Fitzgerald, and I bought the St. Louis Park, Minn., store in 2005. I’ve been president since then.
Rental: Can you give us some insight on your current company?
O’Brien: We service contractors, landscapers, DIY enthusiasts and everything in between. We have vans, pickups, 15-foot box trucks and 24-foot straight trucks. We rent skid-steers, jack hammers, mini skids, excavators and ride-on floor strippers, as well as hand tools. When we started, we had about 1,500 square feet of retail space on a heavy retail street. We started with small tools, added party rental and added trucks over the years. We split the party and tool rental in 1989, which made selling the party business easy. We’re now in an industrial area on 1.5 acres of property in the same community, which means we have many long-term customers.
Rental: What have been some of your challenges and successes?
O’Brien: We’ve seen inflation, recessions, the dotcom crash, Y2K and the pandemic. My two biggest challenges were the downturn of 2007/2008 and the COVID pandemic. Thanks to our diversification in inventory and customers, we survived both. Those challenges taught me that we can’t be in one rental segment. 2021 and 2022 have been banner years for us, and our team has been great. They’re working hard and not letting our short-staffing or long hours slow the business. At the beginning of the pandemic, we had a scary two weeks when landscapers were not allowed to work. We had an early spring and no landscaping business, but our truck rental and homeowner rentals were strong. Once landscapers started, we had a busy summer. The homeowners went to town on landscaping and home improvement projects.
Rental: What are your business goals for the New Year?
O’Brien: We are projecting another great year and looking to expanding our rental truck fleet. We’re exploring battery-operated equipment and zeroemissions products, and we want to hire more people!
Rental: What do you want to see in the rental industry in 2023?
O’Brien: I’m excited to attend American Rental Association’s (ARA) Rental Show and the Future of Equipment Rental program. Seeing the new trends and equipment in person is valuable to building our business. I would like more manufacturers to have telematics as standard on machines. I’m also eager to learn how to use more technology to interact with customers.
Rental: What are some of your favorite hobbies?
O’Brien: I love hanging out with my husband and dog. Thanks to my husband, I can call myself a golfer too! I love to read, travel, dance and be with family. I love volunteering for the ARA. I’ve been Region 6 director and on the board of directors. One of my biggest accomplishments was being the first female chair of the ARA Insurance Services board of directors. I am a founding member of the ARA Women in Rental committee. I love talking rental with people and networking at rental events.
