Company adds tables, chairs and dance floors In March, Ben’s Rental and Sales, Countryside, Ill., expanded into large-scale subrental of tables, chairs and dance floors. The pilot program, which began last fall, received positive responses and fortified the decision to invest in inventory for event rental, says Ben Shipper IV, CERP, Ben’s Rental and Sales CEO. “Our goal is to provide a partnership with rental companies across the United States. We have an extensive knowledge of the event rental industry and are very excited to re-emerge in the special event market,” says Shipper IV. “We offer a unique opportunity for rental companies to have access to a very large inventory to help them work on events larger than their own capabilities. With graduation season upon us, having a large inventory of chairs and tables available will provide savvy rental companies a competitive edge in their market,” he says. Shipper IV and his father, Ben Shipper III, are former owners of Chicago Party Rental, now Classic Party Rentals-Chicago.
“We have always been well-known for producing large events with a large inventory of products,” Shipper III says. “Now we are providing the large inventory to other rental companies so they can produce the events. We have a strong team and new inventory. I am confident 2014 is a great time to expand our product line.” Currently, the wholesale rental inventory is limited to tables, chairs and dance floors from Event Equipment Sales (EES), Hodgkins, Ill., the main supplier for Ben’s Rental and Sales. However, future inventory could include pipe and drape and customized LED products, says Douglas Crowe, CERP, chief operating officer, EES. One reason the wholesale rental concept works, Crowe says, is because “we provide our clients an outlet and we’re not their competitor. We have the experience and know rentals, and they don’t have to rent from each other. When people are able to get the same product they already own, it makes it easy. It is somewhat unique.”
The way the business began is unique as well. “Last year, we teamed up with Arena Americas and helped produce a large music festival in Chicago last summer,” Crowe says. “We rented out thousands of chairs and thousands of tables. Other companies then called and asked for similar large amounts. All of a sudden, the word spread.” Those events fostered a lot of organic growth, Crowe says. “People heard through the grapevine and asked us, which helped make that decision. It snowballed without any sort of marketing or effort to promote the program. That’s when we knew we had something,” he says. Being a wholesale supplier rental business doesn’t mean the company will only do large-scale events, Crowe says. “The way we see it is, first come, first served. For example, today, we sent out 20 tables. A lot of the reasons people are excited is that they know we’re not afraid to invest and they know we’ll have the ability to invest. Our goal is to keep investing and keep building inventory.
The one thing we’re known for is quality product and having deep inventory,” he says. By building inventory, he means 50,000 chairs, with more available and the ability to ship pallets as needed. “Ben’s Rental and Sales has amassed more than 50,000 folding chairs in a variety of colors, thousands of event tables and a large amount of outdoor dance floors from its sister company, Event Equipment Sales,” Shipper IV says. Shipper IV oversees the strategic goals for both Event Equipment Sales and Ben’s Rental and Sales. “EES and Ben’s are sister companies in the respect that we operate with both companies under the same ownership and management. We are fortunate to have such a dynamic and diverse team that can manage large special event inventory or construction equipment inventory,” Shipper IV says. The company coordinates pickup orders at its Hodgkins location, but also has a warehouse in nearby Countryside, Ill. Ben’s Rental and Sales also can arrange shipping of inventory to a job site or company location.
The suburban Chicago communities of Hodgkins and Countryside are located near the intersection of I-294 and I-55. Even at The Rental Show, Crowe says, “people said, ‘This is perfect. We want to do that.’ As of mid-March, we had product going all over the country.” An interview with Ben Shipper IV RM: Do you plan to continue the tool rental side of the business? How will this venture impact that area? Shipper: Ben’s Rental and Sales still is very driven by general tool rentals. More than 70 percent of our revenue is generated by tool and light construction equipment rentals. The addition of chair, table and dance floor inventory will only add to the diversity of our products at Ben’s Rental and Sales. This spring we are moving Ben’s Rental and Sales to a new building specifically for general tool rentals. RM: Is anyone else doing this in the industry that you know of? Shipper: We are not aware of anyone with the same business model. There are other companies that subrent product, but we are not aware of any companies catering specifically to rental companies.
This is what has been so unique about our model. We do not want to compete with rental companies, we want to align with rental companies. We have found this to be particularly beneficial to Event Equipment Sales (EES) clients. Since our inventory is supplied by EES, many of our new rental clients have appreciated being able to rent additional product that matches their existing inventory. RM: How does this concept change event rental for larger events? Shipper: Much in the ways I mentioned above. This gives rental companies the opportunity to increase inventory levels either for a specific event or for an entire season. I do not think the concept of large event rentals will change as much as it will provide rental companies more leverage to bid on larger events provided they are qualified to handle the scope of the event.Ben's Rental is a family run business that has been serving Carroll and the surrounding counties for 44 years and is convenient to Baltimore, Frederick and southern Pennsylvania.
Ben's Rental has an indoor warehouse for storage of equipment, a large outside yard for all the larger pieces of equipment, and a store to supply you with small tools, hardware or safety equipment you may need to go along with your rental. Homeowners love to use Ben's Rental because they can do it themselves with the right piece of equipment and save money by not having the hassle of buying expensive pieces of equipment. Contractors are frequent customers because they know they can get the right equipment for the job and keep it for the length of time they need, whether its by the hour, the day or the week. Ben's Rental is also a propane filling station and we can take care of all your propane gas needs in Westminster and surrounding cities in Carroll County. Whether you are in need of lawn and garden care equipment, a bobcat, a backhoe or jackhammer you can be sure Ben's Rental will have the tool you need in stock. Check out our online rentals, or call us for pricing and availability on all equipment and tools, or just stop by our store today!