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Episode 29: Listener Questions on Location
130 Plays23 days ago
Nate and Kyle are on location, together, at Party Reflections in Charlotte, North Carolina for the launch of ARA's Safe Tenting Standard! They talk everything from their favorite tent, to what wedding planners should know, to college football predictions.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Under Vinyl' Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
This is Under Vinyl, a rental management media podcast. I'm Nate. And I'm Kyle. And this is what we talk about, tents and everything tent-related. Let's dive in. I'm the one you call when you need a tent up or down.
00:00:13
Speaker
I'm a tent rental man, I'm working out all day. Getting mistakes in the ground no matter what they say. From sunrise to the night, make sure everything's right. Yeah, I'm a tent rental man.
Expert Advice for Newcomers
00:00:29
Speaker
so got some questions here today. ah Kyle, best advice to someone new to the industry?
00:00:36
Speaker
Ask questions. And don't be afraid to just reach out to random people and just ask the question. I think everyone in this industry, if you sent them a LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram DM with a question, would answer you.
00:00:51
Speaker
Or if they don't know the answer, they'd say, hey, you should reach out to this person. I would agree with that and I think that coming to the stuff like we're doing now, being a part of Reflections, getting involved, find out some industry events, um call people and go visit warehouses, go visit different businesses in the rental industry. i know that um You know, we've we've talked about that a lot before, but even even so before this podcast came out, we've we've advocated for that a lot for people new to the industry. But as this podcast come out, I feel like we've got a lot of phone calls, texts, questions from people asking them more questions from us and just our experience.
00:01:30
Speaker
um And if they can come see stuff or if they can do stuff. And I think that's great for new people. Yeah.
College Football Predictions
00:01:36
Speaker
um College football predictions for 2026. I know you're a big football guy. Oh, yes. So so so big. na So let me let me hear what you got here. Anything?
00:01:46
Speaker
I don't know. Who plays? Okay, that's what I thought we were to on with. right, so I'm a big Notre Dame fan, so I don't know what's going to happen there. it's ah It's kind of a toss-up every year, but we'll see. We've got some good football on this weekend.
00:01:58
Speaker
ah put my money on Ohio State. I hate you. That's only thing I knew. You do realize that that's who beat Notre Dame last year in the national championship, and I had to sit there. Yeah, that's why I said I Googled it and looked. hate you.
00:02:09
Speaker
All right, well, we'll move past that one then.
Work Experiences at Prestigious Venues
00:02:12
Speaker
Coolest locations, you've done a job. I've got to do work at the vice president's house. That was pretty cool. I got to meet. I'm not gonna remember his name. He was like vice president three terms ago, but Pence.
00:02:24
Speaker
yeah I have a picture with him on my Christmas tree. it was in a Christmas ornament. That's funny, i when I was running Bryant's, we hosted Pence at our shop and did a did a little thing there with him and he spoke and I actually shared an office with him, so that was pretty cool. Coolest locations I've done, think really any sports site that we've we've done and been affiliated with, you know between Field Dreams and you know just recently the Bristol Motor Speedway, Speedway Classic,
00:02:55
Speaker
Super Bowl stuff, that's been cool. um But I do have a regular customer that is Al Gore. um So I go to his house a lot, which is pretty cool. So just a lot of, you get a lot of famous people in Nashville, which is, you never thought that you'd be working at their houses or have that relationship with them, which is really cool. so That's awesome.
Origin of Nate and Kyle's Friendship
00:03:14
Speaker
um How we met? We can't figure it out. I'm still convinced that you got a paycheck every So Brian does send me a paycheck every month to hang out with you, but I think that we did meet, golly, it was probably...
00:03:29
Speaker
I'd say it was really probably 10 years ago that we really met. Yeah. A show, which is what we tell people to go to. Absolutely. I don't remember what show it was, but it had to have been at a show. I'm pretty sure it was at a show, probably by the bar, usually after hours.
00:03:42
Speaker
I probably wasn't old enough if it was 10 years ago. Yeah. Kyle and I have always talked. I don't think we've ever, we really got to be close and up until the past like five years. yeah um Then we really started getting together on things.
00:03:58
Speaker
So far so good, I won't divorce you yet. so We're still friends now. Yes.
Impact and Highlights of the Podcast
00:04:03
Speaker
Best moments of Under the Vinyl so far.
00:04:07
Speaker
You know, i think every episode with a guest has gotten better and better. would agree with that. The Richard Martin episode, I think was great. I learned a lot about Richard. I still have a ton more questions to ask for I know, I know.
00:04:21
Speaker
And like Dave MacArthur's episode, like it was really cool to hear his experience. Like that to me is the best stuff. And sometimes I feel like I catch myself just sitting there listening and- Inspiring.
00:04:32
Speaker
yeah Yeah, I have nothing to say because I'm just trying to take it all in. Yeah, and I think that for me, it's not pinpointing a moment or a guess. It's just been the overall experience. I think this has started as a passion project. Yeah. um More so so we could...
00:04:47
Speaker
not revitalize the industry, but get more people involved and get people wanting to learn more about it. And I think the messages and everything is what is the best moments for me on not just hearing people's stories on the show, which is fantastic and great um because that's what motivates everybody. I think outside the those those conversations and hearing that, but then just getting the feedback from everybody that then it's worth it. Everybody gets, yeah, everybody gets burned out and everybody has those same moments. But then you hear these stories from people and it's like, okay, it's not just me.
00:05:20
Speaker
Yeah. You know, ah everybody goes through burnout. Everybody goes through mistakes. Everybody screws up. But at the end of the day, we're we're all here, we're all human, and we're all in this industry together. So I think for me, the best moments would probably be just bringing everybody together and feeling like everybody is coming together based on the guests we have. I don't remember who the first person was to reach out to us when we started this, but I do remember like you they either texted you or emailed you or came to the through the Instagram, but like I remember getting the first message from someone like, hey, this is really valuable what you guys are doing.
00:05:51
Speaker
And it kind of like nullified the fact that this is worth it. um yes Me and Nate have full-time jobs. i don't know if people know that. Yeah, so we do. Believe it or not. Sometimes we have other things we need to do, but we do continue to get this stuff out for you because when we get your feedback, it kind of like motivates us to, yeah, we got to It gets you a little emotional too. I remember reading that message to my wife and I was like, this is cool. And she's like, you guys, this is awesome. You guys are doing something that is bringing everybody together. And it's like, okay, it might be another podcast, but it's, it's something that I feel like the industry just needs to show from new to old to in between and, and, and just show that everybody is the same and try and get some networking in there. So that's what we can do.
Passion for Tent Structures
00:06:33
Speaker
all right. So tell me a little bit about your business and what your favorite 10 is. I think gonna go back to like a classic 40 wide pole tent. I just, you know, I'm a pole tank guy. I'm also the head structure guy at work. That's what you guys started. on But like we were a pole tank company. That's what we did. So yeah I'd love going to a job. If I can schedule myself to go put up like 40 60 pole I will purposely take that job because I'm like oh this is so nice man and and anymore I'm i moved to more of the structure side now I do love a good sailcloth because it's quick and easy yep um but anything really 30 meter and up gets me so pumped and so excited and I think it's
00:07:11
Speaker
gets the blood going because it's so, it's got a little bit of scariness to it. yeah You start to get in that 30 meter mark and you're just like, this is kind of a big animal. It's another beast. And you got to have the specialized crew, specialized people, you know, or something could go wrong extremely quick. I love structure just because, I mean, Nate, you know this. I'm an equipment and a truck nerd. yep So like if I can set up a truck, the nicest semi I can find to ship my 30 meter to the top. You feel like you're out here building America. I'm like, oh, this is awesome.
00:07:39
Speaker
Yeah, no, and I would agree with that. And I think that that was one of the things that excited me about coming to Chattanooga Tent is the structure inventory and the ability to do whatever the hell we wanted to do and not have that box of parameters and everything. So um that's what I would say. Just every tent that's that big. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the smaller jobs. They're still fun to me.
00:07:59
Speaker
But when that 30 meter pops up on the radar or 40 meter pops up on the radar, you're like, oh, here we go. Now you got yeah get a little bit of anxiety going. So.
Challenges with Wedding Planners
00:08:07
Speaker
Another cool thing about work for me is like I do enjoy working for my father. i hate it.
00:08:14
Speaker
It's now recorded and on video. But like there'll be weekends where we're like we have to go do something small. yeah Text him like, hey, you want to do this with me? Yeah. and like So those are things I'll miss one day when he finally does decide to retire. Hopefully we can get him out the door.
00:08:28
Speaker
He's going be ARA president. uh yep and uh and it same for mike holland you know no family blood there for me but mike is almost like a father figure for me and you know coming to work for somebody like him in this industry is is cool as hell i mean it's it's fun and just the knowledge that he has as well so um what do what what this is a question oh this questions what you wish all wedding planners knew oh god i'll just hit this straightforward. I wish they knew what it took. I wish they knew what our guys go through. I know that they see they see a little bit of it, but the draining days in the heat, the rain, everything just the the trials and the tribulations that they go through that nobody else sees except for us. That's on the side at the time. Yeah, we take their vision.
00:09:18
Speaker
and turn it into reality. They don't know how it happened. They just know it happened. And that's why you know a lot of these times, I've said it over and over again, you see these these videos of the planners or the videographers putting these amazing videos out on what the what the job looked like, but you don't see the behind the scenes. So that's why I like to post this stuff behind the scenes and show with the guys, and I know I keep harping on that.
00:09:40
Speaker
but I just want everybody to know what these guys go through and they're not just, I mean they are, they're specialized labor guys, specialized trade and that's what we're bringing to this industry. So I wish that they knew how hard these guys actually work and some of them do. Your high end event planners, they get it.
00:09:56
Speaker
What I hate and I'm learning more and more is that, you know, so if the planner is booking the job for taking all the vendors. Yeah. The lighting company can charge whatever they want.
00:10:08
Speaker
The decor company can charge whatever they want. But they're going to nickel and dime our bill. or And I would argue that we have the hardest job. Right. Or so-and-so's got to have a ramp.
00:10:19
Speaker
Or so-and-so so has to have this or they can't do their job. we didn't have anything, we have to do our job. How do you think our
Planning 2026 Events
00:10:24
Speaker
job's gonna get done? So I just wish they understood a little bit more of what the tank guy has to do, especially since we're the first one in, last one out, and it seems like we get dumped on at the end lot. Well, we get blamed at the end of the job because the florist drove through the- Something's messed up. customer's front yard to turn around. But we're the last one. Yeah. um What you tell 2026 twenty twenty six broad Plan ahead, plan for everything.
00:10:50
Speaker
yeah These rain plans are going to be the death of me. um You know, it's my rain. So plan for it, pay for that tent. i know that's I know it's extra money, but don't get married outside if you can't account for weather.
00:11:04
Speaker
And also know that it is a tent at the end of the day. It's not, if you want a building, you want it to be perfect, totally go to a venue. And we're in the business of tents. Yes, but just know you're in a tent at the end of the day.
00:11:16
Speaker
ah For me,
00:11:20
Speaker
I think I would tell them.
00:11:24
Speaker
and We could do a whole podcast on that one. First memory of working in the industry.
Early Memories in Tent Industry
00:11:32
Speaker
My first memory was probably when I started and that was when I was 15 years old and I went out to do a 40 by 100 yellow and white pull tent.
00:11:43
Speaker
And I was doing it with Casey Connan, who's still in the industry, works for A's still, company that I started with 21 years ago. um Learned that day how to swing a sledgehammer um and my back's been messed up ever since.
00:11:57
Speaker
uh this isn't like there's pictures of me doing stuff uh way before this memory but like this is one that sticks out in my head a 50 by 105 gable ended navitrac we lna just bought it i was we're guessing 10 or 11. uh steve bellevue oh and danny dalton on site to teach us the install you had the og crew before it was the og crew yeah it was and like you didn't know what you had no i didn't and me and danny and steve still laugh about it every time we see each other like it was me and then i brought like one of my friends my dad had to babysit that day and he brought one of my friends to work oh my so there's like two 10 or 11 year olds on the crew we're out there carrying stuff but that's like one of those memories you'll always remember core memory yeah well guys keep sending these uh questions we'll keep reading on oh we have one more oh what do you got taylor's wedding
00:12:47
Speaker
Oh yeah, Crotto.
Creative Ideas for Taylor Swift's Wedding
00:12:49
Speaker
Crotto, love your question by the way, thank you. Nate's already doing the wedding, Crotto, sorry. i've ah I've gone and done my research and talked to a few people, so we'll see, but if I had to recommend one thing for her to have, i mean I guess she's just gotta go out in a vintage car or something, I mean, you know.
00:13:04
Speaker
i mean I'm saying she needs a black garden tent. Or she needs a really badass custom tent that we don't have in our inventory that we can do and we can research that. So stay tuned for that. But yeah, thanks again for the questions, guys. And we'll keep sending them.
00:13:20
Speaker
We'll keep answering them. And yeah, you got anything else? That's it. All right. Thank you. I'm the one you call when you need a chin up or down. I'm a chain riddle man.
00:13:31
Speaker
I'm working on all day. Getting mistakes in the ground no matter what they say. From sunrise to the night make sure everything's right. Yeah, I'm a chain riddle man. I'm working on all day.