Transcript
Speaker: Hey, it's so nice of you. they It's so nice, Nate, that you finally got a time to so that we could record this. We've only been trying for three days, but it's okay. Everything's about you. I just want the people to go back and watch some of the videos where you weren't there. So they understand, you know, where I had to pick up the slack and do the podcast on my own. so the fact that I have to do some rescheduling every once in a while should not affect anything that goes on here.
Speaker: Sir, some of us are out actually putting up tents. Yeah. Yep. Me too. yeah Some of us are driving 130 miles back and forth to an office once in a while to train people, to make sure their business is successful, you know, just to make sure that we can survive this next half of the season. a But welcome to another episode of Under the Vinyl, a rental management... Rental media media management.
Speaker: hello You want to start that over? Welcome to Under the Vinyl, a rental management media podcast. Hey, we're in a good mood today, Nate.
Speaker: It's...
Speaker: ah we're in a good mood today nate it's I don't know what but it's a day. slamming shit in the background. I got that. i These guys have not worked in the front room of this warehouse all day.
Speaker: i close my door and they decide it's time to start. One minute. Yep. That's literally what happens every time. ah well I guess that's what happens when everybody's just in the warehouse this time of year, right? ah Yeah. Speaking of that, what do you got your guys doing?
Speaker: Um, we're kind of still busy right now. We got some jobs going on. We got some people coming back. We got some guys that actually took some time off. Um, some of our main guys, couple of our main guys have taken some time off. Um, but a lot of warehouse work. I mean, a lot of stuff just around the warehouse this is usually the time of year where logan is uh is not too happy with having to deal with the road crews that don't want to be in the warehouse um because they don't necessarily want to do what he's wanting them to do you know typically like any other any other rental business at this time of the year i suppose
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Speaker: I got got guys going through tables and chairs, which is the worst. ah Anyone out there have a solution because corner savers doesn't exist anymore for their tables? Let me know what you're doing because I got a bunch of tables that need to be fixed and I can't find a good solution. Do they have, are they wood tables?
Speaker: Yeah. And they, are they chipped out of the inside? It's the rounded corners. you know, they get smashed when the guys drop them off the back of the truck. So there used to be a company that sold metal plates you put on them, but we've used all we have that the we owned. What about the bullnose that goes around it?
Speaker: That's all smashed in. So you got to figure you gotta to like rebuild the whole corner of the table. It's a nightmare. When I was back at um A's, when we used to the bullnose tables that used to like somehow the corners would smash and chip out and stuff. We would take a hot glue, hot glue and fill it in with hot glue and smooth it out. So that way it was still the tabletop was still useful and the corner was there. um And I mean, you'd throw a linen on it anyway, so it wouldn't matter.
Speaker: I like that idea. It's pretty good. Yep. So tip to the trade today. tip What else you got going on? I something for you. What is it How often are you power washing your structure aluminum?
Speaker: a Um, honest answer when it's dirty, I guess, and not even, i mean, now if it's completely covered in mud, obviously we're going to power wash it clean it. But I mean, if if there's some dirt on it, typically it gets sent to the, out to the job site the guys wipe it down as they're putting it up. But if it's completely covered in mud, obviously it's case by case scenario on where it's going, how it's being used, things like that. And when it will get cleaned.
Speaker: Yeah, I got some work. I have a bunch out right now, so we're at the bottom of the pile. And, you know that stuff, who knows how long it's been sitting there, so it's all dusty. and It oh sucks to move it all and wash it, but I guess you got to just get over it and do it.
Speaker: Well, now's a good time to do it. No better time than any. Well, last week was not a good time to do it. Last week, i we shut down for day and a half because it was 110, felt like 120 with the humidity. Just was not worth killing the guys. We had the crews, if we had to put up tents coming in at 4 a.m. m to leave to go out and get stuff done, but...
Speaker: It was not fun. How do you do that at this time of year? Like, especially if you got to go, I mean, most of your work, I guess, is places where the early times probably don't matter as much, but like the backyards and things like that, what are you doing? mean, obviously we would like to start, a lot of guys for us come in, you know, obviously early to get their stuff ready and trucks stuff out the door, but like they can't get to where they need to go until 7.30 the earliest, say.
Speaker: at the earliest i'd say Yeah, so like right now we're working on a a couple different fares. So the deal is we just can't drive stakes before 7 a.m. m So the night before we make sure they get some stakes in the ground so they can start throwing pole tents up.
Speaker: um And when was really hot last week, if we were doing stuff at people's houses, I just called them the day before and said, hey, we're going to be there at 7 because it's so hot. Any person, if they ever said no, I'd be like, what is wrong with you? Like, you want I'm not going to kill my employees for your party. I'm sorry.
Speaker: So, but other than that, it's just, obviously there are some I can't get to till nine o'clock, but I hate that. I want to start early and get out early. How's the Portage on business this time of the year? Is it pretty busy or is it kind of standard with what you got going on in the rental side?
Speaker: The trailer side starts to slow down about 4th of July. we were sold out every weekend until last weekend. And then single units actually go out a ton more in the summer.
Speaker: ah I feel like people have parties every single weekend. So like, I think I got 90 going out this weekend just for weekend rentals. Um, and then the construction business, this is boom time for them. So construction units are just flow flowing out the door. I can't keep them in stock.
Speaker: And what's the busiest time of the year for those April through October. Okay. So you're, it's pretty much busy year round then almost. Yeah. And then the winter, obviously there's not as many events going out. So the weekend rental stuff is a lot slower, but the construction units typically don't stop as long as you're on a big enough project.
Speaker: So those guys stay steady 40 to 50 hours a week guaranteed throughout the winter. I gotcha. How's your, uh, end of the year. How's your next half of the year shaping up?
Speaker: You know, it's actually looking a lot better than when you asked me that in March. Um, It goes back to that last minute stuff. We got a call the other day for someone's looking for a 25 by 40 meter on a level floor in August 8th.
Speaker: So 30 days away. like, what? like That's not a project. I mean, yeah, sure. You can throw it together in 30 days. Fine. We'll take care of it. But like, typically people are thinking about stuff that large a year in advance.
Speaker: but Yeah. Yeah. I've had quite a few quotes. I had a couple of 40 meter quotes come in, uh, just recently for August as well. Um, that I'm still waiting to hear back on, but it seems like we could pick up some stuff here in August, you know, slowly, but surely, uh, last minute, but yeah, I feel like also had a couple of little cancellations for already for, uh, October. Um, but that's nothing crazy, but it seems like, it seems like it's not bad. It's just kind of,
Speaker: it's kind of leveled. Like this is the almost like what we were talking about the end golf about. This is the pre COVID we're on the COVID come down, I guess the pre COVID era where we're finally starting to level out. It's not going bad, but it's like leveling.
Speaker: Well, and, Anyone who was saying things were great, I think is on the smaller side. I think it's guys on the middle to the upper side of business who we're all leveling off. I think the smaller guys still have some great runway to keep going. Because...
Speaker: Some of us who started on the lower to middle side pre-COVID who have now jumped to the middle to large company size, well, we can't go backwards and go and do 2540s in people's backyards. I just can't afford to do it. i I think I lose money on every single one I do. It's just not worth it. so problem is The problem is you take the damn job because you think you need to take the job to pay the bills for the day, and it wouldn't typically pay the bills for the day.
Speaker: But there's a go back, there's a move around, there's a change, and the customer is usually a bigger headache than a $100,000 wedding for like a $4,000 backyard 20 by 40. If I had it my way, we would never do a job under like $10,000. Because those are the ones that you go to three, four, five, six times. They call you every day that you spend so much time on them.
Speaker: You're better off them in the warehouse cleaning chairs.
Speaker: Pay them to stay home. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. They're costing you money at the warehouse. They're turning the lights on, running the water. So are you guys doing any um any marketing on your side for the fall or anything changing up for marketing-wise? I know that you have seven articles in Rental Management Magazine on the first two pages. and nepotus That's nepotism, baby. Six on the first page of Rental Management that came out in Pulse on Sunday, but... You know are you guys doing any other marketing?
Speaker: Wait, you mean that's not marketing? Are you doing any other marketing, Kyle? We hired Carol Lee Cundy to take care of marketing. And to be honest, when she started, I gave her the reins and I said, have fun.
Speaker: I have no clue what we're doing. I know we're getting a new website. That's all I know. Which is pretty wild because you were pretty you were pretty involved heavily in the ah and the marketing side before.
Speaker: I know. And this great guy, Nate, told me I need to delegate and give tasks to other people. So that's what I've done. Hey, producer producer Alexa, can you go ahead and earmark this moment right here where he just said, I was smart.
Speaker: Thank you. Okay. Let's not, we don't need to record that and save it for later. So you can replay it for me. That's going to be a highlight reel, but yeah, we did the same thing. I mean, we, uh, we got Carolina that works for us. Uh, she handles local stuff as well as marketing. Um, and she's been, she's been killing it. Um, our Instagram and, and, um, just engagements and on everything has been more involved. We've got more stuff out there and I feel like it's, uh,
Speaker: Bringing it in-house for this size company, I feel like is, I mean, it's good to have a social media company and things like that. But I feel like if you bring somebody in-house, you you're going to get more value out of it. I will say we did hire ah our boy Luke over at Phaser to take care of all the SEO and stuff.
Speaker: Man does great work. They're great over there. Ken Vasquez just hired him as well. So he's he's breaking in, breaking into the 10 industry. Give me a little bit of a background on what he's actually doing for you all.
Speaker: He, so we got a whole new website from him. He handles all the SEO, all the blog stuff, that all the stuff that we don't understand that you like that you need this code, not even code, but like you need certain words hidden on your webpage to make sure you show up on Google. He handles all the Google stuff.
Speaker: um and then they also offer like if you want to do direct mailers they'll take care of all that they have a full design team so if you need graphic design done they take care of all that um basically anything you need done marketing wise they take care of except taking pictures and videos for you okay yeah we do have a local company that does that for us here um and then we handle all the rest of the social media stuff so makes sense and why you would do that any new products you got coming for the fall
Speaker: No, we're not buying anything. I tried to buy farm tables the other day and I couldn't find them because I only needed ah i needed them in six days. That's how we buy. i don't fit I needed them right then.
Speaker: But other than that, I think we're going to slim back on some purchases this year and just kind of see where we're at at the end of the year. Sometimes I feel like we buy stuff out of want instead of need. um or you find a good deal that comes across your desk that, well, I got a good deal sitting on my desk right now. I'm to keep that, keeping this one to myself, but yeah, I might buy what's sitting on my desk right now, but.
Speaker: Well, I think that there's a lot of that in our industry or somebody, you know there's a good something that comes across your desk and you're like, ah, I'm going to, I'm going to hold off buying and purchasing this year for a little bit or, you know, not the whole year, but just at least a little while. And then something pops up and you're like, might not need it right now, but I know that this is a good deal. and I'll need it later.
Speaker: It's, well, it's, I'd like to get another truck. our 10 oxes are getting older. Oldest ones, 15 years old. Does it run good? Yeah. But when is that going to start costing us money?
Speaker: Like there's all these, there's all these things that aren't even tense. I start to like think about, I'm like, Oh Jesus Christ. It never ends. Well, the problem is the vehicles are going so high, getting so high on price now and just having issues with vehicles and everything. Same with the Tanoxes. Yeah, we're right there with you on the Tanox stuff. I mean, and at this point, I think it's pretty much 860 or bust, right? 866 860, that's it. Yeah. I that's the way to think that...
Speaker: yeah um i mean that's that's the way to go it' thinknc that It saves you so much. It does. And anyone who doesn't see that's crazy. But like during COVID, we were buying trucks like two or three at a time, which I regret doing now.
Speaker: Because they were so high. Well, no, they and I needed them Yeah, we had, sometimes you had to spend money as a business, whatever. So we were buying trucks. But now they're all going to start to, you know, fizzle out around the same time instead of being like staggered. Like, okay, i only have to buy two a year, or one a year, every five years. But now there'll be like four of them that all go at once. And you're like, oh my God.
Speaker: But it is what it is. That's a Brian problem. Yeah, that's that's that's one for another day. Yeah, that you know, and that stuff no one talks about is, sure, we talk about buying tents and adding inventory, but like, even just your vehicles, I'm a big guy against leasing or renting because I'm in the rental business, so I understand that you're getting screwed.
Speaker: I rent stuff every day. But like when you are buying trucks to own, you should look at staggering them and have a replacement plan in place. Like, okay, every seven years a truck gets replaced and um' they're just on a rotation where you're buying one or two a year.
Speaker: yes and Yeah, exactly. I thought about that too because I i thought about the the rotation of the truck every seven to eight years. But the 10-oxes are becoming more of a thing now, too, I feel like. And they're becoming a lot more maintenance heavy the older that they get. And, I mean, just the different things. And then technology and everything else that goes with it. I mean, although these new 10-oxes, they got so much damn technology on the screens and everything else that the guys are quicker to break the screens and the technology than before they are anything else on the on the unit.
Speaker: I keep going through ignitions like crazy. Are you cracking the create key off inside? either Yeah, cause but then I just switched everyone to the right key. There's a special key. If you don't know, call Andy at TEDOX. Tell me about the good keys, not the bad keys.
Speaker: Okay. Because there's ones that are harder that don't break as much. Easy. But my ignitions like lock up. I don't know what is going on. I had one this morning locked up. Now I keep ignitions on the shelf here.
Speaker: Yeah, we have, I think we have two currently right now that have keys busted off inside the ignition, where we just left the key inside and you just put the broke off key inside just enough to turn it.
Speaker: It's tied on, tied on to the 10-ox. They're easy to replace. Noltz equipment, I ordered two more today. They can have them to you this week, Nate. Come on, it's summer. yeah Get them fixed. Let's go. Well, we will now that we're finally slowing down once to come off a couple more of these jobs. But it's like, yeah, we, well, and you don't even notice it. Nobody says anything because it's just like it keeps happening. So nobody says anything. It's just like a thing now. And then you walk out and you look at it and you're like, oh, another key broke in the ignition. Nobody said anything.
Speaker: I don't know how Avant hasn't fixed that problem because it's only the Avant real keys. It's these keys snap off. Yes. the yeah The standard ones. Yeah. So you got to get the good ones. I don't have one in here. Oh, yeah. and You can buy these nice ones, the hard plastic ones. yeah And these don't break as easy.
Speaker: Yep. There you go. Everyone on YouTube just got a nice hint. Well, that and um so while we're on that topic, I've had a couple people reach out and we're asking questions that are are looking at new trailers for their oxys. Have you had a specific trailer in mind? know you've probably done some research on all these, but any kind of trailers that you you would recommend?
Speaker: i am a support local guy. So I want to buy a trailer or a trailer brand that the local trailer dealer sells because inevitably something's going to go wrong with the trailer.
Speaker: And I want to make sure that one, they like me because I bought it there. And two, they're going to take care of and be able to service it. And do you that for vehicles as well? Yeah. Like we bought every pickup truck from the same dealer and every box truck from the same dealer. But is it a specific trailer? um Is it shoreline? Is it I'm a deck over guy. So that's a style only because it's, if you want to don't need the ox and you can use the trailer as just to use as a flatbed, it's useful still.
Speaker: Um, I'm not a tilt deck guy. i don't like them for some reason. They make me pucker when I back and machine on and off them. Uh, for Yeah. Um, but you know, sure track is a good brand. I use them a lot back my landscaping days and then,
Speaker: Honestly, if I was to buy trailer today, only because I live in the Northeast and I'm tired of looking at rusty trailers, I might go all aluminum because they're so nice now. Light as hell. And they look good, too.
Speaker: Yeah, they do look good. I like that. what's Polish those babies up. What's the one that Kevin has, the blue one that drops? AirToe. Yeah, I got one of them. You got an AirToe? How do you like that?
Speaker: ah We don't use it like we should. Yeah. it seems like ah It seems like a pretty legit, um I mean, i've i've ah I've seen them. I've never used one, but it seems pretty legit.
Speaker: We bought it just to move like warehouse forklifts around. Okay. So if we're doing a job where we know we're 100% on the street, I'll take a warehouse forklift. Okay. Because you can load a truck much faster with a warehouse forklift and much cleaner than you can with an Avant.
Speaker: yeah don't care what anyone says. Someone can argue with me that they can load weights faster with an Avant. You can't. A warehouse forklift with side shift. You can load a truck cleanly fast. It's nice.
Speaker: But that's the only reason we own the Airtail. They're expensive. as Well, I know. I've seen that. That's what I was asking. But they're worth it I guess.
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Speaker: Some rules and restrictions apply. Well Kyle, what else you got coming up? Anything?
Speaker: We got some, ah i so you know what I just did right before this, Nate? I signed up for ARA YPN. We do, yeah. I was looking at that, too. I'm going to go to that as well. ah That YPN and Women in Rental, actually. is Same days?
Speaker: Yep. October 19th and 20th this year, and it's in Denver. So that'll be a fun one. um i like Did you see they're doing a warehouse tour? No, I did not. whose ah whoses Whose business are we going to?
Speaker: I knew were going to do that to me. Gosh, darn it. ah yeah And the equipment side is Arvada Rental. Okay. You're a jerk. I don't know. I signed up for it, though.
Speaker: like call ya yeah what else they I you. I'm coming to Nashville next month. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yes, you are. But, uh, finishing YPN real quick. It'll be, I mean, that'll be a, uh, wonderful event. Last year it was awesome.
Speaker: Uh, had a great time scavenger hunt. Um, good people there. Monday the 19th, um, it's got the welcome reception. and then in the afternoon, uh, it looks like on Tuesday, we're going to Colorado party rental. Um, and is it Arvada rentals yeah equipment? Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, so a couple of great places to check out. So Monday, Tuesday, um real quick. But I mean, everybody always, always asks, like, why YPN? And I think it's a great networking. and That's honestly, ah if you remember last year, that's where Austin jumped into our group text. um Yeah.
Speaker: you know I've always known Kurt from JK. I've never really known Austin on ah on a on a level of friends. um And we were sitting at a bar having a beer together, me, you, and Austin. And you put them in the group text with all of us guys that we're already in a group text with, and which has been great since then um with Reynolds and just everything else. So it's ah ultimately, it's a good networking um spot. I think that it was it's a it's not too long, which is great. You can go in, um network, do all the classes. I thought the classes and everything was fantastic as well. um It wasn't too long, but it was just enough just enough fun to to get some get your point across, get a little bit of education and some good networking.
Speaker: Yeah, it's definitely worth the money. They put you up in nice hotels. It's good. I've never had a bad time at YPN. Nope. And you got to do it before you're 40, right? I think it's what is. one of this hey so Some of us got time for that, you know.
Speaker: I got about four more years. We're okay. So I got, but yeah, we do have, we do have the training, um the tent training and safe trend training in Nashville, 18th and 19th. That schedule has come out.
Speaker: um So there will be, i think there'll be an email that will be coming still. I'm just waiting on that to come through um with all the hotels. I sent that to Brian the other day. But the the I did ask him, just so everybody knows, i had a lot of people were asking if they've already taken any of the classes, any of the tent classes as a whole, um do they need to come back and take the essentials? If they've taken the essentials already, do they need to come back and take the essentials? No. The answer is no. You don't have to take the essentials. um You can just come in and take, if you just need the pole tent, you can just come in and get the pole tent. If you need just the frame tent, you can get the frame tent. So
Speaker: What they'll do is have you schedule and register for the full, and they will give you a um almost like a coupon back basically so that when the other ones come through, you can use it on that as well. um So you do not have to go to all the classes, but um Right now, it looks like day one, that agenda for the 18th, we start at 8 a.m. m and have stuff all the way through to, I think, about 3 o'clock before we before we just kind of hang out.
Speaker: and if now Not that day, maybe. I don't know. We'll see. five o'clock Five o'clock, then you know we we we slow down and we can get a little reception. And then um eight o'clock to four o'clock, it looks like, or two o'clock on day two. so Then we can hit Broadway.
Speaker: Then we can hit Broadway and maybe the following day we can see what we got going on. But um that'll be a good week. Also, just as it's going to be coming out soon, too, I don't think it's been totally announced yet.
Speaker: But ARA of Tennessee, we are going to hold our ARA of Tennessee meeting on that 17th. So it'll be a week of ARA in Nashville. 17th Tennessee ARA, and then safe tending will be 18th, 19th. What are you doing for your meeting?
Speaker: ah We are going to do Topgolf is what we're looking at. Are you bringing me? Yeah, of course. Okay, I'm going to be there. So it has i don't think it's gone out and emailed yet, but we did talk about that, and that's what we're looking to do. So keep a lookout on for all those things. Lots of ARA stuff coming through. Make sure you get registered for everything um quickly, I guess, before it fills.
Speaker: um Yeah. so And lastly, if you want to be an expert on Facebook, I better see you in a safety vest on a gosh darn hard hat.
Speaker: Or come to Safe Tending Training, and we can also teach you that as well. um Or if you want to complain about waiting tents and structures, you should look yourself in the mirror. Yeah, yeah. And if you want to send photos at a group text of someone using water barrels, and you tell us in the group text that you can't afford to wait the tents correctly,
Speaker: Maybe. With that being said, Kyle, it was great to see you. I'm glad you could make it. It was good to see you. Have a good rest of your week, and we'll catch up again next time. This has been another episode of Under the Vinyl, rental management media podcast. And just like that, he's cut me off. He's cut me off. Bye.
