Rental and Used Equipment Management Conference


NOTE: This event is currently SOLD OUT. If you would like to be put on a wait list, please send an email to MHEDA at connect@mheda.org. If a spot becomes available, we will contact you to confirm your participation.

 

Detailed Schedule  Conference Location   Speaker Lineup     Accommodations     Fees/What's Included Past Reviews

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

You’re Invited! Join MHEDA and your industry peers for a one-day best practices conference designed to enhance your Rental and Used Equipment Management skills and department profitability. Together, we will explore how to adjust to changes in customer demands, operations and economic challenges.

New in 2023, this event will be hosted in a MHEDA Member facility! Atlas Toyota Material Handling, located 10-minutes from Chicago O’Hare Airport, will provide the venue and space for MHEDA industry friends and colleagues to gather for a day of learning, best practices and networking. The conference presenters are fellow MHEDA Members who will share their experiences, insights and lessons learned.

Sessions Include:

  • Material Handling Going Green
  • Data Tracking for Rental Success
  • Combating Inventory Shortages and High-Priced Equipment
  • Tips and Techniques to Maximizing your Margin in Used
  • Morning & Afternoon Roundtable Discussions
  • Tour of Atlas Toyota Material Handling
  • Endless Networking Opportunities!

We will end the conference with an optional Chicago steak dinner at the famous Gibsons Steakhouse, known for its hearty steaks and decadent desserts.

Whether you are new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, this is your opportunity to spend a day learning something new about the Rental and Used business, while connecting with other professionals who face similar daily challenges. Register today and do something good for your career and your organization.

CONFERENCE LOCATION

The Conference will take place in the offices of MHEDA Member, Atlas Toyota Material Handling, located at:

1815 Landmeier Rd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Atlas Toyota Material Handling, part of the Atlas Companies, is an authorized Toyota Forklift Dealer committed to providing quality service, premium equipment and innovative solutions for companies of all sizes. Since 1951 Atlas Toyota has been supplying Northern Illinois (Chicago), Northwest Indiana and, more recently, Northwest Wisconsin and the state of Minnesota with the largest inventory of new forklifts & lift trucks in the nation. “We proudly offer premium brands with expert service to match. Our goal has always been the satisfaction of the customers we partner with. Atlas strives to be a company our customers can depend on for warehouse equipment and solutions.”

REGISTRATION FEES

$695 pp – MHEDA Member Rate
$1095 pp – Non-Member Rate
$165 pp – Optional Event – Dinner at Gibsons Steakhouse

What’s Included  – Included in the registration fee is admittance to the Conference, all handout material, continental breakfast, networking luncheon, coffee, soda and snack breaks. Also includes networking with other material handling professionals who face similar material handling career challenges as you and the priceless opportunity to bring your material handling career to the next level! Does not include travel, hotel accommodations or Gibson’s dinner.

Cancellation Policy – The full amount will be refunded if you cancel no later than September 1, 2023. Cancellations received after that date but before the start of the conference will be charged a $200 administration fee per person. No refunds given for “no shows.”

Agenda

    Thursday September 14

  • 7:15 am - 7:30 am

    Bus Loaded for Transportation to Conference, leaving promptly at 7:30 am.

    MHEDA will provide transportation from the Embassy Suites Hotel (Rosemont, IL) to Atlas Toyota Material Handling. If you would like to take the bus with us, please indicate on the registration form. You may also opt to drive yourself and meet us there!

  • 8:00 am - 9:00 am

    Registration & Continental Breakfast

    Stop by the reg desk for your name badge, then enjoy some hot coffee and delicious continental breakfast.

  • 9:00 am - 9:15 am

    Welcome & Introductions

    Conference Moderator Richard Donnelly, former EVP of Gregory Poole Equipment Company and former President of MHEDA will welcome attendees. You will have the opportunity to introduce yourself to fellow conference attendees, a great way to start the day!

  • 9:15 am - 10:00 am

    Session #1: Material Handling Going Green

    Presented by MHEDA Member, John Perazzo, Motive Power Regional Manager, Northern California/Nevada, Papè Motive Power. Learn more.

    The U.S. national and local green initiatives are making their way in the Material Handling industry. Come learn what that has meant to west coast MHEDA Member John Perazzo. John will share his experience, advice and lessons learned along the way. Learn about California Air Resource Board (CARB) timelines and regulations on converting rental and customer fleets to electric. Review IC to Electric customer conversion overview and keys to success.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Review best practices and infrastructure required for a dealership that is becoming more “electric fleet oriented.” Discuss the most common oversights and pitfalls during this transition.
    • Understand why failing to plan is a plan to fail. Planning in this case is 100% dealership commitment to the expertise in both IC to E and new technology.
    • Discuss why you must be prepared for set-backs as best you can with training. Bring in the experts and train, train, train. Not just rental/ sales dept. Service is huge, it’s a dealership commitment.
    • Learn why you must do the homework on your Lithium vendor(s) of choice. They are coming out of the woodwork these days. Be selective because….as fast as these guys are showing up in the market with the “Greatest products ever!” they have disappeared just as fast.
  • 10:00 am - 10:15 am

    Conference Break

  • 10:15 am - 11:30 am

    Session #2: Data Tracking for Rental Success

    Two-part session co-presented by MHEDA Members, Ben Garner, Vice President of Rental & Used at Equipment Depot, learn more, and Phil Mause, Senior Vice President of Rouse Services, learn more.

    Part One: Equipment Depot
    MHEDA Member Ben Garner of Equipment Depot will share his experience on how his organization utilizes rental data for KPI targets. He will discuss his top three KPIs and how it impacts rental utilization and financial performance. He will also discuss Equipment Depot’s rental footprint and types of equipment available for rent. Lastly, he will address how Equipment Depot utilizes Rouse Services.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Review how Equipment Depot regularly monitors market rates and utilization which allows them to have a more dynamic pricing structure on a regular basis all the way down to assets, reps, customers and regions.
    • Learn about a pricing tool app that helps reps make immediate informed decisions all while staying within their discounting parameters.
    • Gain insights on a portal that hosts an online market for assets with immediate finance options.
    • Discuss the sales rep ranking report based on data related to revenue and discounting.

    Part Two: Rouse Services
    You make critical purchasing, sale, and pricing decisions every day that affect your profitability. Accurate, actionable information from Rouse Analytics empowers you to make those decisions with confidence. Rouse uses actual rental and sale invoices and daily fleet snapshots from over 325 companies across North America. This information accounts for over $75 billion of fleet on a cost basis, $30 billion of annual rental revenue, and $22 billion in private party retail sale transactions and is used to provide clients with comparisons on rental rates, utilization, equipment values, and other key performance metrics.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Understanding your rate performance vs. industry benchmarks.
    • Learn how to leverage data to drive your business.
    • Discuss how to optimize your strategy and improve your bottom line.
  • 11:30 am - 12:15 pm

    Morning Roundtable Discussions

    Your opportunity to discuss what you have learned and share your knowledge, opinions and experience with industry peers.

  • 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm

    Portillo’s for Lunch!

    Portillo’s is a local favorite known for its delicious Chicago style food. Enjoy a tasty lunch, topped off with a slice of Portillo’s mouthwatering Chocolate cake!

  • 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

    Session #3: Combating Inventory Shortages and High-Priced Equipment

    Presented by MHEDA Member Jason Vavra, Director of Used Equipment and Big Joe, Atlas Toyota Material Handling. Learn more.

    Most dealers/distributors are struggling. Many are competing for a small amount of equipment. Let’s discuss best practices for obtaining equipment with reduced and limited market availability. We will review ways to maximize pricing with different sell programs by keeping pace with new equipment pricing. We will also discuss KPI’s for the retail used equipment department operations.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Discuss how to increase sourcing opportunities.
    • Gain insight on how to develop a used price guide.
    • Discuss ways to incentivize field techs, sales reps, others within your dealership to help find idle, under-utilized equipment at customers.
    • Explore marketing techniques to advertise that “you buy used equipment.”
    • Learn why it is important to have strong relationship with one or two wholesalers.
    • Review seven ideas on how to maximize your sell price.
  • 1:45 pm - 2:00 pm

    Conference Break

  • 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

    Session #4: Tips and Techniques to Maximizing your Margin in Used

    Presented by MHEDA Member Steve Strenck, Director of Sales, Gregory Poole Lift Systems. Learn more.

    The used equipment side of our business has always been a lucrative and key component to our organization’s financial health. It has been critical to all departments including sales, service, parts and rental. However, more than ever, finding good used equipment to retail is not the only challenge we face today. We are now having to pay top dollar due to the limited availability of units. For these reasons, it is critical that we manage the used sales department more effectively than ever before. From freight to the refurbishment, to the commission plan, when properly managed and structured, your organization can still enjoy the same very profitable returns.

    MHEDA Member Steve Strenck will share best practices he has learned in nearly 30 years in the lift truck business. Discuss why key checks and balances and structured processes can not only make you more money, but just as important, still deliver a very high-quality product to your end users. Today’s challenges are just new opportunities. Let’s capitalize on them.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Discuss how important the commission plan is to used truck programs.
    • Review how to maintain consistency across the organization when it comes to refurbishment.
    • Review the importance of having equipment ready.
    • Understand how each deal is different and you must get creative.
  • 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm

    Conference Break

  • 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm

    Afternoon Roundtable Discussions

    Enjoy more time to discuss the ideas presented in the afternoon.

  • 3:45 pm - 4:00 pm

    Program Wrap-Up

  • 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

    Tour of Atlas Toyota Material Handling

    Enjoy a guided tour of MHEDA Member, Atlas Toyota Material Handling.

  • 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm

    Bus Transportation to Embassy Suites Hotel (Rosemont, IL). MHEDA will provide transportation back to the hotel.

  • 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

    Networking Dinner at Gibson’s Steakhouse (Optional)

    Enhance your conference experience with a first-class dinner at the famous Gibsons Steakhouse. Enjoy mouthwatering steaks, huge portions and memorable desserts all in a classy environment, designed for your peer-to-peer networking. You do not want to miss this event! Note, registration is $165 per person. Includes full steak dinner, sides, dessert, beer, wine, tax and gratuity. (Other entrée options are available.)

Thank You Vsimple for sponsoring refreshment breaks during this conference!

Vsimple, the full-service workflow management platform. Whether you’re managing processes within sales, accounting, HR or any other operational function, count on Vsimple’s expertise and technology to simplify, centralize and standardize your work.

Speakers


Richard Donnelly (Conference Moderator)

Richard Donnelly is the former Executive Vice President of Gregory Poole Equipment Company. He held various positions throughout the Company, including Marketing Manager, Industrial Division Manager and Vice President of Construction and Industrial Divisions. He retired after 38 years of experience with Gregory Poole and over 42 years in the construction and material handling equipment industry. Used equipment and rentals in the company is one of the core businesses and a major contributor to record sales and profits. Richard served on the MHEDA Board of Directors and was president of MHEDA in 2012.

Ben Garner

Ben Garner is the Vice President of Rental & Used at Equipment Depot. Ben oversees all phases of rental including OEM acquisition/negotiations, operations, top line revenue, pricing, and used sales/disposals at all of Equipment Depot’s 50 branches. EQD is in 17 states now with over 15,000 rental assets. Ben has served in a number of roles in his almost 20 years at Equipment Depot. These roles include Sales, District Sales Manager, Director of Marketing SW, National Director of Rental Process, and now VP for the last 4 years. Ben began his equipment career almost 25 years ago as the owner and auctioneer of his own auction company. He still loves to donate his time calling sales for charitable youth auctions.

Phil Mause

Phil Mause is the Senior Vice President of Rouse Services. He started working in the rental industry as a consultant in 2007 before joining Rouse Services in 2010 to build Rouse Analytics. Phil led Rouse Analytics through its launch 2011 and its rapid growth over the past decade into the leading provider of rental market insights. Today, Rouse Analytics provides rate and utilization benchmarking to over 250 rental companies and dealers across North America and the United Kingdom. Rouse collects nightly data on over $63 billion of fleet and $27 billion in annual rental transaction volume.

John Perazzo

John Perazzo is the Motive Power Regional Manager, Northern California/Nevada, Papè Motive Power. He is widely recognized as JP in the Motive Power industry, boasts an illustrious career spanning 28 years. Beginning as a technician at esteemed battery companies like Deka, he quickly advanced to sales and management positions at EnerSys. In 2012, John embarked on an exciting venture with Pape’ Material Handling, where he spearheaded the establishment of a thriving Motive Power department within the dealership. Over the past 12 years, John and his team have meticulously cultivated a formidable battery division. His expertise and unwavering dedication have propelled him to the forefront of the Motive Power industry, earning him widespread admiration and respect.

Steve Strenck

Steve Strenck is the Director of Sales for Gregory Poole Lift Systems. For the past seven plus years he has worked as the Director of Sales for Gregory Poole Lift Systems, the Hyster-Yale distributor in the parts of the Carolina’s and in Virginia. His responsibilities include new and used equipment sales, allied products sales, rental, and the sales administration processes. Prior to Gregory Poole, for 21 years, he was the VP of Sales with Dougherty Equipment Company, a Yale lift truck distributor also located in the Carolina’s, part of Georgia and in Virginia. He is currently a member of the Hyster Yale Dealer Advisory Board and serves on the board with MHEDA.

Jason Vavra

Jason Vavra is the Director of Used Equipment and Big Joe at Atlas Toyota Material Handling.
Jason has been in the material handling business for 33 years, spending 31 years with Atlas Toyota/ Atlas First Access. During this time, he has worked in several different positions within the dealership; Field Service Technician, Rental Manager, Assistant Parts Manager, General Service Manager, Used Equipment Manager and now Director of Used Equipment and Big Joe Products. He currently oversees all used equipment and Big Joe Product operations for Atlas Toyota which has three reconditioning facilities in two states, nine service technicians, five painters supporting 22 Sales Territory and National Account Managers

Accommodations

  • Embassy Suites O’Hare

    MHEDA has reserved a block of rooms at the Embassy Suites O’Hare hotel located at 5500 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018.

    For reservation call (800) 315-1061 by August 23 and mention MHEDA to receive the discounted rate of $185. Or make your reservations online – Click Here

    The Embassy Suites O’Hare Hotel is located less than two miles from O’Hare International Airport and has a 24-hour airport shuttle. Conveniently located only a few blocks from Fashion Outlets of Chicago and rail links to downtown. Enjoy made-to-order breakfast, complimentary evening reception, and access to the pool and fitness center.

Reviews from Past Rental & Used Conferences

• Excellent conference with lots of resourceful material.
• I enjoyed the presentations and round table discussions.
• I enjoyed the presentations and enjoyed meeting like-minded people.
• Well organized and great pace.
• Best practice share and network.
• Opportunity to engage with others within the industry and to gather new perspectives.
• I liked the roundtables, was able to get great info from other companies.
• Very positive experience.
• An absolutely fantastic event that is a must for any Used or Rental Associate.

• The information presented was useful and relevant to today’s environment.
• Learning and sharing experiences around different size and shape dealers / distributors regarding rental and used best practices.

Questions? MHEDA Can Help! Email: connect@mheda.org Phone: 847-680-3500