Message From CRA's President
Alex DuBoses, CRA President
Thank you for electing me CRA President for the term of July 2012-June 2013. I am honored and flattered knowing that the membership and Board of CRA have selected me to be the leader of such a fantastic organization!
I am a second generation rental center owner following in the footsteps of my father who bought the company in 1973, when I was 1 year old. Growing up in this business has allowed me to experience all facets of the business in general, from dealing with employees to dealing with the public in a walk-in retail business type which we are all in. This experience has also taught me how to recognize opportunity and how to adjust to the ever changing needs of our customers. By being in tune to these needs, we are able to retain existing customers and acquire new ones. When I took over the daily operations in 1995, we operated one store in Chico and have since grown to 5 stores all in the Northern California markets.
Having been to 30+ years of CRA conventions and getting to meet so many wonderful, hard working, and genuine people, has taught me to strongly believe in the function and purpose of an association. Hundreds of invaluable relationships have been made over the years. Getting involved in any association allows individuals to gather as a united group that strives to achieve common goals and, to not only better themselves, but also improve and grow our industry. The people I have met and relationships made through the CRA are priceless both personally and professionally. The current sluggish economy offers yet another reason networking and sharing ideas in a group setting is more important that ever. I encourage anyone reading this that is in the rental industry to not only maintain your membership but, to get involved in your association. Involvement can come via territory meetings, board meetings, and most importantly our tradeshow.
The CRA tradeshow is a place for anyone in the rental industry to gather and network with people who have the same needs, challenges, and opportunities as you. The show is an opportunity to meet vendors in a different setting than the sales people who come into your business during work hours, when you are distracted by the daily demands of running your business and don’t really have the time to devote to what they are saying. Most, if not all, the vendors offer SHOW ONLY discounts that significantly offset the expense of attending the show. The CRA Board puts on the show themselves and uses no 3rd party event management firm, which allows attendee’s and vendors to get the most bang for their buck. The CRA has always been most interested in helping the small rental centers and giving them opportunities, for a minimal investment of time and money, to connect with suppliers and gather ideas to take back and implement for future success.
Please make plans to attend the 2014 CRA Rental Rally, centrally located at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA on January 14-15. A good time will be had by all!
I look forward to the next year as your CRA President and will do my best to guide the Association to success. If you haven’t already done so, add CalRental.org to your favorites list and engage yourself in your association, enjoy the fiscal and personal rewards of being a member of the greatest rental association.
