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Rental Center News
CRA's Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow is live NOW and will continue until February 25, 2021! Click here to enter the virtual tradeshow lobby. Rental Center owners, managers and employees are enjoying the convenience of sharing the virtual experience of CRA’s Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow with over 45 exhibitors. Click here to see the list of Exhibitors. Visit the Virtual Booths and check out the exhibitor promo videos and slideshows! Be sure to enter the booth contests as you visit the exhibitors. Engage with Exhibitors through: Video Chats, Appointments, Contests, Demos, Brochures, Video Galleries, On-line Stores, Website and Social Media Links, Surveys and Online Reviews.
 
R&R Rentals
Troy Roper
10920 Northup Way
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 822-4001
www.RR-Rentals.com
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of longtime CRA member Marion Beal. She passed away quietly in her sleep on January 23rd, 2021. She was well regarded by those that were fortunate enough to know her. It has been stated that she did not have customers, only friends, which is likely one of the reasons that she was the 1997 recipient of “The W. E. “Bud” Loeber Friendship Award.” At this time we do not have any information on a service for her. She will be missed.
  
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Josephine Magana Gutierrez, co-founder of Orbit Rentals. Josephine was born in 1933 and passed December 29, 2020. She will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, among others. Messages of sympathy and support can be addressed to the family as follows:
 
Mitch Gutierrez, Orbit Rentals, 8725 S. Norwalk Blvd., Whittier, CA 90606-3496
  
Beginning this February CRA’s inaugural “Fourth Wednesday Rental Workshop” will take place via Zoom on the 24th from 2:30 – 4:00 pm. After being introduced to the world of virtual venues this past year, we feel it is an appropriate platform to provide CRA members a monthly workshop. Each workshop will begin by highlighting one of our Virtual Rental Rally Exhibitors, followed by 30 minutes of training, 10 – 15 minutes of networking or Rental Yard Highlights, and ending with a raffle.
  
 
Congratulations to our Virtual Cocktail Party Trivia Winners:
 
1st Place  - Kay Lee with Rouse
2nd Place  -  Dani Planto with Makinex
2nd Place  -  Ray Moslehi with Rouse
 
Thank you to our Gift Card Sponsors!
 
 
Shelter Structures America
  
Check out the latest podcast episodes of Peer Talk, featuring CRA President Rusty Parr and CRA Executive Director Jeff Roberts. Episode 17 features Jeff Roberts, CRA Executive Director and President of City Rentals. We sat down with Jeff to discuss his experience of rising through the ranks of the rental industry and CRA’s Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow. Episode 18 features Rusty Parr, President of AV Party Rentals and current President of the California Rental Association (CRA). Rusty discusses what it means to participate and lead in your industry, sharing his 30-year involvement in CRA governance.
Make sure to check into CRA’s Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow and stop by our booth here. Register that you stopped by to win a $250 gift card.
Now that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations has begun many employers will confront the decision of whether to make vaccinations mandatory.
 
Can Employers Legally Require Employees to Get Vaccinated?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have essentially agreed that employers can mandate that workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Previously there had been concern about whether procedures related to giving employees the vaccine would violate medical privacy laws and provisions of the ADA. Although statements released in the past couple of months have led many employers to feel comfortable about mandating vaccinations, employers aren’t getting a complete carte blanche. The health care providers used by employers to administer the vaccines need to ask certain screening questions before administering the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure there are no medical reasons for which the employee should not receive it.
Vendor News
 
Rental Center owners, managers and employees are enjoying the convenience of sharing the virtual experience of CRA’s Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow with over 45 exhibitors. Thank you to the exhibitors that have already signed up for CRA’s Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow! Click on “Learn more” to see the list of exhibitors signed up for the show. There's still time to sign up as an Exhibitor! Virtual booths sell for $485 each. Attendees will be FREE. The show is live NOW and will continue until February 25, 2021. Make your statement to the world about your company and products with a promo video or slideshow! Engage with Attendees through: Video Chat Room, Appointment Scheduler, Contest w/ Lead Capture, Demo, Brochures, Video Galleries, On-line Store, Website and Social Media Links, Surveys or Online Reviews. Visit our Website for additional information, a Demo, and Order Form today! Each exhibitor will receive an exclusive link to their virtual booth that can be added to email signatures, their websites, Social Media, etc.
 
While the current show ends on February 25, 2021, we are considering extending the Virtual Rental Rally Tradeshow through February 28, 2022. This would include having the virtual show run concurrently with the in-person Rental Rally Tradeshow scheduled for January 24-26, 2022, at South Point. The cost for the year would be $500. Please email your thoughts to Info@CalRental.org.
 
Peer Executive Groups
Daniel Crowley
1074 Natalie Ln.
Coopersburg, PA 18036
(610) 504-3094
www.PeerExecutiveGroups.com
  
HBS Systems, a leading provider of web-based equipment dealership management solutions and rental software, has been named the winner of two Silver Stevie® Awards in the Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats) – Technology Industries and Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software (Up to 100 Employees) categories in the15th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service.
  
Mecalac, a leading global designer, manufacturer and distributor of compact construction equipment for urban environments, welcomed five North American dealers to its network in 2020. The new dealers significantly expand Mecalac’s coverage across the eastern U.S., as well as provide a toehold for the company on the West Coast and in several key Canadian markets. These partnerships increase access and customer support for existing Mecalac customers, and help bring the company’s innovative lineup to new regions across the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
  
Snorkel™ is pleased to announce that its range of rough terrain telehandlers are now available with open cabs. Available on all Snorkel rough terrain telehandler models, which includes the SR5719, SR9244, SR1054 and SR1331, customers can now choose from either an open cab, or a fully enclosed cab with heat and air conditioning. On the full electric, lithium-ion battery powered compact rough terrain telehandler, the Snorkel SR5719E, the open cab is also now available, in addition to a fully enclosed cab with heat.
  
Bryan Bernardino has accepted a new position at the Fontana branch of Sonsray Machinery/Case Construction. He will serve as the branch's Store Manager. "I’m am looking forward to working with all of you and would appreciate the opportunity to personally serve your company's needs. Be sure to send all your quote requests to bbernardino@sonsray.com or call me directly at 909-228-7588. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for being my valued customer. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have served you in the past and look forward to working with you on your future projects."
  
Mecalac, a leading global designer, manufacturer and distributor of compact construction equipment for urban environments, offers a new configuration of its innovative two-piece boom with offset for 6MCR skid excavators and 7MWR wheeled excavator models. The boom option allows customers to better tailor equipment for their specific needs.
Business News
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) invites you to participate in a workshop for the proposed Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. This regulation is focused on developing strategies to ensure that the cleanest vehicles are deployed by government, business, and other entities in California to meet their transportation needs. This effort is part of a comprehensive strategy to achieve a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) truck and bus fleet by 2045 everywhere feasible and significantly earlier for certain market segments such as last mile delivery, public fleets, and drayage applications. This workshop will be presented twice on the same day using two identical GoToWebinar sessions as indicated below. The latter session is being offered for stakeholders who are unable to attend the earlier session.
 
Date: March 4, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: GoToWebinar

Interested parties must register in order to participate.
Across the U.S., propane prices have skyrocketed up 70% since last November. In some places, folks depending on the pressurized gas for home heating are hurting. In Wisconsin, the situation has become so intense that rules limiting how much time truck drivers can work have been lifted for LP truckers. What’s happening? A propane shortage is creating world-wide issues.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that it has ended the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, effective immediately. PAID, launched by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in 2018, allowed employers to self-report minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) without facing litigation, penalties or additional damages. The program also prohibited affected workers from taking any private action on the identified violations.
On Thursday, January 28, NFIB and the National Retail Federation’s request for a temporary restraining order against new California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) workplace regulations received its first hearing in a San Francisco Superior Court.
For a little more than 15 years, UPS attempted to shoehorn a less-than-truckload segment into its parcel delivery monolith. Recently, the CCJ Top 250 No. 1 carrier announced the end of the experiment and the sale of its UPS Freight business to TFI International (CCJ Top 250, No. 8) for $800 million – about $400 million less than UPS paid in 2005 for Overnite Transportation, the acquisition that gave rise to the division. While UPS at the time lauded its new subsidiary for its “extensive transportation network, a strong focus on operational efficiency and flexibility,” the parent company’s inability to leverage that efficiency and flexibility was ultimately its undoing, said Donald Broughton, Principal and Managing Partner at Broughton Capital.
CARB Executive Officer Richard W. Corey recently announced the appointment of Deldi Reyes as the new Director of the Office of Community Air Protection (DOCAP). Reyes will oversee all activities related to CARB’s implementation of the Community Air Protection Program (CAPP) the community-focused program established under AB 617 to more effectively reduce exposure to air pollution and preserve public health.
Calendar
 
January 25 – February 25, 2021
OnLine CRA 2021 Virtual Rental Rally Trade Show More…
 
February 24, 2021 – OnLine 2:30 – 4:00 pm (PST)
CRA’s 4th Wednesday Rental Workshop – “Driving Safety; Making Better Driving Decisions” Sponsored by Paragon and Presented by Lee Sorenson with Sedgwick. More…

Survey Results
Thank you to all who take time to participate in our surveys. CRA uses the information we gather to better serve you. If you have an idea for a survey for CRA members, please send your request to CRA at Info@CalRental.org. This month, we asked how members about credit cards and ACH. 
Eddie Wilson from City Rentals in Ontario, CA, is the winner of the February Survey Raffle. Congratulations Eddie!
California has a law, California Civil Code section 1748.1, that prohibits retailers from adding a surcharge when a consumer chooses to use a credit card instead of paying by cash. In March 2015, a federal court found the statute unconstitutional and prohibited the Attorney General from enforcing it. The Office of the Attorney General believes that this decision is incorrect and has appealed that order. However, as of now, the Attorney General cannot enforce the statute. Although the Attorney General is enjoined from enforcing this specific statute, California law does prohibit a merchant from engaging in activity that is unfair or deceptive. So, for example, if a merchant charges a credit or debit card surcharge or offers a cash discount, but does not fully disclose this to customers prior to their committing themselves to the goods or services, or if the merchant does not clearly explain its policies regarding debit and credit cards, the merchant may be violating California law.