NES Equipment Rental has entered into a letter of intent to acquire Ballard Equipment, a one-location aerial rental specialist in Chattanooga, Tenn. Ballard Equipment has 11 employees and about 300 pieces of equipment, primarily aerial.
“We believe that Jim Ballard and his team have built and operated a very successful aerial rental business in southeast Tennessee,” said Andrew Studdert, NES Rentals chairman and CEO. “The location, customer base, employees and company culture is a perfect fit for NES.”
NES senior vice president Chris Bowers told RER that the location, about two hours from NES’ Atlanta offices and about two hours from Knoxville “fits well geographically and is a very nice fit for us.” Bowers added that the plan is for Ballard to remain with the company after the acquisition is final.
The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2010, and is subject to standard closing conditions.
Specializing primarily in aerial rentals, NES Rentals is one of the largest aerial rental companies in the United States with more than 70 locations in 27 states. Based in Deerfield, Ill., NES is No. 8 on the RER 100.
