RentX Acquires BJ's, Alliance, 4 Others RentX Industries recently completed a flurry of acquisitions, including buyouts of eight-location BJ's Rentals, San Diego; five-location Alliance Equipmen t, Richmond, Va., and two-location Redi Rentals, Knoxville, Tenn.
RentX, No. 54 on last year's RER 100, also purchased one-location operations Rental Center of Louisville, Colo., from Robert Lathrop, who will stay on to manage the branch; A/B Rentals, Boulder, Colo., from Richard Teodonno, who is retiring; and J & L Rentals, Loveland, Colo., from J.D. Bilderback, who is also retiring.
One of the largest rental companies in Southern California, BJ's, which has expanded considerably in recent years, has annual rental revenue of about $5 million. Former owner Brad Thomas is retiring and will not remain with the company beyond an immediate transitional period.
Bob Pollard, ex-owner of Alliance - which was one of the last remaining large rental operations in Virginia - will stay with RentX as an area manager. Redi Rentals founder Chuck Rothstein is retiring.
The transactions add 18 locations and about $21 million in 1997 revenue, according to Arnie Bernstein, RentX president. "We consider BJ's, Alliance and Redi Rentals great platforms to expand from," he said.
The Colorado acquisitions will change their name to RentX after a brief transition period, while Alliance, BJ's and Redi Rentals will do business under their current names for about a year, Bernstein said. He added that the company will open several start-up branches in the near future.
RentX now has 80 locations nationwide with aggregate 1997 annual revenue of $65 million, according to the company.
RSC Buys Midwest Aerial Platforms WAUKESHA, Wis. - Rental Service Corp., No. 4 on the RER 100, last month acquired Midwest Aerial Platforms, a three-location access specialist based here with two outlets in Illinois.
Terms of the deal for Midwest, which had trailing 12-month revenue of about $8.2. million, were not disclosed. Joe Simons, former president and owner of Midwest, will stay on to manage the acquired locations, according to RSC officials.
"The acquisition of Midwest expands our presence in Illinois and brings us into our 26th state," said Marty Reid, RSC chairman and CEO. Rental Service Corp., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., now operates 203 locations nationwide.
I VALDOSTA, Ga. -I Rental Service Corp. last month acquired and Florida-based D&D Rentals, Arkansas-based Breedon Rental & Sales and Carter Rentals, based here, pushing the Scottsdale, Ariz., company's total locations to more than 120.
Formerly owned by Harry Dowden, D&D has four locations in Tallahassee and one in Live Oaks, Fla. Breedon brings RSC branches in Van Buren and Russelville, Ark. Carter Rental's two locations in Valdosta serve the construction and general tool markets. Terms of the three deals were not disclosed.
As reported in June, RSC also has completed acquisitions of Midwest aerial specialists Foxx Hy-Reach and Central States Equipment, which combined generated more than $32 million in revenue last year. RSC, No. 6 on the RER 100, had 1996 revenues of $128.4 million.
In management news, RSC appointed former Hertz Equipment Rental vice president M.E. "Bud" Howard as vice president, industrial sales.
