Chicago’s RentalMax Acquires A to Z RentAll, Expands to Wisconsin
RentalMax, the largest general equipment rental company in the Chicago area, has acquired A to Z RentAll and Sales in Madison, Wis. The acquisition was effective on April 29 and will continue the legacy of high quality equipment rental established by former owner Kevin Hoffman and his family.
The acquisition gives RentalMax – headquartered in Carol Stream, Ill., – its first location in Wisconsin. This marks the first time RentalMax is expanding to a new market and is a key component of the company’s growth strategy in the Midwest. RentalMax will retain the entire A to Z RentAll and Sales store team, so current customers will be working with the same equipment experts who have provided personalized service for generations. RentalMax will help the Madison store grow with more equipment and support.
“We are thrilled to welcome A to Z RentAll to the RentalMax family,” said John Jeanguenat, president. “The rental tradition established by the Hoffman family in Madison is as rich as any independent rental business in the country. We are honored to carry on that tradition and expand RentalMax into a thriving community. We pride ourselves on providing great equipment and personalized service to our loyal customer base, and our customers are at the center of every decision we make. We look forward to serving the loyal customers who have frequented A to Z RentAll and Sales for nearly 70 years.”
A to Z RentAll’s Madison history
RentalMax will operate out of the facility that A to Z RentAll opened in 1980. The business was originally founded by Kevin Hoffman’s parents, Rex and Enid Hoffman, in 1954, in another location in Madison. The Hoffmans were founding members of the American Rental Association in 1955. Kevin Hoffman, who served as ARA president in 2018, also has an event rental business – Madison-based Event Essentials – that he will continue to own and operate.
“It has been a pleasure working with Kevin to bring this acquisition together,” said Jeanguenat. “The Hoffman family and their team have established a great brand and culture of customer service and high-quality rental equipment. We look forward to working with the Madison team to build on that tradition and leverage the strengths of the RentalMax network.”
Hoffman said: “I am pleased to have RentalMax continue the operation of our tool rental division in the Madison market. Working with John Jeanguenat and his team at RentalMax has given me comfort that our team members will have enhanced support and improved opportunities for growth. For our customers and community this represents access to a larger selection of equipment and greater focus on their needs. This is a win-win for everybody involved and I am committed to helping make this successful for all.”
RentalMax has 10 locations around Chicagoland, northwest Indiana and Wisconsin. It recently acquired Regional Rental & Sales in Hobart, Ind., its first location in Indiana. For more on that acquisition, go to: https://www.rermag.com/mergers-acquisitions/rental-companies/article/21237132/rentalmax-expands-into-indiana-with-acquisition-of-regional-rentals-sales
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.