Volvo Rents’ held its 2009 Franchise Convention in Palm Springs, Calif., last weekend, with more than 90 percent of North American franchisees in attendance. Workshops at the three-day event included “Advanced Financials: Tax, Estate and Succession Planning”, “Leveraging Business Intelligence Tools,” and sessions on best practices for renting in a downturn: “Power Generation Rental Opportunities”, “Industrial and Manufacturing Rental Opportunities,” and “Government Rental Opportunities.”
There were sessions covering IT, marketing and other financial issues. Volvo Rents provided opportunities for franchisees to have one-on-one sessions with CEO Barry Natwick and other upper management officials to help them with various aspects of operations.
Other services offered by Volvo Rents management include software that drills down to the various metropolitan areas covered by franchisees so they can get a detailed overview of projects that are about to develop and trends that will affect their areas in the coming years.
Volvo Rents rolled out its new Hard Hat Comedy program. The company has assembled a group of comics Volvo Rents franchisees can hire for special events they might put on. Two of them performed Saturday night for the franchisees.
While not unrealistic about the current state of the economy, many of the franchisees in attendance expressed strong optimism about their company’s ability to compete in the current environment.
About 75 vendors participated in Volvo Rents’ Vendor Day, a mini-trade show, with indoor table top displays as well as outdoor equipment stands. Vendors included Allmand Bros., Bobcat, Diamond Products, Ditch Witch, Doosan Portable Power, Genie, Hilti, JCB, JLG, John Deere, Miller Electric, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Skyjack, SmartEquip, Vermeer, Wacker Neuson and more.
Carson, Calif.-based Multiquip was voted vendor of the year.
Other speakers included Christine Wehrman, CEO of the American Rental Association, and Jerry Gorski, national chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors and construction engineer for Gorski Engineering, Collegeville, Pa.
