Page 81 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

for the duration of the shoot. They liked the idea. We put it out on the movie set right away, and it swept up bullet shells for three months. When the filming was done, we put it in our fleet. And that’s how we got into the sweeper business—because a customer had a specific request that we were able to fill quickly.”
Production Express also provided all the support equipment for the third Matrix movie, The Hulk, and several others. But landing that initial oppor- tunity took a lot of networking and persistence. “We want to be the recognized leader in our in- dustry, the top-of-the-mind, number one choice for tool and equipment rental for anyone from a movie producer to a homeowner to a concert or- ganizer to a construction boss,”says Smith.“To do that we have to chase every single opportunity in every market we can find.”Then it comes down to listening to the customer and being willing to take the risk.
THE CAT RENTAL STORE: RENTAL CAT’S WAY
True to his promise, Duane Sr. opened Peterson’s first Cat-branded rental store in Oregon in 2003, at its Eugene headquarters. Three years later, the Cat Rental Store moved to its own location in Springfield just ten minutes away. “Traditionally, Cat Rental Stores did not include Heavy Rents [heavy equipment rent-to-rent], but it works well for us because of the size of our territory,” explains Rich Bolen, GM of Peterson’s Oregon/Washing- ton rental operations. “And it’s more convenient for our customers because they can rent a D8, a light tower, and a three-inch trash pump all from the same place. We’re both rental services and rent- to-rent—the A to Z model.” Peterson’s Cat Rental Store combines heavy equipment rentals with the large-inventory, high-transaction, one-stop-shop mentality of the retail rental business. The Oregon market took to it like a duck to water.
TYPES OF RENTAL OPTIONS
Rent-to-Rent—Strictly on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis only.
Rent-to-Sell—Rented out to eventually be sold at a lower price.
Lease RPO—Rental Purchase Option for customers who want to expense rent charges over several months; rental payments go toward the purchase.
Rental Services—Retail-type business that includes anything from mid-sized tractors to lawnmowers; comprised of a high percentage of allied, non-Cater- pillar equipment.
Heavy Rents—Traditional heavy equipment rentals. Includesscrapers,largeexcavators,wheel loaders, dozers, and motor graders (all Cat models); assets are owned by Peterson’s Sales Department.
Power Rentals—Rental of power generation equip- ment through Peterson Power Systems, Inc.
PTI Rent-to-Rent—Truck fleet rentals from Peterson Trucks Inc.
Idealease—Fully maintained truck lease for custom- ers who want to focus solely on their own delivery business.
Rent-to-ReRent—Rentals to other Caterpillar dealers or rental houses when they don’t have what they need, or vice versa.
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