2021’s 12 to Watch Under 40 list was announced in the September issue of Rental Management magazine. The list highlights young leaders in the rental industry from throughout the world.
Congratulations to this year’s featured leaders (in alphabetical order): Shannon Botten, Kacie Brewer, Julie Creedon-Linton, Avery DuBose, Nathan Elmore, Jesus Gomez, John Jeanguenat, Laura Jutzi, Meagan Priest, Matthew Smith, Mac Whittlesey, and Sean Williams!
Now that those congratulations have been given to everyone, we’d like to share more about the seven honorees that are part of the Point of Rental family (RM’s article includes far more information):
Avery DuBose (pg 82) is the vice president of Rental Guys in Chico, Calif. He’s been in the rental industry his whole life; his grandfather helped found the CRA and Avery was working in the shop at age 4 and writing contracts in Point of Rental at nine years old. He’s helped level the company’s technology up, adding tech partners and focusing on appealing to the next generation of rental job applicants.
Nathan Elmore (pg 82) of Andover Rental in Andover, Kan., started in the business when his dad told him it was time to get a summer job and sent him to Andover Rental to work for his friends. Nathan grew to love the business and the industry; he ended up buying Andover Rental after finishing his degree in entrepreneurship from Wichita State University.
John Jeanguenat (pg 85) moved back to Chicago to be closer to family and ended up finding a new career at RentalMax. He’s now the president of the Carol Stream, Ill. company, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022. He’s a member of the ARA’s Technology Advisory Group and the co-chair of the ARA’s Equipment Rental Shared Interest Group.
Meagan Priest (pg 88) knew she wanted a career where she would be helping people. After a few years in social work and the food and beverage industry, she turned to rental to find a forever career. An office manager at Chair Rental in Sheridan, Colo., she is also the VP of the ARA of Colorado board.
Matthew Smith (pg 88) started off as a “casual laborer” at Special Events Entertainment and is still there, 18 years later. He’s now the Portsmouth, Va. company’s logistics and facilities manager. Having made it through the last 18 months with the event rental company, he’s now focused on helping rental become a desirable career to job seekers.
Mac Whittlesey (pg 90) of Ideal Rent-All in Mt. Vernon, Wash., started her career in rental by answering phones. She learned about everything she was renting and is now the general manager at Ideal, taking pride in being a plate that provides solutions any time someone in the community needs it. She’s also a member of the ARA of Washington board.
Sean Williams (pg 92) of First Place Rental in Oswego, Ill. started out sweeping floors and washing chairs as a seasonal job. While working, he continued his education through college, got a degree in actuarial science, and got to the point where, in 2020, he purchased the business. He is a part of the ARA’s Young Professional Network and a board member of the ARA of Illinois.
You can read more about all of these leaders and everyone else in this issue of Rental Management. If you’d like to hear from a couple of the young industry leaders, we’ve interviewed Mac and Kacie on our The Front PORch podcast; you can listen to their episodes by clicking on their names.
Congratulations again to everyone listed; it’s always great to get a peek into the future of the industry!
