It’s Official, V-Bar is Recognized as an Award Winning Equipment Rental Company!

We are Thrilled to be Recognized as an American Rental Association President’s Image Award Winner!

V-Bar Equipment Company recently had the great honor of being recognized among a number of other outstanding equipment rental companies as one of the American Rental Association’s 2018 President’s Image Award Winners. We are thrilled to accept this award, and believe it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our outstanding team!

The ARA President’s Image Award exists to recognize members of the ARA that either built a new store or remodeled an existing one in particularly excellent fashion. ARA members also qualify for the award if they are able to demonstrate unique innovations, such as improvements in display areas or yard layouts. It is a way to honor companies in the equipment rental industry that are doing their best to build a better business image for the industry as a whole, beyond just their own company.

The award has been given out each year since 1974, and this year there were a total of 15 award winners, including V-Bar Equipment Company. We’re proud to be an award winning equipment rental company in Abilene, TX!

Our story

Each of the winners was profiled in the most recent edition of Rental Management Magazine. Here’s a brief overview of the story we told.

Our company was founded in 1993 by John Leigh, and specifically focused on buying and selling used forklifts in the beginning. In the years since, the company has grown rapidly, with new additions to the shop to the point where the location expanded to a 40-foot by 180-foot building with nine bays.

When Leigh passed away in 2014, his daughter, Susan Elgin, began working with a mechanic to sell some of his inventory to settle his estate. However, she soon found she enjoyed the industry, and by November 2014, she quit her full-time job as a chief financial officer and took over her father’s business. She now serves as president and owner of V-Bar Equipment Company.

Among the steps Susan has taken since taking over the mantle was to expand beyond exclusively used equipment. She and her mechanic began looking for new forklift manufacturers, and partnered with Tailift, which she describes as “an amazing product and great people to work with.” V-Bar Equipment Company became the Dealer of the Year for Tailift in both 2016 and 2017. During those years, the company also added telehandlers to its inventory, becoming a dealer for Dieci USA, and also became a CID Attachments dealer. Soon after, the company partnered with Big Joe to assist customers using electric warehouse equipment.

All of these increases resulted in the need for a new showroom. Susan started sketching out ideas herself on graph paper, and made models out of sugar cubes to scale. By 2017, construction began on the remodel, which included a new showroom and office area, as well as the addition of a second floor with bathrooms, kitchen and dry storage for electric equipment for sale and rent.

We’re pleased that our remodel has attracted national attention and made us an award winning equipment rental company in Abilene, TX. We are thrilled to continue growing and working hard for our customers!

Categorised in: Equipment Rental

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