Before
he owned a party and event rental store in Fenton, Mo., Rick
Nadler lived a completely different life. "I sold to
the nuclear power industry and products to the U.S. Navy for
nuclear submarines. I traveled 45 weeks out of the
year," he says.
A
division of his company sold products to the rental
industry, so Nadler decided to join the companies rental
representative and attend a regional American Rental
Association (ARA) show in Missouri in 1993, where he met
Robert "Bob" Detzel. The pair discussed starting
their own rental company. "Within a year, we were in
business as a Grand Rental Station," he says.
The
change in careers allowed him to spend more time with his
sons, David and Matt. Now, the three work together. David is
vice president of operations and Matt works with customer
service at Grand Rental Station. "They really run it
now," says Nadler, who is the companys president.
Grand
Rental Station originally opened in November 1994 as a tool
rental store. "When we started out in rental, we didn't
plan to rent party. Bob suggested adding some equipment. Its
probably the best piece of business advice we've had,"
Nadler says.
The
company initially bought 100 white chairs, 50 brown chairs,
a dozen 60-in. round tables, a dozen 8-ft. rectangular
tables and place settings for 50 people. The business opened
in November and when construction rentals began to trail
off, calls for party started to come in.
"Every
time I got an order, I had to buy more chairs," he
says.
Between
1998 and 2000, the store slowly transitioned to party and
event equipment rental, eventually phasing out tool rental
in July 2000. As a result, "the business grew 150
percent in 2000," he says. Inventory also grew by leaps
and bounds and Nadler says the company now has more than
5,000 place settings.
However,
2001 was a difficult year for the company. Detzel who was
out of the business by that time, but had been a mentor for
Nadler died in July 2001. In August 2001, the business found
the perfect new location, a 20,000-sq.-ft. building to lease
that would provide additional storage and moved.
Then
on Sept. 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks changed the face of
the nation. "It took us two years to recover. All the
big events were cancelled," says Nadlers son, David.
As
a result, Nadler says, he became very careful about how he
spent money and how he marketed the company. "We worked
harder with direct selling and marketing. If we didn't have
to spend, we didn't spend. We looked at the necessities. That's
about the time we discussed the Web," he says.
Today,
http://www.grandrental-stl.com/ includes
photos, prices and names of products offered, as well as a
"what's new" product section, photos of events, a
series of tips for events and contact information.
A
combination of the Web presence and Nadlers position as
president of the local Chamber of Commerce also helps drive
in-person business. "Every year were here, we get more
walk-in business," he says.
The
showroom, though small, displays an example of several
items, including a canopy with lighting, place settings,
chairs, centerpieces and photos of various events. Every
quarter, on holidays and once a month during the slow
season, the showroom is revamped with different products.
Visitors
also might be directed to the spic-and-span warehouse to see
specific products and the warehouse has several features
that make it keen for visitors.
"I'm
very, very particular about the quality of the
product," Nadler says. That much is obvious once
visitors step into the dish room which doesn't happen very
often, thanks to the "Dish Room Personnel Only!"
sign.
The
dish room is a separate drywalled room built in the
warehouse. From the time dishes come back in from an event,
they are immediately hauled to a nearby staging area. Dishes
are washed, then dried and inspected inside the room. Dishes
are then racked and allowed to dry for a day before being
inspected and packaged. Once packaged, dishes are then
allowed back out into the main warehouse.
"Its
100-percent quality control on every piece, every
dish," Nadler says.
The
quality control starts at the two drive-in and two dock
doors and from there, staging goes to the back wall. Linens
are sent out for cleaning, but every other product is
handled in-house. Electrical appliances are tested when they
come in at a station by the dish room.
While
not every product has its own room, each section is
separated and all products are on a racking system. The
store carries tents from 60 ft. up to 150 ft., chairs and
tables, and each gets just as much attention.
"We
clean every chair before it goes back out. We repair each
table. Over the winter, we refurbish pieces," he says.
The
28-ft. ceiling in the warehouse offers plenty of room for
expansion, considering the shelves are currently 8 ft. high.
"We can go up another 20 ft. and we've considered a
mezzanine," he says.
Increasing
the height will mean stackable pallets and forklifts, he
says, and building will mean an inspection. The decision to
move up, literally, is still in the works.
However,
the business is growing again and the growth doesn't stop at
Grand Rental Stations location. The Nadlers have been busy
outside the warehouse as well, starting Triple N Vineyard in
Rosebud, Mo., to make wine to go with their many types of
glassware.
"We've
planted a vineyard and have harvested our first crop,"
he says, adding that both the wine and rental businesses
have been great so far. "I have my sons with me, it
keeps the family close and we get along well. We do enjoy
each other," he says.
