The Fresh Rental

The Fresh Rental. Ep 9. Foster harris. Tri lift

From Navy Leadership to Rental Ops: Foster Harris on Building Systems, Teams, and a Rental-First DealershipIn this episode of The Fresh Rental, the hosts sit down with Foster Harris, Director of Rental and Trucking at Tri Lift Industries in Greensboro, North Carolina, to talk about what it really takes to run rental operations in commercial and industrial material handling. Foster shares his path from the Navy and retail management into Sunstate Equipment, where he quickly moved through branch leadership roles, and why he transitioned to Tri Lift to help shift a dealership toward a more rental-focused strategy. He breaks down day-to-day operational realities—fleet size and equipment mix, the close tie between rental and trucking, and how legacy dealership software creates manual work and visibility gaps. The conversation also covers hiring challenges, feedback cadence, customer follow-ups on equipment out on rent, building “rental ready” processes, and the need for bench strength and systems to prepare for industry retirements.

The Fresh Rental. Ep 8. Kyle Musgrove - Tejas Equipment Rental

Tejas Equipment Rental’s Next Generation: Kyle on Data, Fleet Strategy, and Fighting TheftIn this episode of The Fresh Rental, the hosts sit down with Kyle from Tejas Equipment Rental, a Texas family business operating since 1975 with eight locations plus three site-services units. Kyle shares how he entered the business after working in financial services, what surprised him about rental’s many moving parts, and why team strength is the key differentiator. The conversation covers modernizing payments, adopting AI and data tools, and using utilization and other metrics to anticipate demand—especially as Texas jobs require larger equipment like 40–45 ft scissor lifts. Kyle explains implementing customer ID verification (using Vouched) to prevent theft, discusses fleet transitions like shifting skid steers toward more tracked units, and outlines his next step into a larger day-to-day leadership role as Tejas pursues growth amid booming Texas construction and rising competition.

The fresh rental. Ep 7. Marshall McCormick. Goodshuffle

Goodshuffle’s Marshall on Modern Rental Ops, Software Adoption, and AI’s Next WaveIn this episode of The Fresh Rental, the hosts sit down with Marshall, an account executive at Goodshuffle, to talk about the software side of party and event rental. Marshall shares how his background in logistics, venue operations, and SaaS sales shaped his advisor-first approach with rental operators, and why logistics mindset maps closely to rental execution. The conversation covers common operational breakdowns—items missed on trucks, last-minute order changes, double bookings, and details falling through the cracks—and why many owners hesitate to switch systems after painful past rollouts or because processes live “in their head.” They discuss how modern platforms can align sales, fulfillment, dispatch, and warehouse teams, the need to make buying frictionless for customers, and how AI and automation (like automated truck routing) can reduce owner workload and improve decision-making.

The Fresh Rental. Ep 6. Alan Hunt. Thompson Machinery

Alan Hunt (Thompson Machinery) on Leading Cat Rental Operations, Culture, and Winning in the Margins | The Fresh RentalIn this episode of The Fresh Rental, the host sits down with Alan Hunt, East Region Rental Manager at Thompson Machinery (the Caterpillar dealer) based in the Nashville Metro area, to discuss running heavy equipment rental at serious scale across Tennessee and Mississippi. Alan shares how he “fell into” rental, his transition from a sales background into operations leadership, and why he’s people-first, competitive, and focused on relationships. They break down Thompson’s complexity as a multi-line Cat business, the realities of managing a significant fleet across six locations responsible for about two-thirds of company business, and how big customers require partnership-level service with response times measured in minutes. Alan emphasizes process discipline, metric-driven management, culture as the foundation, and hiring for likability and work ethic, while noting systems help but never replace human confirmation. He also discusses AI as a tool for winners and his “magic wand” wish for predictive fleet management, plus his focus on growth through “feet, fleet, and facilities.”

The fresh rental. Ep 5. Davis West. - Top Tech

Davis West (Top Tech) on Safe Tenting, Custom Projects, and the Future of Tent Rentals | The Fresh Rental In this episode of The Fresh Rental, the hosts sit down with Davis West, Technical Solutions Manager at Top Tech, to talk about his 15-year journey in the tent and event rental world—from starting at 14 on a local crew that grew from one 40x80 pole tent into a four-location business, to joining Top Tech after a brief stint outside the industry. Davis explains what sets Top Tech apart through quality, customer support, and solution-focused service, and breaks down his new role handling technical issues, engineering, wind loads, freight damage troubleshooting, and managing a redesigned Nantucket product launch. They also discuss innovations like printed tops and powder-coated poles, the industry’s shift toward PPE and safer job sites, and Davis’s tent-focused podcast