The Front Porch

Melissa Christensen

Melissa Christensen, a Support Solutions Engineer at Point of Rental, shares her journey from literal dancing to the metaphorical dance of the rental industry. She recounts a 25-year rental-industry career, including joining LiftWorks as the second employee, working long hours to help grow it into a 75-person business, and using early manual and fax-based processes before software modernization. Melissa explains her move to Point of Rental, her role helping premier customers, her belief in relationships, extensive volunteering including a COVID “sprinkle” pay-it-forward group, and shares favorite Chicago spots and personal reflections.

How are Rental Leaders Using AI?

Point of Rental's Head of AI, Matt Gaffin, talks with industry experts Brittany Haas (Crown Rental), Grant Christopher (Christopher Equipment), and Anthony Durante (The Owl, formerly of Durante Rentals) about how rental leaders use AI in their lives.  They share practical applications like SOP and policy/manual creation, professionalizing emails and job descriptions, marketing content and images, research and event outreach, brainstorming, and drafting sensitive employee communications, while noting limitations in deeper analytics like utilization, fleet moves, and buy/sell decisions without better context and continuous data.

The Front Porch LIVE at the ARA Show: Ecommerce with Caleb Yell

Brian talks with Point of Rental e-commerce strategy lead Caleb Yell about how rental e-commerce has shifted from a "nice to have" to a business-critical tool and how you can avoid a lot of the growing pains that come from implementing it. You'll learn about the tools being used to digitize counter workflows online (e-sign, ID verification, ACH/payments), common breakdowns, and the need for optimized consumer-facing images and descriptions.  They cover underused tools, key metrics to watch, and highlight the need for great SEO, especially in the AI age.

Phil Clark

Senior implementation consultant Phil Clark shares his path, from trampolining, engineering and IT curiosity to bus driving, coaching, and ultimately training customers at Point of Rental. He talks about what good training looks like, what he enjoys most about working with customers and teams, and some standout travel experiences on the job. March is MS Awareness month, so Phil also opens up about his experience with multiple sclerosis and how it’s shaped his life and relationships. We also learned about Phil's off-the-clock stories—volunteering with an inshore lifeboat crew and doing the occasional “disco” as a hobby DJ.

Kim Medellin

Kim Medellin is Point of Rental's Global HR Generalist. She shares her journey from growing up in Michigan with dreams of being a singer to moving to Texas and finding her path in HR. She discusses her career transitions, including her time as a pharmacy tech and her entry into the construction industry, which eventually led her to Point of Rental. We talk karaoke tips, Gen Alpha slang, quotable movies, and more. Don't miss out on Kim's insights and personal stories that highlight her dedication to helping others and creating a positive workplace environment.