The fresh rental. Ep 11. James Polkinghorne. - James Equipment LLC

The fresh rental. Ep 11. James Polkinghorne. - James Equipment LLC

In this episode of The Fresh Rental, we sit down with James Polkinghorne, Owner and Manager of James Equipment LLC in Winchester, Tennessee.James started his rental business with one skid steer, one trailer, and a simple “Rent Me” sign by the road. What began as a side hustle has grown into a real independent rental operation built through grit, reinvestment, customer demand, and a willingness to learn the business one rental at a time.We talk about what it takes to start and grow an equipment rental company from scratch, the pressure of being an owner-operator, the lessons James has learned along the way, and what independent rental businesses need to focus on as they grow.If you’re in equipment rental, construction, tool rental, or thinking about starting your own rental business, this episode is for you.Guest: James Polkinghorne, James Equipment LLCHosts:Daniel Botero, and Jaime GaezPresented by The Fresh RentalTopics covered:-Starting an equipment rental business-Growing as an independent rental operator-Owner-operator challenges-Customer service in rental-Reinvesting in fleet and equipment-Lessons from the rental industry-Building a business in a smaller market#EquipmentRental #RentalIndustry #ToolRental #ConstructionEquipment #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #IndependentRental #TheFreshRental

The Fresh Rental. Ep 10. Rusell Callahan

Russ Callahan has done it all: tradeshow production, solar, hospitality, and now Chief Revenue Officer at Guest Events in Las Vegas, one of the most competitive event markets on the planet. In this episode we get into what it actually takes to scale teams, lead under pressure, and compete in a market where everyone's trying to put on the biggest show. Russ has been an owner, a director, a VP. He's seen this business from every seat there is. Quick disclaimer: Ralph had some technical issues mid-recording and had to drop. Turns out even the smoothest event industry can't always save you from a bad WiFi connection. Jaime carried the conversation solo from there, so consider this a bonus one-on-one with Russ. No fluff. Just a real conversation with someone who's operated at a high level across more industries than most people work in over a lifetime. 🎙️ The Fresh Rental is powered by Lizit — rental management software built by operators, for operators.🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week.Chapters: * Introduction * How Russ got into events and operations * Competing in the Las Vegas events market * Leadership under pressure * Experience vs. transaction * Looking ahead * Lightning Round

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.