ARA appoints new association president

Brian Richardson, president and CEO of L & A Tent Rentals in New Jersey has been installed as the 64th president of the American Rental Association (ARA).

Richardson, who will lead ARA’s executive committee, succeeds outgoing president Robert Pedersen - the president and CEO of A Tool Shed in California - who now becomes ARA’s board chair.

The new president has been involved in the event rental industry for 46 years, joining Lewiston Auburn Tent & Awning Co. in Maine in 1980 and founding L & A Tent Rentals in 1986.

Brian Richardson, president, American Rental Association (ARA). (Image: L & A Tent Rentals)

“ARA is about people — the relationships, friendships and the community that make the rental industry unlike any other,” said Richardson.

He said one of his top goals is to help ARA lead the way “in keeping the industry unified. Our association must help small businesses stay strong and sustainable, while also leveraging the influence and resources of large companies to advance standards, training and safety.”

At the same time, ARA has appointed Sarah Wilper as the new president-elect – the person who will succeed Richardson after his term of office.

Wilper is executive vice president at Taylor Rental of Manchester, Connecticut. She has been involved in the rental industry for nearly 17 years.