GENERAL RENTAL HELPS OTHERS SUCCEED
As a student at the University of Connecticut (UCONN), Mike Grogan worked a side landscaping job to help put himself through school. That experience provided him with experience operating heavy equipment.
Then five years ago, Grogan and his wife, Megan, bought an equipment rental business in Tolland. General Rental is a full-service rental operation featuring tools and equipment for every need.
The team at General Rental is committed to educating clients about safe operation of all equipment. They provide safety and operator training on every tool, and stay current by offering the latest professional-grade tools and equipment to meet customer demands.
“We started off with two mini excavators and two skid steers,” Grogan recalls. “About a week later, a rep from H.O. Penn stopped by and asked us if we’d be interested in trying out some Cat® equipment.”
The sales rep provided a compactor for Grogan to try out, and the relationship grew from there. Today, General Rental owns 14 pieces of Cat compact equipment that it rents to the public.
“During the first year we bought four pieces of Cat equipment, and from there we’ve consistently added to our rental fleet while phasing out the non-Cat machines,” Grogan said. “We try to add newer and better equipment every year.”
Dealer support and parts availability are critical to General Rental’s operation, underscoring Grogan’s dedication to Cat equipment.
“As a small business, everybody at H.O. Penn treats us like family,” Grogan says. “I can call our sales rep (Sean Molloy) anytime. He delivered buckets for our Cat 305 Mini Excavator in the back of his SUV. And H.O. Penn always has the parts we need—they do whatever they can.”
Incubation factor
Some of General Rental’s customers end up buying a piece of Cat equipment from Grogan, which effectively makes his business an incubator for future Cat customers.
“A fair percentage of people who rent from us end up buying the machine,” he says. “So, we want them to have a quality piece of equipment and a great experience. People who rent from us like to run nice, clean Cat equipment.”
General Rental’s Cat equipment fleet includes six mini excavators, three 259D3 Compact Track Loaders, a 232 Skid Steer Loader, and a CB14B Roller. Rental customers run the gamut from do-it-yourselfers to contractors who need additional equipment to complete a job or fill gaps in their capabilities.
“A lot of our equipment is deployed on state projects—whether it’s at UCONN or the Charter Oak Bridge,” Grogan says. “Our customers can’t be slowed down by equipment availability problems. Keeping those machines running is essential because we don’t make money if they’re broken, and we have to wait for parts from another country or from another dealership. H.O. Penn delivers the part we need the same day or within 24 hours. So prompt parts delivery is huge for us.”
General Rental also supplies equipment to local municipalities and landscapers, as well as small excavation companies looking to add to their fleets.
“We are frequently the first source of machinery for a company that’s just starting in business, whether it’s a septic business, construction, or home building,” Grogan says. “They rent from us when they are starting out, and then we usually help them grow their businesses.”
“If they think the equipment works great and serves their needs, they are more likely to purchase their own or keep renting from us. We’ve had companies that have rented from us for two years and then they go out and spend a million dollars and buy their own equipment. We’re a small outfit, but we have a big impact on helping people achieve their business goals.”
Grogan estimates that General Rental helps 10 to 15 new customers build their businesses every year. Beyond the Cat machines, they also rent work tools and other supplemental equipment.
“Maybe one of our contractor customers will buy a Cat 304 Mini Excavator from us, and then they will rent our ripper, trenching bucket, or a tilt bucket,” Grogan says. “That way, they don’t have to spend $4,000 to buy that work tool. And, if they need it frequently enough, they’ll buy it from us.”
Mini Excavators are popular
The Cat 305.5 and 304 Mini Excavators are popular choices with Grogan’s rental customers.
“Anybody can run a 303.5 mini because it’s not too big,” he says. “The 304 mini with the enclosed cab is starting to become more popular because they still can haul the machine on a trailer.”
“A big selling point for these Cat machines is the comfort. If you’re going to be in a machine for eight hours a day, our contractor customers definitely like the creature comforts that are available in the 304 such as A/C and Bluetooth. They also like the stick steer feature. I did a YouTube video about that, and it actually received a lot of views.”
For ordering parts online, General Rental uses Cat Product Link™, which streamlines the process. General Rental also makes extensive use of the Cat VisionLink® interface to keep tabs on the location of its machines in the field.
“VisionLink is probably one of our most-used technologies—it keeps people honest, and we can control what’s going on with our fleet,” Grogan says.
When fault codes pop up on VisionLink, General Rental technicians can promptly address the issue, or call H.O. Penn for additional support when needed.
