Each year, the American Rental Association (ARA) honours individuals for outstanding service to the association and the equipment and event rental industry. The following are recipients of this year's industry contributor awards, which will be presented at The ARA Show 2024 in New Orleans.
Industry Ambassador Award: Byron Alleman
This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated long-term leadership and service to the association at the national, state, or local levels.
Byron Alleman, the retired owner of Lafayette Rental Service, has been an ambassador for the equipment rental industry in Louisiana. He spent two decades in service on the ARA of Louisiana chapter board of directors, including multiple terms in the roles of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
Alleman hosted industry meetings at his business 14 times, travelled the state visiting fellow rental site members, and coordinated needed equipment in hurricane-damaged areas. He was awarded the ARA Region Four Person of the Year award in 2008 and again in 2016 in recognition of his efforts to advance the industry and serve members in his area.
At the national level, Alleman served on the ARA Insurance Risk Management Committee in 2013 and on ARA's Construction/Industrial and General Tool Shared Interest Group in 2016. In addition, he's supported the industry's legislative initiatives as a member of ARAPAC – ARA's political action committee.
Exemplary Service Award: Scott Pevey
This award recognizes an individual or group that has significantly contributed to a defined area of association service (such as government affairs, education, technology, or workforce development).
Scott Pevey, a senior manager at Ditch Witch in Perry, Oklahoma, has served the equipment rental industry as a member of the ARA Board of Directors in the role of associate member director from 2021 to 2023. One of Pevey's top achievements in this capacity was the direction and feedback he provided to the association as it restructured its communications strategy to a multimedia format.
From 2018 to 2020, Pevey served on the ARA Foundation Board of Trustees. During his term, he brought the idea of the Community Impact Program to the Foundation board and was instrumental in developing the partnership between the ARA Foundation and The Toro Company Foundation to implement the program. The Community Impact Program supports local non-profits that help improve communities where members work and live. Pevey has volunteered at six of the 11 Community Impact Projects from Ditch Witch dealers for all projects.
Pevey has also helped guide the direction of The ARA Show as a member of its Exhibitor Advisory Council, serving in 2012, from 2016 to 2018, and in 2021 to 2022 while a member of the ARA Board of Directors.
Industry Impact Award: Scott Woodruff
This award recognizes a manufacturer supplier and/or independent manufacturer representative rental industry professional who made a significant impact on the association and/or industry during the past two years.
Scott Woodruff, the CEO of Tent Ox in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, devoted himself to developing specialized attachments for articulating loaders. Seeing a need for this type of equipment, he set out to develop the necessary attachments to do the work of the tent rental industry.
The attachments are designed to assist with not only tent installations and removals but also with moving materials around job sites in general. Woodruff markets this equipment as the Tent Ox, along with the associated attachments. Woodruff's equipment has been key in helping many new and established rental businesses learn better and safer ways to accomplish their work.
In addition to his involvement in ARA events, Woodruff is an active member of the Manufacturers and Tent Renters Association (MATRA).
Rising Star Award: Stefani Donabedian
The Rising Star Award recognizes a young professional who has demonstrated leadership at the grassroots level.
Stefani Donabedian, the vice president of Decanted Wine Truck in Hudson, Massachusetts, recently purchased her wine bar truck, transitioning from her role in the equipment segment as a marketing consultant with Worcester, Massachusetts-based Mobile Air & Power Rentals.
Donabedian joined the ARA of Massachusetts board in 2020 and currently serves in the role of president. To supplement her ARA state board duties, Donabedian has participated in ARA's Leadership Conference, an event designed to educate and motivate emerging leaders within the association.
As a member of the ARA Young Professional (YP) Network, Donabedian has attended several YP conferences and has served on the Young Professionals Committee since 2022. In her capacity as a committee member, Donabedian has helped spearhead the YP learning track in RentalU, ARA's online education and training platform.
Donabedian also has supported the industry's legislative initiatives as a member of ARAPAC – ARA's political action committee - and as a participant at ARA's 2023 National Legislative Caucus in Washington, D.C.
In recognition of her efforts within the industry and ARA, Donabedian was named one of Rental Management magazine's "12 to Watch Under 40" in 2022 and in 2023, she received the ARA Region One Leadership Impact Award.
Leadership Impact Awards
These awards recognize an individual in each of the ARA 10 regions whose leadership benefited their state and/or local association and its members over the past year.
- Region One: Dan Morris, Kennebec Equipment Rental Co., Fairfield Maine
- Region Two: Tina Behnke Spencer, AirPac Rents, Front Royal, Virginia
- Region Three: Brandon Ahlgren, CERP, Elite Events & Rentals, Tampa Florida
- Region Four: Jennifer Rodriguez, CERP, Marianne's Rentals, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Region Five: Sean Williams, ECP-SM First Place Rental, Oswego, Illinois
- Region Six: John Scupp, Rental Supply. O'Fallon, Missouri
- Region Seven: Herb White, Continental Divide Marketing, Golden, Colorado
- Region Eight: Tim Allen, Allen Rental, Rosenburg, Oregon
- Region Nine: Michelle Nelson, ECP-ST, MK Equipment Corp., Honolulu
- Region Ten: Jim Boddez, Five Bo, St. Alberta, Alberta, Canada
