Presidents Message
Kathryn de Vries, CRA President
First and foremost, I am honored to have been named your CRA President. I thank you for the trust that has been placed in myself and my family to continue the great work of this association, which has been so excellently captained by my predecessor, Ryan Leis, for the past two years. After several years of serving on the board of directors, I am excited to take over the leadership of the CRA and partner together with its members towards the continued success of our organization.
This incredible association, with its rich history and passionate, dedicated body of membership, has long been instrumental to the rental industry as a whole since its beginnings more than 75 years ago. I am extremely grateful and humbled to be granted the responsibility of continuing the work of CRA pioneers Palmer Grasse, Sam Greenberg, Jack Wanamaker and Bob Irvine, along with so many others along the way including my own grandfather, Ted DeVries, and father, Ken DeVries, who worked tirelessly to grow the rental industry from its humble beginnings into the multimillion dollar business that it is today.
The success of the rental industry is near and dear to my family’s heart. As the rental industry began to grow and flourish in the early 1960’s, and the publics’ need for access to construction and homeowner equipment was at an all-time high, my grandparents joined the rental industry with the establishment of their business, All Star Rents, in 1962. Proudly family-owned and operated for the last 62 years, I am a third-generation owner of the company and also have served as the current CEO since 2018. With the California Rental Association as an invaluable resource, my family continues to devote themselves to its mission of educating the public about the benefits of rental.
What makes the CRA such a successful organization is the care and support that we offer to our members. Our members are our number one priority, and we work tirelessly to ensure that our members meet and crush the challenges that we all face in this ever-changing industry. We are constantly looking for ways to support our membership including offering them the best benefits and looking for new programs to support both budding and veteran members.
There has never been a better or more exciting time to be a member of the California Rental Association! The CRA sets up opportunities for every level of rental professionals including territory parties, education webinars, the Rental Rally, CYRP events and many more. In addition, the CRA provides an excellent opportunity for networking. In the day-to-day running of our business and focusing on just trying to survive and thrive, we often forget that our neighboring peers are going through the same challenges that we are. These are just a few of the numerous benefits that membership in this great association has to offer.
There are many that I would like to thank for their help on my journey towards becoming president. Of course my family, who enticed me back into this industry, my grandfather Ted, my dad Ken, and all those that support me when I am stretched a bit thin between being active on this board and running our own company. Last but certainly not least, to the late Dale Blackwell and Jim Grasse, who both always encouraged me and kept me involved. I will always be grateful that they let me know that I had a place with CRA and helped me to build my voice on the board.
To close, my vision for the CRA is a simple but important one - to grow and continue to offer more and more to our members. Independent rental yards need to stick together and pool our resources to stay ahead of the curves this industry throws at us! I thank you for your support and look forward to serving you as president.
Sincerely,
Kathryn de Vries