Check in on some of the latest stock prices for publicly traded rental companies and popular construction equipment and general tool manufacturers related to the rental equipment industry.

While the rental industry faces the challenges of increased equipment costs and depressed rental rates, improved demand is leading to better business conditions. See this year's RER's Top 100 Rental Equipment Companies of 2012.

Positive growth across the board continued in the first-quarter 2013 Baird/RER rental equipment survey with rental revenue growing 6.9 percent year over year and improving modestly from 6 percent growth in the fourth-quarter 2012 survey. Among higher revenue-earning rental companies ($15 million or more rental revenue annually) Q113 revenues increased 8.8 percent year over year compared to an increase of 8.1 percent in Q412, a slightly larger margin of growth.

RER is presenting a webinar May 29 on the subject of rental penetration. Entitled “5 to 50 and Counting,” the webinar will show how rental penetration — essentially defined as the percentage of equipment on jobsites that is rented as opposed to acquired by the user — has grown from an estimated 5 percent 20 years ago to more than 50 percent now. The webinar will also take a look at how rental penetration is likely to grow in the coming years.

Maximum Capacity Media will host a one-day “Safe Access, Fall Protection & Training (SAF-T) Conference” July 24, immediately following the Scaffold & Access Industry Association 2013 Annual Convention at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Featured presentations and panel discussions will be led by some of the aerial industry’s leading authorities on aerial work platform safety. The sessions will include:

Robert Buckner, founder of Buckner Rental Service and later co-founder of Redfish Rentals, died earlier this month at the age of 68. Both companies were based in Houma, La.

The Hertz Corp., including Hertz Equipment Rental Corp., announced that its worldwide headquarters will move from Park Ridge, N.J., to Estero, Fla., near Fort Myers. Over a two-year period, up to 700 jobs will be relocated, while more than 2,000 personnel will remain in New Jersey and the New York area, the company said. Hertz made the decision to relocate to Florida following its recent acquisition of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, currently based in Tulsa, Okla. The headquarters building will be constructed on 34 acres that Hertz has the option to buy.

The American Rental Association this week reported that the equipment rental industry in the United States is expected to generate $33.6 billion in revenue in 2013, according to the latest forecast from the ARA Rental Market Monitor updated this month. This figure represents a 7.3-percent increase over 2012 with revenue growth reaching 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter according to the latest quarterly forecast.

Wanco, a manufacturer of traffic control devices, announced a partnership with MIS Group of Houston to represent Wanco’s traffic safety equipment for the rental and contractor supply markets. Founded in 1984, MIS began in the petrochemical industry focusing on channel marketing, giving it a foundation to evolve into a manufacturers’ representative firm. MIS Group’s other assets include a 12,000-square-foot warehouse to carry inventory, promotion trailer and marketing programs.

Bellingham, Wash.-based Birch Equipment Rentals & Sales hosted 600 customers as well as representatives from Deere, Genie, Bomag, Husqvarna, Diamond and Union Tools at its early summer kick off Demo Days last week.

Spider, a division of SafeWorks LLC, has hired John Callahan as area director of its western region. Callahan will lead branch sales and operations execution for the company’s Seattle; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; San Diego; Las Vegas; Dallas; Denver; and Vancouver, BC; operation centers.

Vandalia Rental in Vandalia, Ohio, is building a 14,000-square-foot maintenance facility down the street from its current 30,000-square-foot rental center, the Dayton Business Journal is reporting. The project will position the company to expand to markets within a 90-minute drive of Vandalia in the next three to five years, owner Kurt Barney told the Journal. Vandalia grossed strong revenue last year, Barney said, and the company sees more growth opportunities to come because of the “secular shift” from owning equipment to renting.

Whayne Supply Co. celebrated its 100-year birthday last week and more than 500 people gathered at its facility in Corbin, Ky., with a day-long party for employees, company retirees, dignitaries and members of the community, thenewsjournal.net reported. The Corbin branch is one of the Caterpillar dealer’s 16 facilities in Kentucky and southern Indiana. The company plans to hold 100-year celebrations in each of the communities where it does business.

Morbark Inc. held its sixth Demo Days event for current and potential customers and members of its authorized industrial dealer network last week. Events included factory tours, networking opportunities, vendor booths, informational seminars and equipment demonstrations for the forestry and recycling markets.

The European Rental Association gave its lifetime achievement award to U.S.