American Rental Association Announces 2025 Industry Award Recipients

Each year, the American Rental Association (ARA) honors 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 2026 in Orlando.

Industry Ambassador Award: Doug Haas

Doug Haas, president and CEO, Crown Rental, Burnsville, Minn., has been selected to receive the 2025 ARA Industry Ambassador Award. The Industry Ambassador Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated long-term leadership and service to the association at the national, state, local or provincial levels.

Haas joined Crown Rental in 1989 as a mechanic and warehouse/yard employee and purchased the company in 2017 when its founder retired. His industry leadership journey began in 2003 when he was invited to attend an ARA of Minnesota chapter event. He was soon asked to join the chapter’s board of directors and went on to serve in a variety of capacities between 2004 and 2010. Following that period, Haas remained involved in various committees and he ultimately rejoined the board, serving from 2016-2021, ending with a term as president.

As his state-level leadership in Minnesota drew to a close, Haas ramped up his industry service on a broader scale. As ARA Region Six director from 2021-2024, Haas served as a link between the ARA Board of Directors and members across seven Midwestern states. During his tenure, he visited hundreds of rental stores and saw a 12 percent increase in chapter event attendance, a 9 percent uptick in new member sign-ups and a 15 percent increase in ARA certification program enrollments. He also helped secure favorable language in a regional transportation funding bill that lowered permit fees for oversized loads.

Haas worked directly with ARA’s government affairs team to lobby for fair tax treatment and regulatory clarity at the state and federal levels. He coordinated grassroots campaigns and mobilized members to engage legislators on equipment depreciation and safety standards.

Currently, Haas serves on the ARA Insurance Board and also provides input as a part of ARA’s Equipment Rental Shared Interest Group. He also pilot-tests several ARA training and certification, fleet management and operational resources, helping to ensure their quality and professionalism before they are released to members.

In addition, Haas has helped organize local improvement projects for the ARA Foundation’s Community Impact Program — an effort that seeks to improve the communities where rental industry members work and live.

In recognition of his past work as a volunteer leader in the equipment and event rental industry, Haas has received the ARA Region Six Person of the Year Award and the ARA President’s Image Award.

Exemplary Service Award: Bob Christopher

Bob Christopher, general manager, Heater Sales & Service, Nisku, Alberta, and Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, has been selected to receive the 2025 ARA Exemplary Service Award. The Exemplary Service Award recognizes an individual or group that has made a significant contribution in a defined area of association service (such as government affairs, education, technology or workforce development).

Christopher has championed the advancement of ARA’s presence across Canada over the past year. Golf tournaments that blend professional networking and fun have become popular ARA of Canada-branded events, and when the ARA of Canada Task Force began looking for volunteers to serve on its Golf Committee, Christopher was the first to raise his hand. His tireless efforts leading up to and on the day of the Ontario-area tournaments have been a key to their success.

Christopher also recognized the need for the Canadian equipment rental industry to address the rigorous demands surrounding the new CSA B138 Standard on portable oil-burning equipment. He co-organized an ARA of Canada working group around the Standard, helped launch its inaugural meeting and has been an active member of that team, working to spread knowledge about the Standard among industry members.

Industry Impact Award: Kevin Day

Kevin Day, co-founder and chief operating officer, ANA, Henderson, Nev., has been selected to receive the 2025 ARA Industry Impact Award. The Industry Impact 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.

Day has dedicated more than 30 years to the equipment and rental industry, shaping its direction through innovation, mentorship and service. With a career that spans companies such as Multiquip, Somero Enterprises, and now mobile power and air solutions provider ANA, Day has made a lasting impact across product innovation, dealer support and clean energy adoption within the rental space.

As an active ARA member, Day’s contributions span national and regional levels. Under his leadership, ANA has become a supporter of the ARA Foundation, donating to key programs that promote education, workforce readiness and scholarship access for industry members

Day regularly engages with ARA state chapters, particularly in California, Texas and Florida — three key markets where weather, infrastructure demands and sustainability regulations are rapidly evolving. In these territories, Day has supported product demonstrations, training events and community-building initiatives for rental partners and independent dealers.

Day has offered his insights on the Rental Management Media Group’s “Shop Talk” podcast, discussing clean energy trends, disaster readiness and the evolving role of rental businesses in public infrastructure support. He also has led ANA’s presence at major national events, with a focus on supporting ARA initiatives, field education and dealer readiness in mission-critical sectors like emergency response, utility backup and sustainable construction.

Day’s contributions reflect his commitment to building a stronger, more connected rental community, where education, innovation and shared success are the foundation of long-term industry advancement.

Industry Impact Award: Nick Deninno

Nick Deninno, founder of B&R Innovations/Block And Roll, Bethpage, N.Y., has been selected to receive the 2025 ARA Industry Impact Award. The Industry Impact 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.

As a former event rental company owner, Deninno has always prioritized tent safety. He has worked relentlessly to find solutions that improve tent safety standards across the industry.

Deninno invented the “block and roll” system as a tent ballast, which changed how the event rental industry functions and has maximized safe tent installations.

Deninno has been an active participant in the ARA of New York and has offered training events to industry members. He also has been instrumental in the partnership between ARA, MATRA (Manufacturers and Tent Renters Association) and ATA (Advanced Textiles Association) and the creation of the Tent Ballasting Tool — a resource designed to quickly and easily determine the minimum weight requirements to safely anchor or ballast non-engineered tents.

Rising Star Award: Joelyn Caprine, CERP

Joelyn Caprine, CERP, general manager of 24/7 Events in Valencia, Calif., has been selected to receive the 2025 ARA Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Award recognizes a young professional who has demonstrated leadership at the grassroots level.

Caprine joined the event rental industry in 2019 after spending a decade in the hotel industry, and it did not take long for her to distinguish herself as an active volunteer leader.

Within a year of joining 24/7 Events, Caprine earned Certified Event Rental Professional distinction. In 2022, she stepped up to serve the industry at the national level by joining the ARA Event Rental Shared Interest Group. Two years later, she became a member of the ARA Young Professionals Committee. In 2025, Caprine turned her attention to serving her peers at the state level by joining the ARA of California board of directors.

In recognition of her upward trajectory in the rental industry, Caprine was recognized in 2025 as one of Rental Management’s “12 to Watch Under 40”.

Leadership Impact Awards

These awards recognize an individual in each of ARA’s 10 regions whose leadership benefited their state and/or local association and its members over the past year:

• Region One: Judy Fishgold, Altra Rental & Supply, Ontario, N.Y.
• Region Two: Kyle Richardson, L & A Tent Rentals, Hamilton, N.J.
• Region Three: Mike Holland, CERP, Chattanooga Tent & Event Solutions, Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Region Four: Zack Smith, Buffalo Rental, Weatherford, Texas
• Region Five: Victor Matta Jr., CERP, ECP-SM/ST, Chet’s Rent-All, Warren, Mich.
• Region Six: Jeremy Yantes, ECP-SM, Crown Rental, Burnsville, Minn.
• Region Seven: Zach Fischer, ECP-SM, Aspen Rent-All, Basalt, Colo.
• Region Eight: Alexx Bacon, ECP-SM, Aaberg’s Tool & Equipment Rental & Sales, Tacoma, Wash.
• Region Nine: Meghann Lovlien, A Tool Shed Inc., Santa Cruz, Calif.
• Region 10: Karen Ackerman, CERP, Special Event Rentals, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The American Rental Association, Moline, Ill., is an international trade association for owners of equipment and event rental businesses and the manufacturers and suppliers of construction/industrial, general tool and party/event rental equipment. ARA members, which include more than 11,500 rental businesses and more than 1,000 manufacturers and suppliers, are located in every U.S. state and more than 44 countries worldwide. Founded in 1955, ARA is the source for information, advocacy, education, networking and marketplace opportunities for the equipment and event rental industry throughout the world. Tags: American Rental Association