Brian Richardson, president and CEO, L & A Tent Rentals, Hamilton, N.J., has been approved by his industry peers to fulfill the role of president-elect for the American Rental Association (ARA), an international trade association serving the equipment and event rental industry.

Richardson will take on a key leadership role as an officer of the board and a member of the Executive Committee. He has been involved in the event rental industry full-time since joining Lewiston Auburn Tent & Awning Co. as a project manager in 1980. Richardson brings a wealth of leadership and management experience to his position on the board, which consists of 17 members, including rental business operators or manufacturers and suppliers to the equipment and event rental industry.

Richardson has been an active volunteer having most recently completed his term as ARA Region Two director. He has served on the ARA Executive Committee, ARA Budget/ Audit Committee, ARA Investment Committee, ARA Event Rental Advocacy Work Group, ARA Government Affairs Committee and ARA Event Rental Shared Interest Group. His service also has included positions on the ARA of New Jersey board and many other acts of leadership in the equipment and event rental industry.

During his time as an ARA officer, Richardson plans to promote professional development. “I would like to see ARA continue as the driving force in industry­related education and training,” he says, adding that ARA’s equipment certification programs and partnerships with organizations like the Manufacturers and Tent Renters Association and the Advanced Textiles Association “benefit the entire industry and highlight ARA as the foremost resource in education for the equipment and event industry.”