Klochko Equipment Rental has been in business since 1951 and has three locations in Michigan. Its headquarters are in Melvindale in Metro Detroit. There’s a location in East Michigan and another in the Tri-Cities area.
“Detroit has seen a lot of improvement in recent years with new infrastructure, including the construction of a new rail line and stadium,” said company President Rob Klochko. “That has given a boost to the local economic picture, but even more important for our business is talk about another bridge across to Windsor and the promises made by the Trump administration.
“When the new President talks about building more cars in the U.S., using American steel, and bringing back jobs, it makes people optimistic about the future, and that gives us confidence to add to our inventory and rebuild for the future," Klochko said. "This market is highly competitive and to stay competitive, rental stores cannot rent old material.”
Rob’s dad, Steve, started in business as a pure rental store with a focus on serving the concrete excavation market. Rob took over in 1979 and today he and brother Tom sell, service and rent dozers, cranes, excavators and aerial lifts, among other larger equipment, primarily to industrial contractors, steel companies and utilities. They are also Hundai, Wacker Neuson and JLG dealers, to name three brands they sell and service. Their three stores employ 50 people.
The economy hasn’t been the only challenge in recent years for family-owned and operated rental stores, Rob noted. "When I started in business, equipment dealers weren’t renting equipment. Now they do, joining the large national rental companies that make the market extremely competitive. With so much competition, you can’t raise rates to meet the higher costs of new equipment. The upside is that equipment today is better built and lasts longer.”
With that said, this owner looks to continue growing sales this year and, yes, expand inventory based not only previous history and sales projections, but also on increased optimism and confidence about the future.
