Wagner Rental, with four locations throughout southern and southeastern Ohio and northern Kentucky, has been in the industry for 39 years. When asked what his biggest challenge as owner is, Tim Wagner said, “It’s labor by far.”
“We have a difficult time recruiting employees, especially mechanics, and once on board, they don’t want to stay around long. At times, I feel we’re a stepping stone to another job.”
Wagner manages the New Boston, Ohio, location and his brothers Dan and Dave also work in the family business. “Our stores are in smaller towns where the labor pool isn’t deep. In addition, most young people today seem to be more interested in the digital world than developing mechanical skills or working in an industry like ours. With that said, of our 35 employees, we have an excellent core of 15 people, including managers and long-time employees. If you look a little deeper, it’s a different story. We’re recruiting virtually all year long.”
He noted that trade schools provide a relatively good resource for entry-level employees. “The challenge is to retain experienced employees, especially mechanics, who become susceptible to offers from nearby large national stores that can offer higher wages. A thin labor market makes competition at this level even more daunting for smaller, independent stores like ours.”
Conducting business in a rural America where the economy is weak compared to other areas of the country presents other challenges. “Drug use has become a bigger issue here recently, which further diminishes the labor pool,” said Wagner. “To generate store traffic and sales we’ve diversified our rental inventory to bring in more homeowners. Lawn and garden is one of our biggest markets and we look to continue to grow that sector.
“Our stores also sell and service Echo hand-held products and Gehl construction equipment. We recently brought in LS ag tractors and have put 10 of them in our rental inventory.”
Working with a tight labor market and weak economy are two major challenges for Wagner Rental. But amid the challenges come opportunities to become more diverse and find ways to effectively recruit and retain employees.
