Rental: How did you first get your start in the rental industry?
Judy Fishgold: I met Jim Pedulla, CEO and owner of the company, in the summer of 2014, and we have been together ever since. My background is in agriculture, real estate and retail. Jim was a general contractor who used to loan his tools to his friends. They would break them or not return them, so he started renting them.
Altra has grown from a small shop with two employees to 20,000 square feet of space and 23 employees. Jim asked me to come work for the company in the spring 2017. We added 16,000 square feet of space that year and opened our new state-of-the-art showroom.
Rental: Can you give us some insight on your current company?
Fishgold: We are a construction supply superstore, celebrating 25 years in business this year. We have sales reps come in all the time and say they have never seen anything like our store. We do sales, rental, service, parts, lawn and garden, concrete consumables, work boots and clothing. Our latest venture is our new “store within a store” work shoe and safety clothing division. We call it the Shoe Lodge, and we carry well over 200 styles of work boots, safety clothing, personal care items and accessories.
We have a diverse customer base that includes contractors, municipalities, farms, masons, carpenters, utilities, mechanical and serious DIYers. We carry only major brands, contractor-grade equipment and supplies. We’re a complete one-stop shop where you can rent anything from a wallpaper steamer to a telehandler, and you can purchase things like construction equipment and supplies, concrete consumables, power tools, fasteners, garden equipment, socks and more.
Rental: What have been some of the challenges and successes you’ve had over the years you've been in business?
Fishgold: One of the biggest challenges right now is keeping up with all the continuous price increases and surcharges on nearly every product and freight, as well as the slower delivery times on new equipment and parts.
Our other most recent challenge over the past two years has been finding qualified employees with the right skill sets during the pandemic. Increased wages and benefits have also been a consideration for us during this time, so we’re paying up to 30 percent more per employee and introducing more robust benefits packages to keep up with retention. New York State labor laws and mandates continue to change, allowing employees more paid leave time that impacts coverage, scheduling and increased cost per employee.
In addition, we carry a very large retail inventory, competing against the internet and vendors that sell direct to end users. We’re always on our toes and concentrate on good buying practices.
Rental: What would you say is your favorite part of the job?
Fishgold: My favorite part of the job is working with our team to continually improve our culture, learn our industry and grow our business. We take care of each other.
I have also enjoyed being a member of the ARA NY Board. It has opened my eyes on a national and global level to the different industry standards, the amazing tools available to us from the ARA and given me the chance to meet peers and vendors from all over the country that I can share challenges and successes with. Attending the leadership conference in November was such a privilege, and I learned so much. I’ve also learned from my new peers that there are a lot of women in rental, and I can support all of our endeavors through the Women in Rental initiative. As a rental business, we appreciate all that’s offered through the ARA, and we’re proud to be a member of this world class organization.
Last but not least, my favorite part of my work day is bringing our golden retriever, Morrie, and our black lab, Asher, to work every day. Our staff and customers enjoy their company immensely!
Rental: What is your most used business technology or aid, and why is it important for your business?
Fishgold: We are currently looking at new rental software that includes rental equipment conditions. It’s a real challenge for us as we have a very large retail division, along with our rental division, and we’ve found that strong rental software doesn’t support our retail requirements, but strong retail software doesn’t support our rental side. We are currently onboarding with SmartEquip and look forward to getting that up and running for ordering parts as we have a strong parts business and service department.
Rental: OK, fun question! What is your favorite hobby?
My favorite hobby is repurposing old items into art! Like taking antique costume jewelry and making it into wearable modern pieces. Or making bracelets out of old cufflinks. Or even converting your grandmother’s baby pearls into earrings you can wear every day. I also really enjoy converting old furniture too. Painting old furniture and lamps is always fun!
Also, we live on Lake Ontario where I can gather amazing driftwood and build pencil trees for the holidays. I used to own a wholesale florist supply company and like to keep my hands in nature. It grounds me.
