FIND A CONTRACTOR BUYER'S GUIDE
BECOME AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
MCAA Logo
MEMBER LOGIN JOIN
NEWS
Join Us For The 75th Anniversary Midyear Meeting Sep 7-11 ↗

ARA Foundation donates to the American Red Cross for disaster relief

Words: Jennifer BaiceanuGoliath, a massive winter storm system, caused numerous tornadoes and historic flooding during the end of December 2015 and the start of the New Year. The storm impacted more than seven states throughout the South and Midwest, resulting in many deaths.

To help those in the equipment rental industry, their families and communities that have been severely impacted by these devastating disasters, the ARA Foundation donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross for first-responder assistance on Dec. 30.

“That massive storm system caused tornadoes and torrential rain to rip through the South and Midwest, resulting in loss of life and record-breaking flooding,” says Andy Cooke, CERP, manager of Cooke Rentals in Cornelius, N.C., who serves as the chair of the ARA Foundation board of trustees.

“This devastation is impacting thousands and will have major consequences for some time to come. I felt the ARA Foundation had to act to help our industry peers, their families and their communities deal with this crisis,” Cooke says.

The ARA Foundation had been monitoring this storm system since it started Dec. 23, says Jenni Swanson, ARA Foundation director of development. “As part of the ARA Foundation’s disaster relief and recovery programs, we monitor weather-related disasters very closely and are in regular contact with our state association presidents in the affected areas to see who in the industry has been impacted and to reiterate that our disaster programs are available to them,” she says.

“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures,” says Christine Wehrman, ARA Foundation executive director and American Rental Association (ARA) CEO and executive vice president.

“The severity of this storm system came at a difficult time of year, weather-wise, when assistance is even more critical to saving lives. The flooding is occurring on already-saturated ground, which means flooding can extend into the spring months,” Wehrman says. “The tornado damage is severe. Recovery in all areas that have been impacted will be a long-term undertaking and require considerable support and assistance. The ARA Foundation is proud to be able to contribute in this way on behalf of the equipment rental industry.”
 0
From Bikes to Buildings: Part 2
September 2025

As rainscreen wall designs become increasingly prevalent in today’s construction environment, there have been questions regarding their design. How wide should the capillary break be? How do we create this capillary break? Can the same methods be used i

Keith Lolley
Technical Talks
Read More
Vibing Masonry #8: CMU’s Durability and Maintenance Value
September 2025

Heading to Spokane, WA, I found myself riding the airport tram at O’Hare in Chicago. Looking out the window at a part of the 26-year-old International Terminal 5, I spotted a painted structural steel beam in front of a concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall. Th

Steve Blye
Technical Talks
Read More
Keeping it Clean: Lifecycle Maintenance for Manufactured Stone Veneer
September 2025

One of the many benefits of manufactured stone veneer is that it’s a robust, durable product that requires little maintenance over the course of its life span. In fact, its irregularity in shape and color helps hide minor dirt and dust. But like any build

Jeff Tew
Technical Talks
Read More
MCAA's Wall Evaluator: The Future of Masonry Training and Assessment
September 2025

MCAA Wall Evaluator, Masonry Training, Masonry Assessment, 3D Scanner, AR Glasses, Digital Twin, Digital Mesh, Point Cloud, Infrared VCSEL, Vocational Technology, EdTech, Standardized Assessment, Objective Evaluation, Data-Driven Feedback, Portable Traini

Dan Kamys Jason Blake Jeff Buczkiewicz Jordan Van Leeuwen
Read More