Ali Zaimi, April Zaimi, Derek Nelson, Ryan Bedingfield and William Molloy

The woman-owned firm Olympic Equipment Rentals (OER) has won a military contract to rent two electric forklifts for use at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Christine Lehtinen, team lead officer for the 87th contracting squadron of the air mobility command at the base in Trenton, New Jersey, reports, "The award was made to OER Services LLC of Palatine, Illinois in the amount of USD98,880 on 2 July 2014 for two Bendi forklifts. Four other quotes were received."

OER is fulfilling the first year commitment on the contract and expects to continue the rentals under a pair of one-year optional contract renewals. As announced, the dollar figure represents the entire projected three-year amount.

Ali Zaimi, OER president, says, "We purchased two reconditioned 2010 and 2011 Bendi B40AC electric forklifts that match the (military) spec requirements perfectly." His wife, April, is the certified owner and OER's office manager. Ali Zaimi has about 12 years of experience in the equipment rental field.

OER considered several quotations before acquiring the used four-wheel Bendi articulating forklifts with lifting capacities of 3,500 lb. (1,575 kg) from Ring Power Corp of Jacksonville, Florida on 1 August.

The Ring Power branch in Doral, Florida repainted the Bendi forklifts, fitted new tyres and shipped the machines on 20 August for delivery to the Mount Laurel, New Jersey branch of Equipment Depot, a consolidated site for the dealership's operations previously in Levittown, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Equipment Depot Ltd is based in Houston.

The Mount Laurel branch will receive and inspect the equipment, make the delivery to the joint base and perform planned maintenance services for the two forklifts as recommended by Bendi original equipment manufacturer Landoll Corp of Marysville, Kansas.

Zaimi founded OER in 2009, and April Zaimi joined the operation in 2012. The firm has nine employees, occupies 4,000 sqft. (1,800 sqm) and, over the years, has worked with about 200 vendors in renting forklifts, scissor lifts, boom lifts and telehandlers in 32 US states. About 90% of OER's business volume involves units of federal, state and local governments.

The OER fleet consists of about 50 units of equipment with a utilisation rate of about 90% and current placements in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Massachusetts and, soon, New Jersey.

Zaimi says, "On a daily basis, OER hires dealers like Equipment Depot, national chains such as United Rentals, Blue Line Rentals and Hertz Equipment and hundreds of independently owned rental service providers to help us maintain our internal rental fleet and assist us in renting equipment to supply to other customers of ours."


Award for Mid Columbia

In a separate military transaction, the Pasco, Washington branch of Mid Columbia Forklift Inc was awarded a contract for USD34,625 on 17 July to supply a stand-up single-reach Toyota 8BRU18 forklift.

The US Army Corps of Engineers will use the equipment at the Ice Harbor lock and dam on the Snake River in south-east Washington.

"We will deliver by the end of August," says Tim Binder, Mid Columbia territory sales manager. The dealership has fulfilled multiple government contracts for materials handling equipment.

In addition to Toyota, locations of Mid Columbia represent Clark, Doosan, Big Joe, Princeton, Kalmar and Sellick forklifts and Aichi aerial equipment.

Family owned since its founding in 1978, Mid Columbia Forklift has 140 employees, headquarters in Yakima and branches in Wenatchee and Auburn in addition to Pasco. All are located in the State of Washington. The Auburn branch's new inventory excludes the Toyota brand.