About Rentacomputer.com
Headquartered at 6730 Roosevelt Ave, Middletown, Ohio 45005 [near Dayton and Cincinnati], Rentacomputer.com celebrates 25 years in the Technology Rental Industry. Rentacomputer.com works in over 1500 cities worldwide with hundreds of LOCAL installers and computer/av rental companies.
The president of the company is John Beagle. He along with Rose and David Morgan started the company on April 27, 1987. Rentacomputer's first order was delivered to a defense contractor during the first week of May 1987.
In 1983, Gary Eiserman started a computer training company which ultimately became a computer rental company named, Rent-A-Computer, Inc. The computer industry was just getting started and Gary was operating in the Washington DC market. The company was originally a franchisee of Rent-A-Computer, Inc operating in Middletown, Ohio and servicing the Dayton-Wright-Patt Market. By 1989, CFR, Inc. dba Rent-A-Computer became an independent company with no franchise ties to the original company located in Bethesda, Maryland near Washington DC.
Above: Logo as it appeared in 1987.
1987
Incorporation
in Ohio
The company legal name at the time was, CFR, Inc. DBA Rent-A-Computer. It was incorporated in Ohio by Rose Morgan its
President and John Beagle its Vice President. First hired was Matthew Rye, formerly a Computer Salesman from
Abacus Computers.
Image to the right: Circa 1991 Business News Article on the company.
Marketing 1987 to 1998
Rent-AComputer's first rental target was government contractors working
with and around Wright
Pat Air Force Base. Also the company targeted major accounting firms around
Dayton, Ohio.
"Marketing at in the beginning was centered on outbound phone
sales calls, yellow page advertising and
direct mail. The Rolodex mailer, pictured to the right, was
a successful mailer. Rent-A-Computer also had billboards in various locations in
Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland and Columbus. We tried radio
including 700 WLW during the early and mid 1990s.Mike
McConnell, 
who now works for WGN Radio, did the radio spot for us." -
John Beagle, President
Graphic to the left: Direct Mail Rolodex advertisement, circa 1987.
During it's first year in business, Rentacomputer was able to attract a customer base that included a major utility, a consumer products conglomerate, a candy company, business publications, defense contractors and more.
"Business grew 100 percent from year one to year two." Beagle said. "From year two to year three, we doubled again, then another double from year three to year four." There was one point in 1995 that Rentacomputer had done business with every major company in Ohio and Indiana.
Business in the 1990s
Rentacomputer expanded to Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Indianapolis markets during the
1990s. Rentacomputer was a regional computer rental and av equipment
company. Rentacomputer had 52 employees, 22 vehichles in 4
locations in Ohio and Indiana. Primary markets are in green, with secondary
markets in red, tertiary in blue.
Rent-A-Computer Evolves into Rentacomputer.com
Then in 1996, Rent-A-Computer registered what would become it's trade
name. Rentacomputer.com. By 1999,
Rent-A-Computer officially and legally changed its name to Rentacomputer.com.
Rentacomputer.com began to work with highly qualified local vendors thoughout
the United States, Canada and other cities worldwide. Rentacomputer.com partners
with hundreds of local SMB Computer and AV Rental Companies. Each company is
Ranked and Rated by the Tech Army Organization. Rentacomputer.com obtains
wholesale due to high volume. Today many local companies depend on the
Rentacomputer.com Tech Travel Agent network for a significant portion of their
annual business. The advantage of this model was that equipment is maintained in
the local markets, reducing shipping and handling costs. Also when large
quantities or av and computer equipment are needed at an event, more than one
partner company can be deployed.
In 1997, Rentacomputer.com started the Tech Travel Agent program to attract larger multiple event, multiple city corporate clients who needed equipment in
the United States and Canada.
National Computer Rental Association
In March of 1998, the company president met with 12 other company
executives to form an industry organization called the National Computer Rental
Association or NCRA for short. Rentacomputer.com is a founding member company.
Two company employees of Rentacomputer.com have sat on the NCRA board.
In 2005, the NCRA changed its
name to ITRA, the International Technology Rental Association to more
accurately reflect its expanding membership base in the copier and av rental
industries. Today the ITRA has about one hundred member companies in 7 countries
on 4 continents. Rentacomputer.com has business relationships with nearly all
member companies.
Photo: First Computer Rental Industry Meeting was March 1997 resulting in the formation of
the NCRA. John Beagle, President of Rentacomputer.com is the second from the
left.
Rentacomputer Awards
2003 Award of Innovative Excellence - National Computer Rental Association
2005 & 2006 Platinum Award for Outstanding Service - International Technology
Rental Association
2005 & 2006 Award for Innovative Excellence - International Technology Rental
Association
2010 MVP - ITRA
Memberships
United States Chamber of Commerce
NFIB National Federation of Independent Businesses
International Technology Rental Association
Tech Army Organization
National Computer Rental Association (name changed in 2005)
Today, with the help with
hundreds of partner companies, your Tech Travel Agent
from Rentacomputer.com has access to the largest inventory of AV, Staging, Lighting and Computer equipment in the world. Your Tech Travel Agent from Rentacomputer.com is
capable to handle all your computer technology requirements, anywhere - for any length of time!
3711 Convention Rental Techs available in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe
| Rentals - Audio Visual: | 529 |
| Rentals - Copiers: | 178 |
| Rentals - Desktop Computer: | 536 |
| Rentals - Laptops: | 306 |
| Rentals - Microphones / PA: | 171 |
| Rentals - Plasma Flat Screens: | 241 |
| Rentals - Printers: | 264 |
| Rentals - Projectors: | 262 |
| Rentals - Servers: | 186 |
| Rentals - Sound Systems: | 195 |
| Staging - Stage Construction: | 58 |
| Staging - Audio / PA: | 165 |
| Staging & Events - Catering: | 12 |
| Staging & Events - Event Planning: | 35 |
| Staging - Image Magnification: | 76 |
| Staging - Lighting: | 105 |
| Staging - Pipe & Drape: | 87 |
| Staging & Events - Production Services: | 45 |
| Staging & Events - Rigging: | 30 |
| Staging & Events - Tables, Chairs, Linen: | 6 |
| Staging - Video: | 141 |
| Staging - Web Casting: | 83 |
Tech Travel Agents reserve equipment from all major manufacturers including Dell, IBM, Apple, HP, Hewlett Packard, Sony, NEC, Toshiba, PDP, Samsung, Panasonic, Philips, Tatung, Philips, BenQ, Lavalier, LG Electronics, Hitachi, ViewSonic, Sharp, Lightware, Sony, Sampo, Proxima, and InFocus.
