InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 20

M

Matt Mutton
Owner/president
Mutton Party & Tent Rental
Fort Wayne, Ind.
www.muttonrentals.com
Employs: 20 during
off-season, 45 in-season

Q: What do you think needs
to change in order to
strengthen the industry?
A: Most of the staff who
have quit over the years has
done so because of deciding
the tent business didn't
align with their definition
of quality of life. So the
question becomes, what
does this mean for each
company, owner, manager,
etc.? We all know the tent
business can be labeled
a young man's game. The
question is, how do we
make it a middle-aged
man's game?

20 intents

1220IT_18_23.indd 20

att Mutton likes variety and
" organizing chaos, " although
he didn't realize this when he began
working after school for the family
business, making just $1 an hour.
" My job responsibilities at that time
were taking out the trash, ϐilling the
pop machine and distracting staff, " he
remembers. " It's hard to pinpoint my
ϐirst encounter with a tent, but I can
vividly recall my dad putting me on
a lace line at a very young age. That
thing seemed to be a mile long. "
Working summers during high
school and college, Mutton spent
most of his time on the install side,
relishing the hands-on labor and
the ability to overcome issues like
extreme weather, picky clients and

" IT'S HARD TO
PINPOINT MY FIRST
ENCOUNTER WITH
A TENT, BUT I CAN
VIVIDLY RECALL MY
DAD PUTTING ME
ON A LACE LINE AT
A VERY YOUNG AGE.
THAT THING SEEMED
TO BE A MILE LONG. "

" questionable crew members. " Still,
he had a different future in mind.
" Entering college, I honestly thought
I was going to go into corporate
America, " Mutton continues. " But at
some point during my junior year at
IU [Indiana University] it dawned on
me that I needed the variety the rental
industry provides to be happy. "
There are advantages to joining
the family business, but there are
also downsides, such as proving you
deserve to be there, says Mutton. He
dove in, working long hours and giving
his all to the business. This focus has
allowed him to meet some big career
goals, such as doubling and tripling
the company's revenue, moving into
products like clearspans and ϐlooring,
and developing a regional reputation
as a " top-tier tent company. "
Having gone full bore from the age
of 20 to 32, Mutton says he's pulling
back a bit. This is a " big movement "
for the company as well, involving a
consideration of culture, hours, days off,
pay scale-all quality-of-life components.
" It's easy in this industry as an
owner or top-level manager to obsess
over getting bigger, " he says. " In the
pursuit of growth you can work
yourself and your staff to death. I still
love to work, but it has been a nice
change of pace to ϐind a little more
balance over the last couple of years. "

dec 2020-jan 2021

11/19/20 3:20 PM



http://www.muttonrentals.com

InTents December 2020/January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InTents December 2020/January 2021

InTents December 2020/January 2021 - Cover1
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - Cover2
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 1
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 2
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 3
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 4
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 5
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 6
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 7
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 8
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 9
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 10
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 11
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 12
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 13
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 14
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 15
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 16
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 17
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 18
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 19
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 20
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 21
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 22
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 23
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 24
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 25
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 26
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 27
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 28
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 29
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 30
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 31
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 32
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 33
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 34
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 35
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 36
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 37
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 38
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 39
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 40
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 41
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 42
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 43
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 44
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - Cover3
InTents December 2020/January 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-april-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-february-march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-idea-book-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-december-2023-january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-october-november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-august-september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-june-july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-april-may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/-intents-february-march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-idea-book-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-december2022-january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/ata/intents/intents-october-november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-august-september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-june-july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-april-may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-february-march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-december-2021-january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-october-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-august-september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-june-july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-april-may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/intents-february-march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/1220IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/1020IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0820IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0620IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0420IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0220IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/1219IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/1019IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0819IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0619IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0419IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0219IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/1218IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/1018IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0818IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0618IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0418IT
https://www.nxtbook.com/ifai/intents/0218IT
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com