InTents December 2020/January 2021 - 22

Scott Alexander
Owner/president
Alexander Party Rentals
Kent, Wash
www.alexanderpartyrentals.com
Employs: 30 year-round, up
to 50 in-season

Q: What has been one of
your most exciting industry
accomplishments so far?
A: Being recognized by our
local ILEA [International
Live Events Association]
chapter for a custom theater
venue we made out of
tents for a dinner theater
company in Woodinville,
Wash. The setup consisted
of 12 tents featuring custom
logoed tops, insulated
hardwall and custom
triangle tents we seamed
together and to a variety
of trailers and temporary
buildings. It was up from
September 2018 to February
2020. That install pushed
us from being just a fairweather tenting company
into a long-term fabric
structure solution-provider.

22 intents

1220IT_18_23.indd 22

A

lthough Scott Alexander started
working in the family-owned
business at age 12-ϐirst as a
dishwasher and then later as a driver
while in college-it wasn't his plan to
make a career of it. Instead, he went
to college for microbiology. However,
after graduating in 2009 he ended up
joining the company's management
team because the 2008 recession was
causing the company to struggle.
" I told my father I'd give him two
years to help. But because I found a lot of
success in the industry, I stuck around and
decided to purchase the company from
my father in 2014, " says Alexander, who
plans to continue growing the company.
The family business made it easy for
him to get into this industry. But for

" HAVING GOOD
BUDGETING SKILLS
AND PROPER
FINANCING IN PLACE
ARE BOTH KEY
TO SUCCESS. "

others starting off on their own, the
biggest barrier to entry Alexander
sees is having enough capital to
acquire the necessary assets.
" It's easy to overspend and
mismanage cash ϐlow, " he says. " Having
good budgeting skills and proper
ϐinancing in place are both key to
success. In terms of joining an existing
company, I think the biggest challenge
is that this industry is still relatively
small and decentralized, meaning
there normally isn't adequate training
or ramp-up for new employees,
which can lead to quick burnout. "
Training new employees on every
product and piece of equipment during
the ϐirst year is nearly impossible, he
explains. The cyclical nature of the
business and long hours can make it
difϐicult to achieve a good work/life
balance, resulting in high turnover.
" I think the industry needs to
consolidate so that companies are
large enough to have proper training
and hiring programs in place, " he
says. " This should provide a better
work environment for employees,
which ultimately will help our
industry improve talent retention. "

dec 2020-jan 2021

11/19/20 3:22 PM



http://www.alexanderpartyrentals.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
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