More than 14 years ago, Nelson Tamez started his journey with PV Rentals as a front counter agent working at all three PV Rentals locations at that time. Since then, Tamez has worked his way through the ranks to become operations manager of the company, managing all seven locations. BIC Magazine recently spoke with Tamez about this journey and how PV Rentals caters to its customers’ needs.
Q: What led to your position at PV Rentals?
A: I was in the stainless steel distribution industry for eight years. Although I enjoyed my time there, I am thankful that through a series of fortunate events I ended up at PV Rentals and have not looked back since.
In 2003, I started as a front counter agent working at all three locations PV Rentals had at the time: Downtown, Rice and IAH in Houston. I was promoted to location manager, working in that position for six years, and recently moved up to operations manager in February.
Q: What is the biggest news at PV Rentals right now?
A: We have lots of exciting things happening. Along with my move, we’ve hired new location managers at our IAH and Downtown locations. I’ve seen these ladies start with us as counter agents and, within three years, use the tools we were able to provide to now manage their own locations. As a company, that is what we strive to do for our team.
As far as the business is concerned, one of the biggest things we’ve got going on now is the oil industry. Like most businesses based in Texas, a large part of our operation is oil-based. Thankfully, the oil industry has been on the upswing from a few years ago, so we have seen an increase in commercial truck demand.
We are also proud to sponsor some of our Houston sports teams like the Dynamo, the Texans and the Astros, which has been a great way to stay involved with our local communities.
Q: Are you looking to grow in new markets or expand in current ones?
A: We’re going through a lot of positive changes. We have more than doubled our fleet over the past few years and expanded from three locations to seven. Now we’re in the process of fine tuning and growing those locations, but the idea is to keep expanding in the near future.
We have already expanded our fleet to include specialty vehicles like fuel trucks, semi-trucks and all-terrain vehicles. When you add that to our 15-passenger vans, gooseneck and 4×4 trucks we already carry, this makes us a one-stop shop for many large companies so they don’t have to go to two or three different sites to get their transportation needs together. This helps set us apart from our competitors.
Q: How do you plan to address changes in the industry in the coming year?
A: We are always studying the trends to stay ahead of the game as much as possible. The oil and gas industry is looking very strong right now, and we’re expecting another two to three years of growth. With that said, to combat any potential slowdowns, we are constantly studying the market, looking at trends and then adjusting our fleet accordingly.
Q: What is a “fun fact” about you people may not know?
A: In my younger days, when I had a lot more spare time, I was able to serve as a youth pastor at my church for a few years. As much fun as I had, I now realize I was learning valuable skills like patience, communication and listening to people’s needs that still help me to this day when dealing with so many different personalities every day on the job. I think that experience has taught me that even though we may not be financially rewarded for our volunteer work at the time, the experience and connections made along the way are priceless.
For more information, visit www.pvrentals.com or call (800) 275-7878.