This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.

St. George is one of my favorite places to visit. I have enjoyed watching its phenomenal growth over the last decade. It's always a pleasure to hear about businesses that have grown right along with it, such as Beehive Rental and Sales.

Julie Baker and her husband were in the process of building an addition to their house. Friends and neighbors kept calling to ask if they could rent tools and materials the Bakers had already purchased for work on their own homes.

Julie decided renting such equipment could make a nice side business, so she purchased used equipment and tools. She completely refurbished the items and opened her own rental yard. As St. George grew, so did Julie's business. In 1998, she decided to turn it into a full rental yard, and the result was Beehive Rental and Sales.

Julie tells me Beehive customers can rent everything from water trucks to backhoes, skidders and trenchers. The company also has wall paper steamers, carpet cleaners and landscaping tools. The most popular equipment to rent is the skid loaders and trenchers, often used by contractors for commercial building projects. About half of Beehive's clientele are contractors while the other half are homeowners.

Beehive Rental and Sales specializes in one-on-one customer service, and Julie says employees do their best to help equipment rentals go as smoothly as possible. Normally clients can secure a rental within 10-15 minutes of arriving at the shop. Customers are also offered water and pretzels to enjoy while in the store. During harder economic times, Julie says she added a service yard to her business so clients could bring their equipment in for repairs.

Even though St. George continues to grow, Julie intends to keep Beehive Rental and Sales as a hometown, independently-owned rental yard. She also aims to increase customer service and personal contact with clients.

For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.

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