Author Archive

PORTSMOUTH — Wearing only a habit and a pair of sneakers on Monday morning, Father Christian Tutor and Sister Mary Rose were among the last to cross the finish line of the St. Charles Children’s Home 5K at Pease. Read the rest of this entry »

What is our carbon footprint?  Are we green?  How are we affecting the environment?   These are questions that all responsible business owners should be asking themselves.

As CEO of Exeter Rent-All, I have begun the initiative to lower our carbon footprint.  Here are some definitive steps we have committed to. Read the rest of this entry »

My company, Exeter Events and Tents, is approached by organizations throughout New England on a daily basis for donations.   All are deserving and we try to help as many organizations as possible because in the current economic conditions, there are so many. We found out about a special need from a good friend of mine, Kevin Sullivan, this past Friday. I was saddened to hear that Sgt. Andrew Cote Nicol a former Exeter high school standout had given his life for our freedom on the battlefields of Afghanistan. Kevin told me the family was overwhelmed by this tragedy and needed to hold the memorial service outside at their modest home; I knew I had to help. Before I could contact the family, the father called my office and reserved a tent for the service. I immediately called back and spoke with a woman telling her it would be an honor to donate the tent and that heroes and their families do not pay here.

Sgt Andrew Cote Nicol  at 23 years old gave his life for our freedom, he will be buried tomorrow.  God bless Andrew, his family and a country that inspires those men and women to stand up with pride, protect and if necessary offer the supreme sacrifice on the altar of freedom. It is one of these warrior heroes that we honor tomorrow for he realized more than any of us that it takes duty, honor and courage to protect that most precious of all American gifts… the fragile gift of our freedom.  Sgt Andrew Cote Nicol was many things; one of them was Army Airborne. So may I send you home to your fellow brothers in arms with a motto from one of those great divisions the 101. Curahee! For those who do not know it is a Cherokee term that means stand-alone. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the pleasure reading is amazing story the other day. It came to me as a recommendation of the writing skills of the author Nicole Baute. The recommendation was from another author, a client of mine for many years. He had said to me “when you read this author’s work you are transformed by the words to the places and events she writes about”. As a bestselling author I listen, he knows good writing when he reads it and this article is no exception. Be sure to read the whole article the ending is unbelievable! Read the rest of this entry »

All of us at Exeter Events and Tents were a little sad to hear that many seashore weddings have been canceled in Louisiana because the Gulf oil spill. Some of the most beautiful weddings are held along our tiny shoreline right here in New Hampshire. As the experts in outdoor wedding planning we have help create many of these memorable experiences. To be able to use such a breathtaking backdrop and at the same time realize how fragile this State treasure is, gives us pause. We sympathize with our brethren in the gulf area; hopping for a speedy recovery to that beautiful eco system and it’s wonderful residents. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is spot on and can make all the difference in the world in getting what you need without experiencing unnecessary pain, disappointment and unexpected expense at can ruin that perfect day. Exeter Events and Tents works closely with our clients, assigning qualified planners who truly work for you. Why? A good amount of our new business is with old clients and their referrals. That’s just the way we like it! We appreciate the trust they have in our abilities and never take it lightly. We are always ready to help and waiting for your call but before you do feel free to check out what our clients have to say about our award winning service. As always, enjoy the article.

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Dear Ashley, 

Two weeks ago, over 100 riders took to the roads of southern New Hampshire to participate in the 8th annual Granite State Quest – A ride to conquer cancer.  I am pleased to report that it was a wonder and successful day.  You may recall that July 10th was during one of those hot spells, not to be confused with the hot weather of the past few days.  In addition to the heat, there were some pretty good rain storms throughout the day.  Thanks to Exeter Rent – All with its generous donation of 3 tents the riders were able to find shade or get out of the rain when they circled back to Timberland after each of the 3 loops they rode throughout the seacoast.  Without the tents, our post ride barbeque for riders, volunteers, friends and family would not have been as enjoyable, as the rain returned on a few occasions during the celebration. 

Exeter Rent- All has been a wonderful supporter every year and thanks to your in kind donation and that of other local business, we are thankful and proud that 100% of the funds raised by the riders go directly to pediatric cancer research and patient care at The Massachusetts General Hospital.  Our fund raising efforts thus far have totaled $75,137 and we are hopeful to reach $100,000 which will result in an eight year total of over three quarters of a million dollars.

Thanks again and please extend our appreciation to the entire Exeter Rent-All team. 

Bruce Taylor
Co-Founder – The Granite State Quest

In May 2010, I made the largest career change since I started Exeter Rent-All in 1986. I have always been on the marketing side of our company.   “Sell, create, close the deal, and create a new product or new market”  

I loved what I was doing, I love to sell! 

I was CEO of the company and spent 90% of my time selling and a minimal amount of time on operations.  Selling to me was  where the action is.

Well heaven became hell.   We were hitting the wall and I had to make a change in my career.  We were heading down a negative production spiral to failure.   Our production department was not developing in an acceptable fashion.   We were servicing a more discriminating buyer.  We were turning more transactions.  We were running into cost overruns, slow turnaround times and bloated labor costs.  Our product was not being maintained, cleaned, stored or shipped the way I wanted.

What is crazy is that new sales still were growing even in a recession.  

I knew for years what I should do but either did not have the guts or I wanted to do what I liked best rather than what the business needed most.

I did the about face in my career on May 4 2010.   I did not plan to do it that day but was forced to.  An emergency forced my hand. I took my computer, moved two miles down the street to my warehouse facility.  My daughter Ashley took over running the Party Sales department and all other operations at the main office. 

It is now three month since the move.  The transition has not been seamless.  Sparing detail I have bullet pointed the early results

1. Most Warehouse personnel welcomed the change
2.  The situation was worse than I thought
3. There was a production surprise  every corner  and every day
4. We were six months  behind in prep for the season
5. It’s a lot of work to instill core values of quality, process, procedure and personal responsibility  for your action
6. It won’t happen overnight     
7. The owner(me) can make faster, crisper decisions than a salaried manager

The real reason I did not do this earlier is I did not want to get out of my comfort zone.  A lack of guts on my part?

The major regret I have is that I didn’t do it sooner.    

Feel free to email me with any advice, support or questions

Living on the New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts seacoasts offer many brides the opportunity to have their wedding on one of the beautiful beaches of New England’s seashore. Exeter Events and Tents is the leading authority when it comes to outfitting your perfect beach or seashore park wedding. We offer you the ability to contract with one supplier for all your event needs. Tents, tables, chairs, flooring, along with many choices of lighting, table settings and fabric selections allows you to coordinate exactly what you want and save money at the same time. We can also assist with finding that special seacoast location from Down East Maine through New Hampshire or along Massachusetts’s North shore, our over twenty years of working knowledge with the best venues in this area guaranty the perfect setting for your special day. Give us a call today to discuss the possibilities. We hope the following article inspires you to choose an outdoor wedding event and leave a comment or question, we would be happy to reply. Read the rest of this entry »