UpRight Powered Access received 4,000 to 5,000 online entries in its contest with the prize of a new Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 Mustang. UpRight, celebrating its resurgence in North America, narrowed the entries to 400 involved in the equipment rental industry and invited them to a V.I.P. party held during The Rental Show. When #1921 was called, Max Christopher, owner/operator of Christopher Equipment, Tullahoma, Tenn., held the winning ticket. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Christopher. “When my number was called, I didn’t realize it until the manager of my Shelbyville store, Joe Cortner, said, ‘That’s you.’”
Christopher has been in the equipment rental industry his entire professional life. He majored in rental equipment management at Western Iowa Tech Community College, Sioux City, Iowa, after receiving a scholarship from the rental store where he worked. He says the first time he attended The Rental Show was in 1983, when he rode a bus from Iowa to Atlanta as part of his college program. He has attended 14 of the last 16 editions of The Rental Show.
After college, he returned to work at the rental store that awarded his scholarship and, in 1990, bought it, turning it into Christopher Equipment. Later he added two branches and also owns Master of Ceremonies Tents and Events, Tullahoma, Tenn., which is managed by his mother.
Prior to the show, Christopher owned four pieces of UpRight equipment and added two more during this year’s show. On the day after the show ended, Christopher drove his new car back to Tennessee, where he says he will put it on display in his Shelbyville branch. “A Shelby for Shelbyville,” he says.
The Tanfield Group, a UK-based company, bought the aerial-lift division of UpRight in June 2006. Since then, UpRight restarted the assembly line at its California plant. The company expects to open a major U.S. production facility later this year, which will produce a full line of scissor lifts and boom lifts. “By holding this party and contest, we wanted to show everyone that we are making a serious investment in this business and are serious about offering good customer service,” said Dan Jenkins, UpRight media relations manager.