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2021 AED Summit – Las Vegas, NV: What’s New This Year?

By Seth Hird | Posted on May 20, 2021

Press Releases| Equipment Industry

AED Summit | May 23rd-26th in Las Vegas, NV

All our bags are packed, and we’re ready to go to the 2021 AED Summit! It seems as though we have not attended a trade show in years, so we are incredibly excited! However, before we see each other in Las Vegas, we want to grease metaphorical excavator bushings and talk about AED and why we’re so eager for this trade show!

Who Is AED?

AED (Association of Equipment Distributors) serves as a resource to the heavy equipment industry. Professional development, industry research and analysis, and events like the 2021 Summit are just a few of the ways that AED supports our industry. Founded in 1991, AED continues its dedication to serving everyone in the equipment industry. As an AED member ourselves, we can speak to their ability to create meaningful connections and long-standing professional relationships. We have benefitted tremendously from our membership with AED over the years, and we continue to invest in AED’s events.

Who Are We?

We are not an equipment distributor. Similar to AED, we play a supportive role in the equipment industry. Our company supplies physical damage coverage for heavy equipment dealers, material handling equipment dealers, contractors, and individual renters. Since 2010, we’ve been working closely with dealers in the industry to ensure they are appropriately covered. We also provide insurance program development through Ricker & Associates insurance advisors.

Jim Ricker, founder of JT Bates Group, has been advising dealerships regarding their insurance policies for over 35 years. Jim’s expertise combined with innovation driven by CEO Jayme Bates, has propelled us to be the equipment insurance leader for dealerships in America. However, we are diversifying to become an even more valuable resource for our current and potential customers.

What’s New?

So much has change since we last met!

  • First, we launched Rental Shield – Rental Shield is short-term physical damage insurance for rental equipment. Construction companies or DIYers purchase Rental Shield directly from JT Bates Group, and we give them the certificate of insurance they need in order to rent equipment. The benefit to Rental Shield is twofold: the renter gets meaningful coverage for the rental period, which might be as short as one week. Secondly, equipment dealers no longer turn away renters without proper proof of insurance or who aren’t interested in purchasing the dealer’s damage waiver. We’ve seen incredible growth in a short time, and we are looking forward to helping more dealers ensure that they secure all possible rental customers.
  • Second, we relaunched StraightDocs – StraightDocs, our compliance service and certificate tracking solution has received a significant facelift and capabilities upgrade. Dealers have 24/7 access to their certificates of insurance, sales tax exemption forms, vendor certificates of insurance, motor carrier permits, and more. Also, we’ve added a chat feature to the StraightDocs portal, so one of our live representatives–a real person–can help you as soon as you have a question in real time. As if all these product improvements weren’t enough, we’ve also added a 24-business hour guarantee for certificates being entered in the system, and all our full-time certificate administrators either possess an insurance license or are working toward licensing.
  • Third, we are in the final stages of creating a new product that our dealers have been asking for. We are very excited to debut this new product at AED Summit, but we would like your input and feedback before we do.

    This product, which we’ve been calling Rental Equipment Liability, would give your customer liability coverage in the unfortunate event of an accident that damages someone else’s property or causes bodily harm. To give your input on the product before it launches, scan this QR code or click the link above and fill out a short form. We will take care of everything from there, and you’ll be the first to know when it launches.

See you all in Las Vegas!

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