Episode Overview
Scott Cannon, CEO of BigRentz, joins the 50th episode of the Rental Roundtable to talk about how AI and technology are reshaping equipment rental. He shares how BigRentz connects 6,000 rental companies to contractors, why 90% of construction projects run over budget, and how predictive models can improve pricing, logistics, and availability. The conversation highlights how independents can leverage technology to compete in a rapidly evolving market.
Timestamps:
01:42 – BigRentz at scale: 6,000 companies, 14,000 locations, and 90% of job sites within 30 minutes
04:01 – How BigRentz partners with independents, charging market rates and covering risk
07:11 – Using AI to match rental needs with suppliers by location, price, and quality
09:08 – Tier system that rewards top-performing suppliers with priority access
12:24 – Tackling construction inefficiency, with 90% of projects over budget or delayed
15:26 – Serving traveling contractors through one-stop equipment procurement
17:21 – Evolution into a multi-platform company with marketplace, enterprise, and SaaS offerings
26:38 – Why pricing transparency matters and why customers now expect instant quotes
30:11 – How BigRentz has used AI since 2017 to calculate prices on 99% of items in milliseconds
43:58 – Leadership lessons on resilience and motivation from Scott’s journey as a second-time CEO
