About Us
It all started in 1976, when Wayne Stringer opened his first tool rental store in Jacksonville, FL. Shortly after opening, he hired his new son-in-law, Tom Nickell, to come work for him. Tom excelled in the equipment rental industry and eventually became the regional manager for a large national tool rental chain covering the southeast.
In 1998, he decided to get back to his roots of operating his own rental company. He realized that the national rental chains were doing a great job serving the larger national and regional construction companies, but no one was catering to the local contractors and do-it-yourselfers. With that in mind, he opened the first Nickell Equipment Rental store, south of Metro Atlanta, in Newnan, GA.
In 2000, Nickell expanded into the southeast Atlanta market with the acquisition of a location M&B Rental / Taylor Rental Center in Griffin, which is now Nickell Rental. In addition to stores in Newnan and Griffin, GA, we have continued to expand opening new branches in Hiram and most recently in LaGrange. While Nickell Rental now has one of the largest independent equipment rental fleets in the southeast, we remain a family-owned business that values ethics, our employees, and serving the same customers that made us successful.
“We provide the solutions to get your project done”
Why We’re Closed on Sundays
When Tom Nickell founded Nickell rental in 1998, he made the decision to close on Sundays. For him this decision was a practical and spiritual decision. In a busy 24/7 connected world, he believes employees should have a designated day off to spend time with their family and friends as well as worship if they choose to do so.
The Team
Tom Nickell, Founder
Tom was high school Valedictorian and a die-hard Kentucky Wildcats fan, which put him on the path to a Pre-Med degree from UK. Tom went on to dental school but changed course two months before graduating and went to work in the rental business with his father-in-law. Tom didn’t intend to stay in this industry; it was just a stop on his journey to find a career that he could be truly passionate about. To Tom’s surprise, that career wound up being the rental business, where he could tie his passion for helping people with his love for family. Tom has been in the industry nearly 40 years now and has served at both the local and national level on boards for numerous organizations, including The American Rental Association.
Josh Nickell, CEO
Initially, Josh wanted to pursue a career in the restaurant business or as a traveling magician. Even though he was around the rental industry his whole life, he had no plans to join his dad. One eye-opening internship later, the course of his decisions changed. In 1998, Josh started out washing equipment. Later, he climbed the managerial track after graduating Summa Cum Laude in Management from Drexel University. Now he serves as the President of the American Rental Association of Georgia, and has been published time after time in Rental Management Magazine – including being listed one of the Top 10 to Watch Under 40. In 2014, the ARA named him Person of the Year. In his spare time, he volunteers as the PE coach at Carolyn Barron Montessori School.
James Harris, Branch Manager Newnan, GA
James comes to the rental industry with a servant’s heart! The last 20 years, he has gone full steam ahead in the culinary and hospitality industries. His most recent achievements have been with Zoes Kitchen, where he signed on as the General Manager/Corporate trainer. During his time with Zoes, the company went from 80 to 227 locations. James trained over 50 branch managers; supervised and developed a 60-man team, opened new branches, and served as a turn-around specialist for struggling stores. He has received national recognition as a “Brand Ambassador” and an award for “Be the Change”- someone who can effectively implement positive change. His passion for people, leadership, and growth is a huge asset to the Nickell brand. In his spare time, you’ll find him soaking up family time or having downtime with his Xbox One.
Danny Moore, Branch Manager Griffin, GA
Danny brings 28 years of experience to the equipment rental table. He has managed rental stores in the southeast Atlanta market for local owners and national companies alike. In 2000, Danny joined Nickell Rental where he has become known as an expert and trusted source in the industry and a thriving asset to our team. Danny is very active in the local community, where he has coached and played competitive church softball for over 20 years. His team was even ranked number 10 in the nation in 2005. In his spare time, he enjoys flying RC airplanes and (he chuckles at mentioning) repairing them after hard and sometimes violent landings. His greatest joy is his daughter, Caroline, whom he says is a complete miracle.
Jason Pierce, Branch Manager Hiram, GA
Jason’s introduction to the rental industry came when he began working with his stepfather for Tom Nickell at Taylor Rental. As a teenager, Jason was servicing and delivering equipment. After finishing a Bachelor of Science degree with an additional two years of advanced studies, he took a break from rental and worked full-time in ministry. He has served as a campus pastor, men’s minister, and on several leadership teams within the church. He is also ordained and has (so far) performed three employee weddings. In 2007, he returned to the rental industry and has since become well-rounded in several facets of the business - ranging from equipment maintenance, logistics, customer service, sales, and management.
Jarrett Inman, Branch Manager LaGrange,GA
Jarrett joined Nickell Rental in April 2016. With a degree in Business from Georgia Southern, Jarrett came from the automotive paint distributing industry. He spent several years managing stores within the industry and overseeing the opening of several new store locations. He was introduced to the rental industry and it was full steam ahead. Jarrett jumped right in, growing with the company and learning core values of service and sales. That, coupled with his expertise for management and leadership, is a great fit for our team! In his spare time, Jarrett likes to play golf and go fishing. Jarrett says the thing he likes most about the rental industry is “each day brings new challenges and you must always think outside the box.”
Hope Harris, Support Branch Manager
Hope grew up in the construction industry, where she gained a working knowledge of contracting from an early age. She received her degree in business from Georgia State University and spent 10-years in a role that gave her experience in management, finance, outside sales, and Human Resources. Hope brought her expertise to Nickell Rental in 2015 along with her go-getter attitude! She attends meetings for the Atlanta Women in Leadership organization and is a member of the national and local chapters for Society for Human Resource Management. In her spare time, she plays the violin and has a huge passion for learning. Hope is a conversationalist and is just the person to go to if you need to make things happen!
Want to join our rental team? We currently have openings throughout the Atlanta area.
