Stayner Rental acquired by Cooper

After 30-plus years, there is a change in ownership at Stayner Rental.

Cooper Equipment Rentals has acquired the County Road 91 retail location from Paul and Edina Van Staveren.

Van Staveren said both he and Edina are looking to retire and having found the right buyer, the timing is right.

“I don’t want to be the last horse out of the stable, so at 60, it was time to think about retiring,” said Van Staveren.

In truth, Van Staveren is staying on for at least one year to manage the store but Edina, who is office manager, is retiring in April.

Van Staveren said the sale is the result of a mutually respectful professional relationship with president Darryl Cooper. Van Staveren said the values of the two companies aligned, with both being family oriented.

Van Staveren is calling the acquisition a transfer of assets, with the equipment rental division going under the Cooper Equipment Rentals banner and the water pump sales and service division going to their son Peter, who is also taking over the family farms, while the Van Staverens’ daughters are pursuing careers in other fields – Karen in agriculture, and Diane in education.

Van Staveren said Stayner Rental has truly been a family business. Edina left her teaching job to become the bookkeeper and they said family vacations throughout the years often included visits to trade shows.

Stayner Rental was established in 1989 and has grown from a 960 square foot facility to its current 33,000 square foot operation.

“I didn’t build the business, the business built itself,” said Van Staveren. He said the supply of equipment was constantly expanding and evolving to meet the needs of the community as it grew and moved with the trends. 

“We have really good staff here, making for a comfortable time to transition,” said Van Staveren, adding that Cooper will be keeping all 35 employees on staff and supplying them with benefits and uniforms.