KILMARNOCK-based Blackwood Plant Hire is celebrating after being named Small and Mid-Sized Rental Company of the Year at the European Rental Awards in Lisbon, Portugal.
The category was open to businesses with revenues of less than €15 million. Blackwood fought off competition from firms in Spain, Iceland and Ireland to win the prestigious accolade.
Posting on LinkedIn, MD Paul McCormack wrote, “We’ve only gone and done it!!! Thank you to our whole team at Blackwood Plant Hire Limited. We are now officially the best small/medium rental company in Europe!!! Absolutely unreal emotions tonight!!! Thank you to the ERA for the nomination and for the award!”
Elsewhere, Brian Jones, president of the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the rental industry at the awards. He was awarded the European Rental Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
The accolade is awarded to an individual whose career achievements have had a profound impact on the rental sector. The awards are jointly organised by the European Rental Association (ERA) and International Rental News (IRN) magazine.
Brian has worked in the rental industry for over 50 years. He was elected to the CPA council over 30 years ago and has been CPA president since 2017.
He said, “It is an absolute honour to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and I would like to thank the European Rental Association and International Rental News for hosting a fabulous convention and awards event. I have worked in the industry for over 50 years now and have been involved with the CPA for over 30 years, and I can honestly say that I enjoy working in the industry today as much as the first day I started in the early 1970’s. There have been many developments along the way, but it is the people who make our industry what it is.”
