Plant City has once again made history by having the first Walmart location in the country to have a full-service outdoor Sunbelt Rental facility.
Executives from both Walmart and Sunbelt joined the entire Plant City commission and members of RasDaniel Inc. (RDI), who are responsible for building the outdoor structures for Sunbelt. The ribbon cutting officially opened the first outdoor rental facility at Walmart in the nation, but many are soon to follow. The locations will provide rental equipment, tools and access to materials that DIYers previously had to either shell out a pretty penny to get their hands on or break down and hire a contractor.
“When I look at what’s occurring here today, on behalf of our city commission we are all, (and) the city manager, we are here in support of when we see companies and organizations come together to create strength and more jobs and more opportunities for our citizens,” Mayor Rick Lott said. “I look at this and I saw the respect we paid to Sam Walton (of Walmart), but then it flowed into Sunbelt and it flows into a local company, RasDaniel Construction. Seeing these three organizations all of different sizes, different capabilities with a single purpose: providing jobs, infrastructure and a quality of life for our citizens and our customers. It’s wonderful to be a part of that.”
Many Walmarts already have Sunbelt Rental locations inside their stores offering small power tools and other small equipment. The outdoor storefronts will now stock larger equipment. Everything from lawnmowers, pressure washers and paint sprayers to ladders and hand trucks will be available at half-day, daily and weekly rental rates. You can use the Sunbelt Rentals mobile app to find Sunbelt Rentals locations, create and manage an account, make equipment reservations, schedule a pickup or extend a rental and view instructional videos.
You can also browse by tool and equipment categories by visiting SBR.com/walmart. If you’re unsure of exactly what you need, there will be tool rental specialists at each location to make recommendations and “advise customers on their safe use.”
The partnership between Walmart and Sunbelt Rentals has grown over the years as more homeowners look for rental options to tackle their next big home project. And Sunbelt has long worked with RDI to make waves in Plant City. In fact, RDI was responsible for the creation of the Train Viewing Platform in the heart of downtown Plant City. The company brought it to life and it is used daily by locals and visitors alike.
Lott took a moment to reflect on Plant City’s history with Walmart and shared there was a reputation of being “the first” with the company. When Walton was scouting for locations to put future Walmarts, he would often hop in his aluminum airplane and soar among the clouds, carefully appraising the land below for the perfect community to put one of his stores.
The story goes that Walton was flying over Plant City when he landed his airplane to get a closer look. Commissioner Mike Sparkman’s nephew was a realtor at the time, and he and Walton picked out a location and brought the very first Walmart in Tampa Bay right here to Plant City. Lott joked there are some rumors that it was the very first Walmart in Florida, but he couldn’t confirm that and chose to at least take the title of “First in Tampa Bay.”
“I know that Sunbelt now is working in 25 different Walmarts across the country, but this is a first because those other locations are operating inside the store and this is the first one that’s being operated outside the store on the premise,” Lott said. “And a local company of ours, AT Wadi and his son Rasmi… they actually manufacture the store you’re seeing back there. They’re manufactured right here in Plant City. This is the first one they’re opening up and from talking today, they’re discussing the rollout plan on how many more they’re going to roll out of this structure out in parking lots nationwide so we can make these products available to those companies that provide the trades, the jobs and do the construction throughout America. What a great story. We were glad to be first then, we’re glad to be first now and we’ll always work to be first moving forward.”
Lott took a moment to praise RDI for its continued impact on Plant City and for its multiple contributions. Wadi was presented with a plaque from Sunbelt during the ceremony for all of his hard work during this partnership.
Commissioners then joined Walmart and Sunbelt executives as well as the store manager for the Plant City Walmart in the ribbon cutting for the facility. Many lingered afterward to talk about the project and share stories on the many steps it took to bring this to life.