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United Rentals Supplies
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
When the producers of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition” needed reliable equipment tough enough to help
build a house in seven days, United Rentals was there with
the iron. The world’s largest equipment rental company and
the crew of the popular television show joined forces with
hundreds of volunteers in November to build a new home
for the Hughes family of Louisville, Ky.
The United Rentals branch in Louisville arranged the
donation of more than 50 pieces of equipment for the
duration of the job, including aerial lifts, light towers and
portable power generators. It was the eleventh time the
company had provided support to the “Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition” team in 2007, following successful projects in
Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
Diane Korman, senior producer for “Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition,” said: “We are very excited United Rentals is
working with us. Because of United Rentals’ vast reach across
North America, we rely on them for the extreme equipment
and round-the-clock service we expect and need to get the
job done — regardless of the conditions or location.”
Jason Habermel, branch manager for United Rentals
in Louisville, seconded that team work: “This was a total
community effort on behalf of the Hughes family, and
we were thrilled to be a part of it. We wanted to support
the crew in every way possible: deliver equipment day or
night, coordinate services with neighboring branches and
volunteer our time to assist on site. It’s truly exciting and an
honor to help build a beautiful home from the ground up in
just a week.”
The house was donated to the Hughes family, which
was struggling to provide for their disabled teenage son.
Night doesn’t stop the hardworking crews of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” or United Rentals for that matter. The UR branch in Louisville arranged the
donation of more than 50 pieces of equipment for the duration of the Hughes family’s new home, including aerial lifts, light towers and portable power generators.
The new house was specially designed to accommodate
19-year-old Patrick Henry, who was born blind and with
severely impaired arms and legs. Faced with mounting bills
for Patrick Henry’s home care, the Hughes family faced
nearly insurmountable diffi culties until ABC stepped in
to help.
The challenges of constructing the Hughes’ home for their
special needs are chronicled in the episode that will air in
January. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is broadcast on
Sunday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
8 Compact Equipment January 2008 compactequip.com