Serving Customers is What Franklin Rental Strives For

Franklin rental

Franklin Rental is owned by local couple Ames and Sherrin Krebs, proprietors of four local stores – Franklin Kubota, Columbia Kubota, Franklin Horse Supply and Franklin Rental.

But Franklin Rental is their newest store, located at 1561 Columbia Avenue. After selling Kubota products for years, they wanted to open a store where anyone could use their products, without needing to buy them, for one-time projects, too.

“We like to dream big, and we want to inspire local homeowners and farm owners to dream as well,” Ames said. “We want them to be inspired to be out on their properties, improving their lawns and lands in ways that could change the way they live and teach important lessons to their children.”

To the Krebs, it is more than about just running a store, it is about being a part of the community and serving it.

“We want customers to know that the relationship we forge with them is the most important part of what we do,” Ames said. “We care about the experiences they have at our store. We offer the best products in each market segment, but unless we serve the customer and honor the relationship we have with each customer, we cannot achieve our potential. We constantly strive to serve and honor each customer.”

The Krebs opened Franklin Rental in 2013. There they rent everything from heavy equipment to power tools. And they don’t just rent– they provide guidance to their customers and the projects they want to complete.

“We learn what it means to do something we have never done before, and we develop the courage to attempt other projects, large and small,” Ames said. “I see the products that we rent and sell as tools that make imagined things real. We want to provide the products that our customers need to realize their dreams for their properties, but we also want to be a resource for ideas for our customers on how and when to do a project.”

The Krebs know first-hand what it is like to try a new project. They have four children, a daughter and three boys, and are always busy with new projects on their land. They are not afraid to learn and want their customers too, also. That is the philosophy behind Franklin Rental.

“When the boys and I rebuild a bridge or install a drain around the house to control water, we all learn together,” Ames. “We want to assist our customers in achieving greater self-reliance. Of all the joys we derive from what we do, seeing a customer progress from being fearful and tentative to being bold and competent is the greatest pleasure. I look back at many customers who have worked with us who had never owned land and had never even mowed their own lawn. We see them now, and they are clearing land with a skid loader, or digging a trench for an electrical or plumbing project, or trimming their tree canopy so they can safely operate their tractor or mower.”

The Krebs opened their first store, Franklin Kubota, in 2005. In 2008, they thought that they could open a second location in Columbia, so the community there would not have to go all the way to Franklin for their products. From there, they have now opened Franklin Rental and Franklin Horse Supply.