Volume 2:/Issue 1 February 2009
Computer Rental Systems (banner)
THE CRS MONITOR
John Carnahan, PresidentDear John,

To mark the beginning of 2009, we went through a significant milestone here at Computer Rental Systems: we moved! We’re only a few doors west of our old location, but we have doubled our square footage, adding quite a bit of space for storage, prep, and service. If you find yourself in Minneapolis, stop by and visit sometime at 411 W. 60th Street. Everything else—phone number, website, email—remains the same.

This issue’s story deals with how CRS helped handle moving targets, challenging deadlines and intricate details for the recent Republican National Convention, and provided some quick response and fancy dribbling just before the November elections.

Thanks for reading, and please let us know how we may be of service this year.

-John Carnahan, President
john@crsrental.com

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Client Story


Serving Our Country, CRS Style:
The Republican National Convention and 2008 Elections

CRS activities took on a decidedly bipartisan flavor in support of our national elections last year.

The 2008 Republican National Convention was the largest event ever hosted here in the Twin Cities, with an estimated 50,000 guests attending from across the country. We at CRS took a major role in helping many participants remain connected through technology in August and September.

CRS worked directly with the Republican National Committee, the Republican platform committee, the MSP Host Committee, and nearly a dozen other entities, including seven state delegations, two media outlets, one sponsor, and two major convention-related events. We provided equipment such as computers, printers, copiers, TVs, and networking equipment to nine different venues and took care of set up, service and support before and during the Convention. It made for a busy summer—and an especially crazy three-week period—but CRS stayed on top of the changing needs of the many organizations we worked with.

to be very reasonable,” said our client Max Everett of the Republican National Committee, who spent an entire year in St. Paul as Chief Information Officer for the Convention.

CRS responded to a number of needs for Everett and other RNC organizers:

  • We set up on-site offices and workstations for staff and volunteers from the national party and visiting state parties, complete with computers, monitors, printers, copiers, fax machines, and big-screen TVs.

  • We delivered equipment for hospitality suites and cyber cafes for hundreds of convention delegates and guests.

  • We provided interactive displays for CivicFest, a major exhibition set up during Convention week at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
  • We delivered and set up workstations for committees and committee members who had gathered prior to the convention to develop the party platform and convention agenda.
  • We arranged a bank of laptop computers at a sponsored event to facilitate online donations for Hurricane Ike relief.
  • We helped a hotel expand its business center for the week they hosted three state delegations to the Convention.
  • We brought in equipment for media rooms for reporters, bloggers, technicians and other staff.

“Your services saved me a big headache,” recalled Jay W. Ragley, Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party, who hired CRS to set up a hospitality room at their host hotel. “I expected the process would be complicated, but was able to cross it off my to-do list three weeks ahead of time.”

“Everyone and everything was wonderful,” added Don Willet, who coordinated IT services for the California delegation, the largest group to come to town. “We appreciate how you got everything set up and working as promised, and kept in touch throughout the week to keep us up and running.”

In total, CRS worked with state delegations from California, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington as well as PBS, Air America Radio, Pfizer and the Republican National Committee. We’re looking forward to the 2012 version, no matter where they hold it.


Remaining Bipartisan

Six weeks after the Convention left town, things really started to heat up, with many closely contested elections in Minnesota that required a huge get out the vote effort. CRS responded to some urgent calls from the state’s Democratic party (known locally as the DFL) for equipment to set up phone banks for the presidential campaign, as well as the senatorial campaign, congressional races, and even local campaigns here in Minnesota.

The DFL’s equipment needs grew quickly as the election approached. On extremely short timelines, we were able to provide nearly 400 hundred computers—desktops and laptops—for use by the many volunteers participating in the campaign.

We at Computer Rental Systems are prepared to handle big and small requests, whether you need to plan your event in advance or make arrangements when the dates are right around the corner. Our clients know that they can count on us to provide dependable service both in the Twin Cities and in sites across the country—and even in Canada. We invite you to read our “Stories” section to see how we’ve handled equipment rental, set up and support for other clients.

Thanks again for reading this issue of the CRS Monitor. We invite you to contact us directly for more information about our services.