#176 - Norty Turner: People, Process and the Pursuit of Operational Excellence

What separates a well-run rental business from an average one?

In this episode, recorded live at the American Rental Association Show in Orlando, Michael Larsen is joined by Norty Turner, President and CEO of Sunstate Equipment, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, culture, operational excellence and building a business that can scale without losing its identity.

Norty reflects on his 30-year rental career, which began behind the counter at Hertz Equipment Rental and later took him into leadership roles across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and India. He shares how those experiences shaped his leadership style and taught him the importance of listening, cultural awareness and creating an environment where people feel safe to challenge ideas.

The conversation explores what Norty looks for when visiting a rental branch, from the condition of the ready line to the urgency and purpose with which employees move through the rental cycle. He explains why the fundamentals of rental remain remarkably consistent and how Sunstate is improving its most important operational processes using lean principles.

Norty also discusses why most operational improvement programs fail when they are imposed from the top down. Rather than telling branch teams how to work, Sunstate involves the people performing each process in designing the solution, creating genuine ownership and a culture of continuous improvement.

They examine the customer expectations every rental company must consistently deliver: safety, availability, on-time delivery and pickup, equipment uptime, accurate invoicing and technology that improves productivity.

Throughout the episode, Norty returns to Sunstate’s people-first foundation, inspired by founder Mike Watts’ belief that employees should be treated with care and respect. He shares his ambition to preserve that legacy while also developing a high-performing culture where people achieve more than they believed possible.

The conversation concludes with lessons from Norty’s climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, including the Swahili principle of pole pole—moving steadily, one step at a time, supporting those around you and enjoying the journey along the way.

This episode is essential listening for rental leaders seeking to strengthen their culture, improve branch performance and turn a long-term vision into consistent daily execution.