We sat down with John Bureau, our Rental Group Leader, to learn about his story and experience in the rental industry. In this interview, Bureau also highlights what companies in the rental space can expect post-acquisition at Volaris Group.

When did you start your career in the rental industry?

JB: I earned my degree in Computer Science from University of California, Irvine back in 1985. My first job was with a company called US Rentals as an IT Developer.

What is your professional background?

JB: As the rental vertical started consolidating, more opportunities were created in the industry. US Rentals was acquired by United Rentals in 1986, and I was promoted to Director of IT. In 2001, United Rentals acquired an equipment rental software company called Wynne Systems. I took an opportunity to run Wynne operationally with little experience with running software businesses. It was extremely hard, but we were able to manage it, make it profitable, and do well.

When did you start your time at Volaris Group?

JB: In 2012, Wynne Systems was acquired by Volaris Group as a corporate carve out. We became completely separate from United Rentals and were our own independent organization within Volaris.

What was your experience being acquired by Volaris Group?

JB: I was the General Manager of Wynne Systems from 2012 to 2018. After joining Volaris, we were able to grow the business fivefold by accepting what I call the ‘pearls of wisdom’ offered to us. We were surrounded by a very supportive team at Volaris that gave us great advice and information every step of the way. We were never told that we needed to do anything, and we had very little resistance in our business decisions. Wynne grew to the point where we split the business, which is how InTempo was created in 2015.

What is one word that describes Volaris Group to you?

JB: Consistency. From the senior management of Volaris and throughout the organization, the messaging of our mission is always consistent.

When did you begin working in M&A?

JB: In 2018, I moved to my M&A role, overseeing acquisitions in the Rental Management industry. Today, I am proud to say that we have five great businesses in our portfolio.

What is your favorite part of the M&A process?

JB: My favorite part of the M&A process is the art of the deal. It’s understanding what business owners want out of the deal and sharing the Volaris story with them. We have a different appeal because we buy and hold forever. A lot of the folks that are selling their business have spent as much time in their business as with their own children. We hope to show them that we want to preserve their legacy and have no intention of changing name the business or selling the business. We want to make their business successful for the long-term.

What are some of the benefits of a company that joins Volaris Group?

JB: There are lots of benefits to companies that join Volaris Group. Here the top 3 reasons I share with business owners considering selling their business to us:

• Professional Opportunity: Within our group, career development opportunities have been a major advantage to our employees. We have a lot of stories of people who worked in individual business units that have been promoted to new roles within Volaris.
• Visibility: Our buy and hold forever strategy helps business owners feel confident that we are here to support them forever. We make it clear that we have no intentions of selling their business in the future.
• Access to Capital: This is huge for small businesses. This gives owners the opportunity to grow their businesses without the financial risk. Additionally, the financial backing of a publicly-traded parent company provides confidence to the customers and employees that there is no risk of the company going out of business.

How does Volaris Group promote organic growth for the business we acquire?

JB: When a company first joins Volaris Group, we work together to determine the best ways to promote organic growth for their business. One common approach to organic growth is to develop new initiatives. To do this, we identify pain points with our customers and figure out how to address them with new software solutions. We are then able to sell these new solutions back to our existing customers which helps businesses continue to grow organically.

How does Volaris Group cultivate long-term relationships with the businesses that we acquire?

JB: I’m a true believer in the importance of multi-year relationships for the acquisitions that we do. It starts the old fashion way: you meet somebody over drinks meeting or at a trade show and build a personal relationship. We tell a consistent story about Volaris Group and our buy and hold forever strategy that often resonates with many business owners and leaders. If we look at the timeline from initial point of contact to finalizing the deal for businesses in our portfolio, these relationships are built over an average of six years.

What is a trend in the rental industry and how have companies in your group have adapted to this trend?

JB: Consolidation is a trend that’s been going on for 30 years within our vertical. Many big companies will continue to grow as the culture of renting equipment expands internationally. Our job, as software providers, is to customize our software to new business processes and be prepared to go into new geographies. All businesses within our portfolio are prepared for this industry shift and look forward to continued growth in the future.