Innovative Equipment Engineered to Last
It’s a momentous year for Barreto Manufacturing as we celebrate our 40th year in business! From lean beginnings in a garage to the growth we see today, we have our customers to thank for the 40 seasons of designing, building, and selling the best equipment we can.
We have such immense gratitude for those who supported our journey over the last four decades, and to show our gratitude our team devised a plan to create a one-of-a-kind item - an all-black 1320H Tiller - crafted especially to mark this memorable anniversary. The 1320H Tiller is our signature machine that started Barreto all those years ago, and it’s the most fitting, enduring icon of our time in business.
The original tiller design has stood the test of time with minimal changes since its first iteration, and it remains simple and bulletproof. We regularly receive photos from our earliest customers still running their aged tillers. The oldest operational tiller shown to us so far was featured in our last post, From Landscaping to Legacy, and since 1987 it has been hard at work out in the field.
The tiller we gave away is the only black-colored production model, making it truly unique. To kick off the sweepstakes, we brought it to the 2024 American Rental Association Show in New Orleans, LA.
Lucky Timing
The giveaway ran from January 15th to March 31st, 2024, and, what made the win even more exciting was that the winner of the sweepstakes was Dave Dworschak with Don’s Rentals in St. Helens, OR. Dave is not only a fellow Oregon business owner, but he happened to be in the same California Rental Association meeting as our CFO, Jackie Leonard! When Dave got the winning call from our corporate office, Jackie was there to receive the news and celebrate alongside him. The timing was impeccable, and we feel incredibly blessed in how it all came together.
Don’s Rental has been in the rental business since 1967, and is a longtime Barreto customer. The “Don” the company is named after is Dave’s father, and Dave is the current owner of the business. Dave recalls working at the shop most of his life, saying “I grew up in the business and worked there through grade school, high school, and then took a break through college. I came back after that.”
Family Legacies in Rental
Like most rental shops, the store has worn many hats through the years as it adapted to the changing needs of customers. “We started out as ‘Don’s Appliance Service’ in 1958, and then in about 1967 we started adding rental tools. We eventually stopped selling and repairing vacuum cleaners, toasters, steam irons, etc., and went to full time rental,” said Dave. “We have had Barreto tillers since 1986. Model 1120, Serial #0733 is still in our fleet today. I remember driving to Lebanon, Oregon to pick it up from the workshop there,” he said. “We currently own about six Barreto tillers. We also own a couple of Barreto stump grinders and a log splitter. All of them are great machines. They hold up great and have little to no downtime.”
Pictured here is Dave, our CFO Jackie, and her own next generation of “helpers” as they assisted with welcoming the tiller to Don’s Rental. Huge thanks to Dave for meeting with us and for being an incredible Barreto partner through the years! We asked Dave what his advice is to other rental businesses when it comes to selecting equipment for their fleets, and he said, “I prefer to buy the right equipment the first time… Barreto equipment is not cheap, but you will earn so much more in the many years to come.”
If you have a Barreto unit you think makes the “Legacy List” - we would love to see it and tell your story! Send a photo of your unit and your information to marketing@barretomfg.com.
Cheers to Don’s Rentals on the many good years in business and to the many more good years to come. May this custom tiller serve you well! You can check out Don’s Rentals’ offerings here, and be sure to congratulate them on their win!