BearCom rents two-way radios used at some of the highest-profile events in America—events like the Super Bowl, World Series, and New York Marathon, as well as gatherings like South by Southwest, Burning Man, and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. BearCom has provided radios used at the Olympic Games, World Cup competitions for both soccer and cricket, and World Youth Day. BearCom once assisted with the NBA All-Star Game and the Academy Awards on the same day!
Using Two-Way Radios for large Events
So how is BearCom able to support these often-massive events? A key reason is inventory. BearCom has more than 22,000 Motorola
two-way radios in its rental inventory—an inventory managed from the Rental Operations Center (ROC) inside the company's 92,000-square-foot fulfillment and support center in Dallas.
"We call it the fishbowl," Dennis Gonzalez said of the glass-walled room that measures about 30 feet by 50 feet. Here one can see racks of equipment against one wall, a back wall of chargers, a workbench, and a shipping area—but only a few radios. Gonzalez, BearCom's Director of Rental Operations, explained that at any given time, the vast majority of the BearCom rental radio fleet is either at one of the company's
26 branches, being used at an event, in transit to or from an event, in transit between branches, or on the way back to the ROC. "When it's brand new, it's here," he said. "But when it's in the field, we track it. We know exactly what serial number is where."
Everyone's Trained to Solve Problems
When a call comes into the ROC, all the phones ring. Gonzalez said it can get loud. "Everything we do has to be done with a sense of urgency," he said. "Customers' needs change, and we have to change with them. So, we never know what to expect. People come in to work, and the phone rings, and there's an emergency in New Jersey. Everyone’s trained to solve problems."
The key function of the ROC is equipment allocation—matching equipment requests to availability. "We have to find it and get it to the place where it's needed," Gonzalez said. "And that means not just radios, but spare batteries, chargers, and headsets as well."
Constant Communication with BearCom Branches
Also in the ROC is a push-to-talk phone specialist, who makes sure those devices are updated to meet the needs of each customer, and a digital two-way radios specialist, who is an expert in the latest radios and repeater systems. All but two people in the ROC are available to travel to support large events around the country to make certain everything runs smoothly. And two full-time technicians handle the repair work that's inevitable with such a large inventory.
The people in the ROC are always in communication with colleagues in the branches. "We feel that feet on the street are very important," Gonzalez said, referring to BearCom's nationwide branch network. "They know their area and what works there. That gives us a unique feel. People know that with BearCom, they have one-stop shopping." And because of its massive inventory, customers know that when it comes to
two-way radio rentals, BearCom will deliver.
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