We have a lot of assets at Lensrentals.com. More important than all the lenses and cameras is the team of people who make this business work. What they accomplish every day is remarkable.

After we close at 5 p.m. one of the senior staff remains on call, answering emails and trouble-shooting until 10 p.m. At 6 a.m. another begins the same task for the 20 or so emails that came in overnight. At 7 a.m. the first staff arrive at the office and begin processing and pulling the items to fill the 100 to 150 orders that are scheduled to go out that day, and by 9 a.m. many orders are already tested, cleaned and in packing.

Which is a good thing, because at 9:30 UPS drops off 150 to 250 returning shipments. By 1 p.m. the incoming shipments are all unpacked and checked in, the morning shipments are already packed and being picked up by UPS, and the returning items that need to go back out that day have been cleaned, inspected and tested. While this has been going on, the staff have also responded to 100 or so emails and taken 50 to 75 phone calls.

They’ve also received another 30 to 50 orders, which, along with the orders that were waiting on incoming equipment get processed and packed in the afternoon, which is also when the remaining incoming equipment is tested and inspected, emergency replacement equipment gets ordered for damaged or late items, and another 100 emails and 50 phone calls are handled.

Many of you have talked to or emailed with some of our staff, and I thought it might be nice to introduce these hard-working folks to you. So I asked, then threatened, then begged each of them to write a brief bio for us to publish. When they never quite got around to it (Roger! We’ve got too much to do!!) I decided to do it for them. So here you have it: Roger’s Takes on the Lensrentals staff.

Administration

Roger Cicala, MD, President and CEO, founded Lensrentals in 2006. Prior to that he made his living at various times as an author, college professor, and physician, but photography was always his hobby. Roger’s responsibilities include purchasing equipment, playing with equipment, writing about equipment, yelling at the staff, and overspending. Roger was originally a Canon shooter, but now shoots with almost everything. Just because he can.

Kristin Beckman, CFA, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Memphis in Business Economics and a CFA Charterholder. Kristin joined Lensrentals in August of 2008 and transitioned it from “Roger’s hobby” to a solvent business. Prior to joining Lensrentals she was an Analyst at Mercer Capital working in business valuation. Kristin’s major area of responsibility is controlling Roger’s purchasing.

Will Glynn, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, began creating and managing our website back in 2006. Since then he’s written programs that manage our inventory, track returning and outgoing orders (people could never manage our volume by hand efficiently), even do our purchasing and track repairs (obviously he has become a full time member of the team). His goal now, we believe, is to write programs that will replace the other team members. Will is as immersed in imaging as he is in computer sciences. He’s a Canon shooter who is now branching into video.

Drew Cicala, JD, Vice President of Operations, is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Memphis in Accounting and received his JD with honors from the University of Michigan. In addition to working with Kristin on the financial management of the company, Drew handles personnel, contractual issues, and collections for Lensrentals.com. Drew doesn’t get the whole photography thing at all. He’d rather read contracts and mutter “Why would anyone pay that much for a camera? I’ve already got one on my cell phone.”

Tyler Beckman, CFA, Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis, joined Lensrentals in August, 2010 from Mercer Capital where he was an analyst in Corporate Valuation. He is a cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University in Economics and a CFA Charterholder. At Lensrentals he is in charge of strategies and planning for future growth and expansion. Tyler is not a photographer . . . yet. But once he became aware that people here knew more about something than he did, he immediately started studying. By next year we expect he’ll be lecturing Roger.

Customer Service

Connie Candebat, Customer Service Manager, received a BFA in Photography from the University of Memphis. Connie gained experience in camera sales, lab processing, and management at Wolf Camera before joining Lensrentals as Customer Service Manager. Connie has ZOCD (Zeiss Obsessive-Compulsive disorder), usually shooting ZF lenses on Nikon cameras. She is a recovering wedding photographer who now does mostly portrait and abstract photography. She is our resident expert in lighting and a Chapter President of FDLFSW (Friends Don’t Let Friends Shoot Weddings).

Carolyn Bomar, Customer Service, has a BFA in Fine Arts and 15 years experience in Customer Service. She shoots mainly with Nikon SLRs, but really prefers shooting film with a Pentax 6 X 7 MF camera and has recently been having a torrid affair with the Leica M9 (she thinks no one has noticed). Carolyn is our master of different, and the person you want to talk with if you’re trying something that’s never been done and need to figure out how to do it. For example, she currently projects her slide film in Mercator projections to create abstract maps that she then paints on canvas. If you followed that, ask for Carolyn the next time you have a question.

Kayla MacIntyre, Customer Service, came to us from her previous position as Production Coordinator at Mercer Capital. Prior to that she spent several years working in Psychological Services. The experience she gained from these jobs is how Kayla can simultaneously answer three phone calls cheerfully while reading four emails, sending two memos, and printing pull sheets for an emergency order. Because of her psychology background, she is the one who decides when a staff member needs a quick break or medication increase during the more hectic days. She’s always amazingly cheerful on the phone, but if she ever asks “So how does that lens make you feel?” well, enough said.

Technical Support

Aaron Closz, Technical Support Manager, obtained a BA in Photography and Art History. After obtaining an education in fine art, Aaron discovered he was really interested in the technology behind the images. He worked in framing, camera sales, and finally teaching photography at Wolf Camera. He didn’t like the big corporation culture, so he made Wolf go bankrupt and left. At Lensrentals he tests, prods, repairs, and disassembles equipment all day. His favorite part of the day is when something comes back broken, especially so broken that he gets to take it apart for parts. Aaron shoots Canon digital and Mamiya MF film, but also makes his own large format cameras and is starting to make his own lenses (no, we don’t rent them out).

Steven Carter, Technical Support: Intake Inspection and Testing is Lensrentals Employee #1, starting when it was run out of a back bedroom and the garage. Steven got serious about photography after he retired following 30 years of teaching and coaching basketball in the Memphis City Schools. He joined Lensrentals to have a little part-time job (which is now 7a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) and to get access to some of the Nikon lenses he wanted to shoot with. When he’s not at Lensrentals, he does fashion photography as well as abstract and landscape work. You can often find him on ModelMayhem.com, OneModelPlace.com, or PhotoSig.com.

Tim Ashbrand, Technical Support, received his BFA in Photography from the University of Memphis and has experience both in lab processing and working professionally as a portrait photographer. Tim is into architectural and urban photography and is a mirrorless system fanatic. He is our expert on 4/3 and Micro 4/3 systems, but really specializes in bizarre camera-lens combination. If you want to know how an 800mm lens works with a Micro 4/3 camera, or how a tilt-shift looks with a 2x extender and a set of extension tubes, Tim is the guy to ask.

Scott Fulmar, Technical Support, has a BFA in Photography from the University of Memphis. Scott runs the final outgoing inspections on photo equipment, making sure everything is spotless and perfect before it goes to packing, and is widely recognized as the best damn sensor cleaner on the planet. Scott has been publishing both artistic critiques and fine art photographs since 1988. His work, which combines photography with significant image manipulation, has been shown in numerous juried and academic exhibits, galleries, and in book form.

Erik Morrison, Video Technician, received a BA cum laude in Film Video Production. He has worked in the production side of things (Black Snake Moan, Southern Homes and Lifestyles); as DP and Editor (Gardnerguy.com); and reached every male photographer’s ultimate goal—he worked on a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. He currently makes award winning short films with Corduroy Wednesday instead of sleeping during the 4 or 5 hours a day he gets off from Lensrentals. Erik is our expert in Video cameras, continuous lighting, and using SLR lenses for video work. He loves helping people decide what equipment will best do what they need to do, because he hates working with people who have already ordered equipment that can’t possibly do what they need done—and are now on the set trying to make the impossible happen.

Kris Steward, Video Technician, is working on his BA in Psychology. He really liked “Die Hard” and since he didn’t look anything like Bruce Willis, decided he wanted to make movies instead of being in them. He started doing video in High School and has now made over 50 shorts, 1 feature length documentary, and 5 television commercials, and filmed “The Magic Kids” in concert from the Levitt Shell that was released by True Panther Records. He’s currently making TV commercials for a local car dealership and is planning a narrative feature on Tow Truck Drivers. He is totally into DSLR video and the NanoFlash.

Caroline Bishop, Intern Extraordinaire, graduated high-school at the top of her class and is heading to the University of Missouri where she will soon be at the top of their Photojournalism Program. In a few short weeks, Caroline learned everything there was to learn about Lensrentals, manages half the departments without letting anyone realize she is running things, and makes delicious food that totally puts the entire staff at her beck and call. We all understand that in five years we’ll be working for her.

Mike Henry, Intern Emeritus, spent last summer interning at Lensrentals and expanding our video department. He now is finishing his undergraduate degree at Taylor University, interning for a software company, and about to spend his next semester overseas. But Mike still tele-works for Lensrentals editing web pages and copy, writing articles, and helping with equipment choices.

Inventory Control

Debbie Shaffer, Inventory Control, is a Registered Nurse who spent years managing inventory and supply for a busy surgery center. When she left nursing she decided managing Lensrentals inventory would be a great part-time job. Part-time is kind of a funny thing at Lensrentals: Debbie currently handles all purchasing and sales inventory during her part-time hours of 7 a.m to 3 p.m. five days a week, and helps with customer service in her spare time.

Erin Brewer, Inventory Receiving, was really Lensrentals’ first employee and at one time or another has done every job we have: customer service rep, packer, inventory control, cook (she used to make dinner for the staff when the business was located in a spare bedroom and the garage). She was also the first to suggest to Roger that it was time for Lensrentals to move into real office space. I believe the wording was “If you don’t get these damn lenses and all these people out of our house . . . “

Chris Ashbrand, Inventory Shipping, is a wannabe architect who doesn’t quite fit in that field because he can’t draw squares and straight lines. He came to Lensrentals mainly to improve his physical conditioning: Chris spends his mornings pulling all the equipment to fill the day’s orders. The only thing he knows about photography is don’t drop the lenses , so unless you have a question about impact damage, he’s probably not the guy to talk to. Chris believes there are two rules for success: 1) Don’t tell everything you know. . . .

The Playpen

In the back of LensRentals, where no one dares go, is The Playpen, the area where the packing and shipping staff live and work. Complete with loud music, mirror disco balls on the ceiling, and boxes of foam, It’s the place to work. Everyone else wants to work there. The packers have requested we give very little background information on them, as they’re afraid it might adversely affect their probation hearings.

Gena Hightower, Den Mother, was hired to bring some maturity and stability to the packing and shipping area. Epic fail. Gena also handles ordering all of the packing supplies: a few thousand boxes in dozens of sizes, hundreds of square feet of foam, and hundreds of rolls of tape every month.

Leavy (pronounced like the thing that grows on a tree, not like the thing that holds a river back) Hamilton, was the first packer and Employee #4, Leavy is a former Registered Nurse who can do any job (and does when we’re short-handed), but she’d rather play in the back so we let her stay there most of the time. Not that she works all that often. She kind of comes and goes as she pleases.

Stephen “Superman” Simmers: Former Yale student (he swears) who says he turned pro (professional packer) during his freshman year. We believe it was at best during his Freshman orientation, but more likely during the application process. Stephen’s job application states he can use his X-ray vision to see inside packages and make sure they are properly padded. We mostly hired him because he’s really tall, and the other packers can’t reach the top shelf.

Lauren “Pebbles” Berggren: worked for us a while, then didn’t, then did, etc. She’s in nursing school and says she comes back when her schedule allows. (Oh, the irony: Lauren is going to nursing school, but works after school with two women who left nursing to work at Lensrentals. Take the hint, Lauren!!). Lauren is the anti-Steve. She’s five feet tall and specializes in getting stuff out of the bins under the tables.

Kay “Kaybo” Pinkston: Has been with us since 2007, and is our closer. Kaybo shows up at 4 p.m.—bandana on her head, tape gun in each hand, and finishes sealing the late packages with one hand while keeping the UPS driver from leaving with the other. She specializes in packing the really large boxes. If her ex-husband disappears, the body will probably be found neatly packed and thoroughly padded in a UPS depot somewhere.

Kim Stewart: Our newest packer lived a normal life as the mother of two beautiful children working as a medical assistant 9 to 5, appearing as normal as you could want. Then she dropped out, tatted up, threw caution to the wind, and decided to roll the dice on the career of her dreams: packer at lensrentals. First to arrive and last to leave most days (we think she just doesn’t want to go home to the kids) Kim is completely irreplaceable because she’s willing to do one thing no one else will: work next to Stephen.

James, UPS and NASCAR driver – Brings us our boxes in the morning. Picks them up in the afternoon, picks up more in the evening. Without James, well, we’d be out of lenses in 24 hours. But more importantly, our day wouldn’t be nearly as fun. James has two expressions: grinning and laughing.

The Friends and Family Plan

Someone commented that this doesn’t look much like a family business anymore, so we thought we’d mention that it truly is. A rather twisted, inbred family. But hey, who’s family isn’t these days?

• Roger started the business.
• Erin is married to Roger, Kristin is his daughter and Drew his son.
• Tyler is married to Kristin.

(Think about that: Kristin and Drew work with their stepmother, Tyler with his father-in-law. Yet no blood has been spilled. Yet.)

• Steven Carter was in a photography group with Roger.
• Leavy, Debbie, Kay, Kim and Lauren all worked with Roger before Lensrentals opened.
• Gena is Leavy’s best friend.
• Connie and Aaron worked for Kristin’s wedding photographer and went to college together, along with Scott and Tim.
• Tim is married to Connie and Aaron and Carolyn have a long-term relationship.
• Chris is Tim’s brother.
• Kayla worked with Kristin before coming to Lensrentals.
• Aaron knew Erik and brought him on board when we expanded into video. Erik brought Kris.

None of us have any relationship to Stephen. We want that on the record.

The oddest relationship? Roger and Will started corresponding about Lensrentals in 2006, put in thousands of hours on phone and online building the business, but never met in person until 2010.

The 4 people who usually answer the phones are Connie, Kayla, Kristin, and Carolyn. And we wonder why you don’t remember which one you talked to last. The next Customer Service rep will have to be named Kaitlin or Carl or something similar.