Newman Nowlin is our Division 10 Project Manager. He started with RPI Rentals in February 2026 and was previously in the construction industry for four years. He is returning to the equipment rental industry after 15 years in convenience sales. Get to know him in 7 questions:
What is your role and how long have you been with RPI Rentals?
I am the Division 10 Project Manager. I started with RPI in February of this year.
How did you get started in this industry?
I interned with a construction company in college and then went to work in the crane department of a large company. My degree is in industrial consumer marketing, so I wanted to utilize that in the construction/equipment rentals industry. I left the industry for a while to do sales and am glad to be back!
What does your day to day look like?
I spend a lot of time meeting with project managers and estimators to become familiar with the plans of each project and site. I’m also getting to know vendors and sourcing materials for Division 10.
Division 10 is a specific category of construction materials. It includes things like fire extinguishers, signage, bathroom supplies, and things of that nature. My job was born out of a need RPI saw to provide materials in the Division 10 category alongside our regular consumable sales and equipment rentals.
What are some industry tips and tricks you’ve picked up over the years?
With purchasing, it’s important to find the breaking point between having a surplus and a shortage. You have to buy enough to fulfill the job, but not too much or too little. There’s an art to product analysis and figuring out how to not waste money. It’s also super important to be detail oriented and to ask questions! This line of work is fast paced, and you need to be able to move fast and to know where to go with things without creating a mile-long email chain. It’s all about being efficient.
What’s your favorite thing about working at RPI so far?
The folks I’m working with are tremendous. It feels more like a family than I could have imagined.
What is your favorite RPI project so far?
I’m very interested in the Plains High School project in Auburn and the increasing number of data center projects in our area.
Why do you think contractors and construction companies should choose RPI Rentals?
We are very efficient with what we do. We try to tackle things as soon as possible—our goal is to get you an answer as quickly as possible, be fair, and get it handled the best we can.