In 2007, Brandon Ahlgren started Elite Events & Rentals with 25 tables, 150 chairs, and four tents. Today, the company is based in Oldsmar, employs nearly 50 team members, runs more than 12 delivery trucks, and produces over 4,000 rental contracts annually. What began as a one-person operation has become one of the most trusted event rental companies in Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties.
The Story Behind Elite
Brandon Ahlgren did not set out to build a rental company. After high school, he took a role with the American Cancer Society, where part of his responsibility was coordinating rentals for tents, tables, and chairs for volunteer events throughout the year. It did not take long to notice a pattern. The rental companies he worked with consistently fell short, with poor communication, unreliable service, and an experience that made an already demanding job harder than it needed to be.
Brandon saw an opportunity where others were falling short. In 2007, he left his nonprofit career and started Elite Events & Rentals with a modest inventory. The business grew quickly. Within a few years, he left his day job to run Elite full-time, and the company has not stopped growing since.
In 2016, Elite acquired Gulfcoast Party Rentals in Clearwater, expanding into a second location and strengthening the company’s presence across Pinellas County. The 16,500-square-foot facility in Oldsmar, complete with a 2,000-square-foot showroom, serves as the operational hub for a fleet of trucks covering the entire Tampa Bay area and beyond.
Brandon Ahlgren – President
Owner Brandon Ahlgren started Elite Events & Rentals in 2007 after working in the nonprofit industry for five years. In his previous employment, Brandon was tasked with executing several volunteer events per year and learned first-hand what challenges that surface when juggling volunteers, event planning, logistics and financial management. Brandon was a frequent rental store customer during these years and began to observe the need for a “one-stop shop” rental company. That vision drove him to open Elite Events & Rentals, Tampa’s high-quality rental company. Our ever growing inventory of event, wedding and party rental items can meet any need.
Elite Events & Rentals Team Members
Ralph Shaw
General Manager
Shannon Konop
Event Rental Specialist
Riley Krizek
Office Administrator
Gulf Coast Party & Event Rentals | An Elite Events & Rentals Company Team Members
Michael Mullins
Branch Manager
Deborah Ahlgren
Department Manager
Our Memberships & Credentials
Elite Events & Rentals is an active member of the American Rental Association, the National Association for Catering and Events, the American Tent Association, and Associated Builders and Contractors.
