KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Already well known for his philanthropic contributions in Kamloops, Ralph Warner has announced a $500,000 commitment to Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) Foundation through his business Warner Rentals for the RIH Patient Care Tower.
Although Warner Rentals is regularly associated with generosity and community support in Kamloops, this substantial gift benefitting the coming expansion at RIH is the local business’s largest gift to the hospital to date.
“Warner Rentals isn’t the biggest company in the city, but we try to support anything that benefits health,” says Warner, who also volunteers with RIH Foundation. “My children were born (at RIH), my mom fought cancer there…it’s the heartbeat of our city and we have to make it better. We have a massive opportunity with this new tower and we have to do our best for the care of future generations.”
Warner Rentals was established in 1975 by Warner’s father who moved the business to the current location on East Athabaska St in 1980 and eventually opened additional locations in both Salmon Arm and Princeton. Built on a tradition of high quality rental equipment and superior customer service, Warner Rentals has become the largest independent equipment rental company in Kamloops.
Giving back to the community has always been a cornerstone of the operation and whether it’s been through his annual charity golf tournament, sponsoring sporting events for children with special needs or supporting Toys for Kids, the Chris Rose Centre for Autism, 4H, People in Motion or many other deserving organizations, Warner Rentals believes that the true value of a local business is its ability to give back.
“I’m proud to be from Kamloops and Warner Rentals loves our city,” says Warner. “We’re grateful for Kamloops and we appreciate and value being part of this community. We work hard and make intentional decisions in order to benefit this community, and that’s what this $500,000 donation to RIH Foundation is all about.”
Recently, two long-time employees of Warner Rentals have become managing partners with partial ownership in order to allow Ralph Warner to transition into retirement, but Warner
anticipates that the generosity consistently displayed by Warner Rentals in the community, and specifically toward RIH, will remain the same.
“It’s our hospital and we all use it; I’ve spent my time there and so have my employees. The hospital has always been so good to us. People know that when they are in need they can go there and will be safe and taken care of.”
Warner predicts that there will be more funding coming through Warner Rentals as the new patient care tower expansion comes to fruition and looks forward to seeing how the continued legacy of generosity that Warner Rentals has so intentionally built will further benefit Kamloops in the future.
