Neff Rental sponsors ALS golf tournament

Neff Rental was the lead sponsor of the annual Jose A. Perez ALS Golf Classic. The company has supported the event for 21 consecutive years in honor of the its late founder.

About 220 golfers teed off at the Trump National Doral golf course on April 7. Sponsorships for the event ranged from $550 for individual golfers to $25,000 for the title status.

The tournament has raised more than $3.5 million over the past two decades for the ALS Recovery Fund, which supports ALS research at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine’s Department of Neurology.

“Our historical support for the Jose A. Perez ALS Golf Classic reflects the Neff Rental culture,” said Steve Michaels, Neff Rental’s vice president of fleet. “Neff Rental employees originated the idea for the golf classic as an expression of their respect for Jose, and to help support research to find a cure for the disease.”

Jose A. Perez co-founded Neff Rental and served as its first president. In 1991, Perez was diagnosed with ALS.

In 1996, Perez, with his sons Jose G. Perez and Alberto J. Perez, founded the University of Miami ALS Research Foundation and, with Neff Rental, started the ALS Golf Classic to fund the foundation. Perez passed away in 2001. The family established the ALS Recovery Fund in 2005, which assists with research costs, patient care and community awareness.

In addition to supporting the foundation, Neff Rental employees also volunteered to help organize and work during the golf tournament.

“The support from the company and our employees for the Jose A. Perez ALS Golf Classic began out of respect for the courage, passion and grace that Jose displayed,” Michaels said. “We are proud and thankful for our employees, for management and for our suppliers, whose continued support has allowed us the opportunity to provide substantial financial support for ALS research and this event in its twenty-first year. We look forward to continued involvement for years to come.”