The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is now accepting nominations for its 2025 Hall of Fame, which honors the trailblazers, inventors, and leaders whose work has left a legacy on the off-road equipment industry. Nominations are open until Friday, June 6 and can be submitted here.
"We owe so much to these trailblazers, inventors, and innovators who developed the machinery that builds, feeds, and powers our global society," stated AEM President and CEO Megan Tanel. "The AEM Hall of Fame honors the significant contributions these leaders have made to pave the way for the lasting success of our industry.”
Nominees for the AEM Hall of Fame are judged on four key guiding principles:
- Innovation
- Industry Contributions
- Leadership
- Corporate Citizenship/Social Responsibility
Last year’s inductees were Roy Applequist, Founder and Former President and CEO of Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc, and Al McQuinn, Founder and Former CEO and Chairman of Ag-Chem Equipment.
Applequist founded Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc. (GPM), a company renowned for its innovative, high-quality agricultural equipment. What started out as a small operation in Salina, Kansas, has grown into a multi-million-dollar company with facilities in eight Kansas communities, over 2,300 employees, and global product distribution.
McQuinn’s career in agriculture began with selling fertilizer, which sparked his interest in improving agricultural equipment. From a garage in Jackson, Minnesota, he developed a sparger agitator, a device that recirculates liquid product to keep the solubles suspended in their solution until they are applied. This led to his creation of Ag-Chem Equipment Co., Inc. in 1963. Under his leadership, Ag-Chem grew into a NASDAQ-listed company with over $300 million in annual revenues and 1,700 employees.
The AEM Hall of Fame has been recognizing luminaries in the agriculture and construction equipment manufacturing industry since 1993, and includes such names as Benjamin Holt (Caterpillar), Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB), Jerome Increase Case (CNH Industrial), John Deere (Deere & Co.), Gus Ramirez (HUSCO International) and Mary Andringa (Vermeer). The induction of Applequist and McQuinn brings the total number of inductees to 71.
The AEM Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for 2025 until June 6. To submit a nomination for consideration, click here to fill out the form.
