By Megan Tanel, AEM President
The world of equipment manufacturing is a diverse, interesting world. One need only look at the members of the AEM Hall of Fame, and their accomplishments, to see what I mean.
The AEM Hall of Fame recognizes visionaries who have made contributions to our world as diverse as the invention of the steam shovel itself, to the technology that allows you to look at your phone and know, at this moment, where your shovel is, within inches. The 66 members of the AEM Hall of Fame are some of the finest representatives of equipment manufacturing, and its contributions to our modern way of life. And there are hundreds more individuals who have contributed to our industry, and our world, awaiting their recognition.
The AEM Hall of Fame accepts nominations year-round through our online nomination form. Please honor those who have risen to the elite of our industry with a nomination. (The deadline for 2022 nominations is June 17.)
The AEM Hall of Fame inducted its first woman (Mary Andringa of Vermeer) in 2019, and its first Hispanic member (Gus Ramirez of HUSCO International) in 2014. Mary led Vermeer down the path of lean manufacturing success, using these practices to take the production time of one of their major products from 52 days down to just two. Gus’s dedication to hydraulic and other fluid power technologies at HUSCO has led the company to earning more than 100 patents since he took the helm, and the establishment of the HUSCO Chair of Fluid Power at Georgia Tech. Both of them have since gone on to show an uncommon dedication to education that continues to impact their communities.
Mary and Gus aren’t the only representatives with diverse backgrounds that have contributed to the equipment manufacturing industry. There are hundreds more stories yet to be told of women and men of every background, including African, Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern and others, that the AEM Hall of Fame is looking to lift up. I need you to tell us those stories so we can.
In short, representation matters, especially when talking about the most notable representatives of an entire sector of our economy. We, as an industry, have spent years working to build our talent roster and sought (and continue to seek) individuals from every walk of life. And we, as an industry, understand that one of the best ways to connect with individuals from every walk of life is to lift up our worthiest representatives as a beacon to groups who may not have considered our industry in the past. There are notable candidates throughout every nuanced segment of the equipment manufacturing world, and it behooves us to celebrate them all.
That’s the reason I reach out to you to tell us who that next representative of our equipment manufacturing world should be. We ask you to submit a nomination to the AEM Hall of Fame of an individual who has enhanced the equipment manufacturing industry via innovation, contributions, leadership and corporate citizenship/social responsibility, as well as made our modern way of life possible.
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