Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/236097
From the Chairman President & CEO - BRIAN MCGUIRE Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. The Best Year Ever? The Choice is Ours Executive Vice President & COO ROBERT HENDERSON Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. OFFICERS Chairman - MIKE QUIRK Wagner Equipment Co. Aurora, Colo. Vice Chairman - TIM WATTERS Hoffman Equipment Co., Piscataway, N.J. Sr. Vice President - DON SHILLING General Equipment & Supplies, Inc. Fargo, N.D. Vice President - RICK VAN EXAN Toromont Industries Inc. Concord, Ontario Vice President - WHIT PERRYMAN Vermeer of Texas Inc. Irving, Texas Vice President of Finance MICHAEL D. BRENNAN Brandeis Machinery & Supply Co., Louisville, Ky. Past Chairman - LARRY GLYNN CMW Equipment St. Louis, Mo. AT-LARGE DIRECTORS RON BARLET Bejac Corp. Placentia, Calif. PAULA BENARD C.N. Wood Co., Inc. Woburn, Mass. GREGG R. ERB Erb Equipment Company, Inc. Fenton, Mo. DENNIS J. HELLER Stephenson Equipment Inc. Harrisburg, Pa. MIKE ROONEY Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. Tarrant, Ala. MICHAEL J. SAVASTIO Groff Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Mechanicsburg, Pa. REGIONAL DIRECTORS BRUCE A. BOWMAN Upper Midwest Reg. Star Equipment, Ltd Des Moines, Iowa GARY FRELICK Western Canada Reg. Douglas Lake Equipment Langley, BC PATRICK MCCONNELL, West Reg. Clyde/West, Inc. Portland, Ore. CHRISTOPHER PALMER Northeast Reg. Wood's CRW Corp. Williston, Vt. MARK ROMER, Southeast Reg. James River Equipment, Inc. Ashland, Va. JEFFREY SCOTT Rocky Mountain Reg. Intermountain Bobcat Salt Lake City, Utah RICK VAN EXAN Eastern Canada Reg. Toromont Industries Ltd. Concord, ON GARY D. VAUGHN South Central Reg. OCT Equipment, Inc. Oklahoma City, Okla. BY MIKE QUIRK It's our values as AED members that make us strong – so let's keep fighting the good fight to effect necessary policy change. It is January. For most of us that represents the start of a new year and new opportunities. Our "half full" side allows us to feel that hope springs eternal. It is a time for resolutions and fresh ideas to make 2014 one of the best years ever. Recognizing the business conditions that we can – and should – influence is a great place to start overcoming the uncertainties around us as we focus on what we know versus what we don't know. This is my final column as your Chairman and I have enjoyed every day in that role. I have always held AED in high regard as the association that supports the needs and protects the rights of the equipment distribution industry and the people who work in it. My respect for AED and our industry has grown steadily over my term and is a big reason for my optimism for the future. In recent years, I have become more than a casual observer of popular culture. This is a blessing and a curse. The more that I am exposed to the changes in our society the more I appreciate the equipment business and AED. It is obvious that in our industry we operate outside the mainstream in many ways. As business owners we still have to be honest. We still have to be profitable. If we don't take exceptional care of our customers they'll go somewhere else, and if we don't treat our employees with respect they'll leave us. Seems like a pretty simple and straightforward approach. We face things head on. That is especially true of our Canadian members. Up North, their thinking is clear, their answers are short, and political correctness is still considered silly. Someone once said "God bless America, but God help Canada to put up with them!" It's good to have them on our side. We still value hard work, integrity, and service. Our customers demand it from us and we expect it from our business partners. AED remains an incubator of collaboration where new ideas emerge and flourish in a time-honored environment. It is a major reason that 2014 will be a great year for us. It may not be as great a year for others who do not share these values. Our members continue to place our Government Affairs program and advocacy efforts at or near the top of the AED value proposition. In our world, we get what we tolerate. I have come to the conclusion that our elected officials either do not fundamentally know right from wrong, or they simply do not respect our values. I doubt very many of them would survive a month in the equipment distribution business. There is a great opportunity for change coming in the November elections and we need to be better informed, more eloquent, and less tolerant of bad policy and miserable execution. Our representatives and our employees need to hear more from us in a pleasant and professional manner exactly how their policies either stimulate or obstruct our growth. I have seen up close the influence and respect that AED members have garnered through hard work and perseverance. We are viewed as a reliable and responsible constituency. We know the difference between good and bad policy. As my term comes to a close, I have received much more than I have given. The strength of our business model and our values will hold true as they have for nearly a century. Our new leadership will focus on increasing value through financial strength, next generation involvement, education, workforce development, and advocacy. It has been my pleasure to be associated with our membership and the great staff at AED. I look forward to continued involvement for a long time to come. I truly believe that our best days are ahead of us and 2014 will bear that out. MIKE QUIRK (mquirk@wagnerequipment.com) is vice president of Operations at Wagner Equipment Co., Aurora, Colo. January 2014 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 5