Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/86182
Editor's Note A CED Road Trip and a South Dakota Soap Box Introducing my new Native American nickname: 'Likes to Talk a Lot.' BY KIM PHELAN I like get out of the office now and then, and stretch my editorial limbs a little – and in September, I hit the dealer meet-and-greet jackpot. First, I was privileged to visit with a number of members during Executive Forum. I believe we generated some buzz with our economic and market analyses, our political assessments, plus an array of provocative discus- sions, including perspectives on how North America will cope with Tier-4 equipment once it enters the used market. Between you and me, I've been told that a major OEM is solving the anticipated dilemma with a plan for de-tiering kits that will enable dealers to prepare T-4 equipment for export to lower-tier nations – talk about a necessary evil! Then, I attended a dinner meeting of the Illinois Equipment Distributors (IED), learning, with them, about the need for more careful attention to the rental contract, and separately, about the latest target for predatory attorneys: retirement plan fiduciaries. So serious are these issues that both topics will be further explained at the AED Summit in January, where all of you can benefit from understanding how to minimize your risks. A Sum- mit convention brochure is on its way to your desk, even as you peruse the magazine now. Next, I got on the road and visited three dealer members in Des Moines, Iowa: Logan Contractors Supply; a branch of Road Machinery Services; and the headquarters facility of Star Equipment. Thanks, you guys, for so hospitably welcoming me and giving me some insights into your unique, diversified, and profitable operations! The reason I was passing through Des Moines is that I was heading – yes, this is the kind of dedicated editor I am – to none other than Yankton, S.D., to help road-building- equipment manufacturer KPI/JCI/Astec celebrate its final Road Connection rally at the Kolberg Pioneer plant, where they graciously tolerated a few remarks from yours truly about the two-year federal highway reauthori- zation, MAP-21. I had never been to South Dakota before, and so I drew an industry comparison to someone most people commonly associate with that state: Crazy Horse. An aside: I shared my fascination with some of that warrior's female relatives, whose names I most sincerely envy – Red Eagle Woman, for ex- ample; Red Leggins (whatever that means); Kills Enemy; and my personal favorite, They Are Afraid of Her. But alas, had my parents been attuned to Native American monikers back in the Middle Ages when I was born, they'd have probably selected another name from the Crazy Horse family tree: like White Cow! But I digress. Why did I weave Crazy Horse into my little speech? Because he was both fierce and focused in battle – and my friends, if ever there were a time when we needed a figurative model for our own political (and business) behavior, I say now is the time, and he strikes me as a darned good metaphor. Besides, I'm a trained journalist, so it's all good. We, too, must prepare to be fierce and focused in how we engage in the democratic political process and with the candidates, both presi- dential and congressional, who are going to determine some frightfully important directions for the United States. Call me crazy, but I tend to pay attention to informed industry economists and analysts, and the picture they paint today is, frankly, not one picture at all – but two. Scenario 1 is positive construction industry turnaround and upward growth; Scenario 2 is more sluggish wallowing, the "change" we got and, heaven help us if we get another helping. I'll leave it to your astute powers of deduction to decode what I'm trying to say here. AED (and that includes me) urges you to remain vigilant in your engage- ment with elected officials, now espe- cially when candidates are actually listening! Please don't misunderstand me when I (from Chicago) ask: Can you multiply your own vote? (legally!) I believe, indeed, you can. Do your kids "get" this stuff? Do your em- ployees understand the facts and what's at stake? If we keep politics taboo, get ready for some more bad business juju. I closed my Yankton monologue with a reminder about this so-called Fiscal Cliff we've all been hearing about. I haven't fallen off a cliff lately, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is something that hurts – a lot. Please take a gander at the voting records of your members of Congress (provided here in this issue), vote your conscience, and please don't be bashful about persuading others to hit the polls responsibly. Thanks for reading, and voting. KIM PHELAN (kphelan@aednet.org) is the executive editor of Construction Equipment Distribution and director of programs for AED. October 2012 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 7