Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/91455
Groundwork OFFICERS Chairman CHRIS PERA Eastern HighReach Company, Inc. Horsham, Pa. Vice Chairman A. ROY KERN Equipment Corporation of America Coraopolis, Pa. President BOB HENDERSON The AED Foundation Oak Brook, Ill. JOHN CRUM Treasurer Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc. Pittsburgh, Pa. Immediate Past Chairman WALTER BERRY Berry Companies, Inc. Wichita, Kan. AED Board Representative DON SHILLING General Equipment & Supplies Inc. Fargo, N.D. Executive Director STEVE JOHNSON The AED Foundation Oak Brook Ill. DIRECTORS GARY BRIDWELL Ditch Witch of Oklahoma Edmond, Okla. MIKE FESTING-SMITH NORTRAX, Inc. Tampa, Fla. MIKE HAYES Komatsu America Corporation Rolling Meadows, Ill. MICHAEL HINRICHSEN Caterpillar, Inc. Peoria, Ill. TIMOTHY KRAMER Kramer Ltd. Regina, SK DR. WAYNE LONGBRAKE Former Dean, Penn. College of Technology Williamsport, Pa. SONJA METZLER Ohio CAT Broadview Heights, Ohio KENNETH SILVERMAN Volvo Construction Equipment Shippensburg, PA KEITH TIPPETT Kirby-Smith Machinery, Inc. Oklahoma City, Okla. DUANE WILDER Liebherr Construction Equipment Co. Newport News, Va. November 2012 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 13 Helping Dealers Prosper in the New Reality of Equipment Distribution The AED Foundation's 2012 Annual Report is now available online. This year most dealers are saying their business is doing better. However, in the next breath they say that it will still never be like it used to be. It is the new reality of our industry. As the economy slowly recovers, The AED Foundation continues to move forward developing resources and tools to help AED dealers grow their businesses and develop their employees. The need for quali- The AED Foundation fied technicians is still very prevalent. The Foundation and its network of AED Accredited technical colleges continues to stream highly trained technicians into the equipment distri- bution industry. To become accredited, every program has to meet stringent AED technical standards developed and updated by the industry to meet the needs of equipment dealerships. This year, The AED Foundation added student assessments to assure dealers they are hiring students who are proficient in industry standards. Moving forward, this tool will be available as a resource for AED dealers hiring new technicians. As always, The Foundation continues Annual Report 2012-2013 Developing Workforce Talent for Dealerships to provide industry-specific professional education programs that help keep dealer managers current on the best practices of their jobs. The AED Manager Certification in the sales, rental, parts and service departments ensures that your managers receive industry-specific training. A complete overview of The AED Foundation's work can be found in the 2012 Annual Report, available at www.aedfoundation.org. To support the develop- >> ment of these and other AED Foundation services and programs, we need your help. Tax-deductible donations are an investment in your future. Pledge forms are available online at www.aedfoundation.org or you can contact Rebecca Rakers at 630-468-5113; rrakers@aednet.org. Our investors are grandly recognized for their generosity on listings in CED magazine's May Directory issue and on the Investor Boards at Executive Forum and AED Summit in January. Fred Leach "I have participated in AED training now for over eight years and I have learned what it takes to get performance out of employees, depart- ments, and our customers. I value being able to set goals for various areas of the business based on the knowledge I learned during my AED studies. Being part of an elite class of people in the equipment industry gives you a strong sense of personal satisfaction and comfort in knowing the right way things should be done and how to monitor how you're doing." - Fred Leach, General Manager Cisco Equipment