Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/280096
From the Chairman March 2014 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 5 President & CEO - BRIAN MCGUIRE Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. Executive Vice President & COO ROBERT HENDERSON Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. OFFICERS Chairman - TIM WATTERS Hoffman Equipment Co., Piscataway, N.J. Vice Chairman - DON SHILLING General Equipment & Supplies, Inc. Fargo, N.D. Sr. Vice President - WHIT PERRYMAN Vermeer Equipment of Texas, Inc. Irving, Texas Vice President - RICK VAN EXAN Toromont Industries Ltd. Concord, Ont., Canada Vice President - WES STOWERS Stowers Machinery Corp. Knoxville, Tenn. Vice President of Finance MICHAEL D. BRENNAN Brandeis Machinery & Supply Co., Louisville, Ky. Past Chairman - MIKE QUIRK Wagner Equipment Co. Aurora, Colo. AT-LARGE DIRECTORS TODD BACHMAN Florida Coast Equipment, Inc. Boynton Beach, Fla. RON BARLET Bejac Corp. Placentia, Calif. DENNIS J. HELLER Stephenson Equipment Inc. Harrisburg, Pa. LARRY R. MILLER Kelbe Bros. Equipment Co. Inc. Butler, Wis. MITCH NEVINS Four Seasons Equipment, Inc. Houston, Texas MIKE ROONEY Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. Tarrant, Ala. REGIONAL DIRECTORS RYAN GREENAWALT Midwest Reg. Alta Equipment Co. Wixom, Mich. TODD HYSTAD Western Canada Reg. Vimar Equipment Ltd. Burnaby, B.C. PATRICK W. MCCONNELL West Reg. Clyde/West, Inc. Portland, Ore. CHRISTOPHER PALMER Northeast Reg. Wood's CRW Corp. Williston, Vt. GILES POULSON Rocky Mountain Reg. Faris Machinery Co. Commerce City, Colo. JAY RODES, Southeast Reg. Wilson Equipment Co. Lexington, Ky. RICK VAN EXAN Eastern Canada Reg. Toromont Industries Ltd. Concord, Ont. GARY D. VAUGHN South Central Reg. OCT Equipment, Inc. Oklahoma City, Okla. Announcement to all construction industry manufacturers – AED needs your support! Yes, your distributors' association has experienced a tremendous decline in membership over the past few years, and we need your support as we work to get this situation turned around. Whether a result of the recession or the consolidation of our industry, our association needs to get this membership trend reversed, and we won't be successful without your active support. All types of help are welcome, but what we need most is your engagement. When you are engaged, your dealers are engaged, and engaged members are the prescription for what ails us! Your engagement and partici- pation will help this association regain its footing and get back on our path to a strong future, one where all members of our channel – manufacturers, dealers, and customers alike – benefit from AED's activities. 7KH&KDPSLRQRI'HDOHU3URÀWDELOLW\ And why should you help??? Why should you care about AED's success? Because your dealers need our help! We know your 'dirty little secret' – that each and every manu- facturer's distribution network (with one possible exception) is beset with dealers who are undercapitalized and, therefore, under- performing; and no other association is committed to helping your dealers to improve their performance and results! And when your channel is stronger, your customers benefit, and our industry is stronger. What are you doing to help your dealers in your own channel to improve their perfor- mance? Whatever it is, the statistics suggest that it is not enough. Even dealers that are not undercapitalized can improve their performance! Our industry distribution channel lags all others in terms of financial performance and operating performance (see Mike Marks' article in CED's October issue, cedmag.org) – our absorption lags MHEDA dealers by a whopping 20 percent, and as a result MHEDA dealers return anywhere from 3 to 4 percent more on assets than an AED dealer! (YHU\0DQXIDFWXUHU·V'HDOHUV%HQHÀW So, to whatever you are doing to improve the performance of your dealers, here's an easy thing to add – support AED! Only AED is committed to turning the stats around and improving all of our industry distribution networks. No matter which manufacturer, AED is committed to helping your dealers improve their performance! Our workforce development activities help your dealers find and train technicians (to improve their product support capacity and capability); our ongoing training programs and webinars help your dealers improve their performance in all aspects of the business – parts, service, rentals, sales, and financial; our events and meetings help your dealers learn from their peers; and our advocacy efforts are helping to improve the landscape in which we all work by influencing the regulations that Washington imposes, as well as influencing the investment of national resources in our collective direction. Your dealers benefit from AED, and if your dealer is stronger, then so are you! Support your distribution network through your support of AED! Need ideas to get started? AED's Dave Gordon (dgordon@aednet.org) and Rebecca Rakers (rrakers@aednet.org) at The AED Foundation are two great resources. Why would you not want to support this association? There is no other organization committed to helping your dealers – it's an easy decision. TIM WATTERS (timwatters@hoffmanequip.com) is president of Hoffman Equipment in Piscataway, N.J. Hey Manufacturers – We Need Your Support! (And BTW, we know your dirty little secret!) BY TIM WATTERS