AEM seeks heavy equipment Hall of Fame nominees

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is accepting nominations for the 2020 class of its AEM Hall of Fame. AEM says its Hall of Fame has been designed to recognize the pioneers “whose inventions, ideas, leadership and courage have contributed to the [off-road equipment] industry and our community’s quality of life.”

Starting in 2008, the AEM Hall of Fame has honored individuals including John Deere, J.I. Case, William Smith Otis and Benjamin Holt. In 2019, the Hall inducted its first woman leader, Mary Andringa of Pella, Iowa-based Vermeer Corp.

Anyone in the equipment manufacturing industry or the wider public can submit a nomination, says AEM. “We seek to recognize those who exemplify innovation, industry contributions, leadership, social responsibility, and sustainability in the equipment manufacturing industry,” states the association.

This year, AEM says it is expanding the traditional idea of a Hall of Fame member and looking to recognize contributions to our industry from more diverse corners of the equipment manufacturing world, including those from different roles and positions, as well as from smaller manufacturers.

“These are the people who have defined, and continue to define, the equipment manufacturing industry,” says AEM President Dennis Slater. “The ideas, innovations and inventions these leaders have developed, when combined, have created a better life for every single human who sets foot in our world from now until eternity.”

Nominations are open until June 12, 2020 and can be submitted on this web page.

AEM describes itself as an international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,000 companies from the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide.