By Kip Eideberg, AEM Senior Vice President —
Engagement is the lifeblood of an association. Active, engaged, and passionate member companies help drive positive momentum and ensure a brighter future for us all.
This is why AEM spent the last four months executing the largest and most impactful member engagement initiative in its 130-year history. The AEM Manufacturing Express hit the road July 1 to tell the stories of the 2.3 million men and women of our industry and to celebrate their many contributions to the communities where they live and work. The historic bus traveled across the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic, stopping at 80 locations to highlight the role that our industry plays in building, powering, and feeding the world.
We know that the best way to demonstrate just how much our member companies mean to us is to show up at their doorsteps, engage with them, and work to amplify the impact they have on the world around us. That is the founding principle on which we built the AEM Manufacturing Express, and it has been our privilege to tell the stories of the people who make our industry strong and America exceptional.
The stories we told highlighted our industry’s role in building a modern and resilient infrastructure, putting food on people’s tables, and powering vital public services and utilities. They also focused on the family-sustaining jobs that our member companies create and how countless communities depend on equipment manufacturers for their long-term growth and prosperity. The examples of grit, determination, and a can-do spirit that we encountered along the road are too many to recount here, but they include:
- Jessica Penner Race, hydraulic sales lead at Harper Industries, who was 12 years old when her father and grandfather purchased DewEze Manufacturing and renamed it Harper Industries after the small city in southcentral Kansas where it is located.
- Megan Miller, revenue enablement manager at Anderson Trucking Service, who just recently celebrated 10 years in the industry and is proud of the niche she carved out within her organization.
- Rick Olson, president and CEO at The Toro Company, who is his organization’s ultimate success story after having spent his nearly 40 years with TTC climbing the ranks from the engineering team to the C-suite.
- Jacob Mallow, installation mechanic at Elliott Equipment Company, who up until a year ago possessed no manufacturing experience of any kind. Now, however, is turning his passion for the skilled trades into a successful and professionally satisfying full-time career.
- Brenda Jennissen, president, CEO, and co-owner of Felling Trailers, whose parents purchased a small welding shop in 1974, which is now run by Jennisen and her sister, along with their spouses.
It is difficult to put into words what an incredible experience it was for the AEM Manufacturing Express to spend time with the people who make things in America, hear their stories, and get to know their communities. As AEM President Megan Tanel put it earlier this summer when the AEM Manufacturing Express launched, the tour provided association staff and leaders a uniquely valuable chance “to engage with our member companies in the places they call home” and “get to know our industry leaders a little more, see those leaders in action, and help AEM build even stronger relationships with the people who help us achieve our goals, tackle our priorities, and develop our initiatives.”
After 108 days on the road, the AEM Manufacturing Express came to an end last week with a great event at Husco in Waukesha, Wisconsin. While numbers alone can never tell the full story – and quantify the impact – of the AEM Manufacturing Express, they begin to shed light on just how successful this initiative was for AEM, our member companies, and the equipment manufacturing initiative.
- 13,500 miles traveled from Weiler in Knoxville, Iowa, to Husco in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
- 100 engagements with state and federal lawmakers throughout the tour.
- 9,000 people took the “Manufacturing Challenge”, an interactive game designed to showcase the cutting-edge technology and innovations that power modern equipment and test players’ knowledge about the innovative technologies, processes, people, and products revolutionizing equipment manufacturing across America.
- 7,500 new I Make America supporters, who pledged to stand with us as we continue to advocate for pro-manufacturing policies in Washington, D.C. and in state capitals across the country.
These metrics, as well as the success they convey, did not happen by accident. From day one, the AEM Manufacturing Express brought together dozens of AEM employees and other stakeholders – with unique skillsets, possessing varying levels of experience, and with diverse backgrounds – all willing to pitch in, hit the road, and help tell the story of equipment manufacturing in America.
It was a privilege to see everyone roll up their sleeves, collaborate with one another, and put in whatever work was necessary to bring the AEM Manufacturing Express to life, showcase the impact of our industry, and let lawmakers know that when the equipment manufacturing industry is strong America is also strong.
As we look back on the many months spent visiting small towns and communities – places like Perry, Oklahoma, Ridgeway, South Carolina, and Shippensburg, Pennsylvania – I am asked what the future holds for the AEM Manufacturing Express (and, perhaps more specifically, where the tour is headed next). My answer, at least for now, is this: Stay tuned, and maybe you will see us on the road again sometime soon.
For more perspectives from AEM staff, subscribe to the AEM Industry Advisor.
