MILWAUKEE | The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) Hall of Fame celebrates the men and women who create the equipment and technologies that build, feed, and power our world. While creating the equipment and technologies that have changed the world, many of the inductees have created a positive, inclusive and thoughtful environment for the people around them to make it possible, and AEM is seeking nominations for the 2023 induction ceremony here.
“When you look at the members of the AEM Hall of Fame, it’s clear none of them would be there without including the people around them, on both a professional and personal level,” said AEM President Megan Tanel. “That’s why it’s important we include not only the innovators themselves, but also those that empowered the people and communities that made their success possible.”
The inductee in 2022, Sherman Ward “Bud” Bushnell, founder of Genie, was particularly recognized for the way he treated his people and built his teams, in addition to his products.
“Leading by example, putting the customer first and focusing on the team to make it happen has made us the company we are in the last 55 years,” said Simon Meester, president of Genie, Inc. in support of Bushnell. “We have a lot of exciting products coming our way in the next ten years and I would say Bud’s spirit are in all of them because they are all focused on addressing unique customer challenges, and they are built by teams, not individuals.”
In 2021, Trimble Senior Vice President Bryn Fosburgh was inducted not only for his work on real-time kinematic technology for GPS systems, but also for his work improving technology education in Western Africa and assisting with disaster relief in East Asia.
“He sponsored educational grants to École Polytechnique, which is a technical university in Senegal,” said Trimble’s Director of Global Business Development William Marbell. “At the University of Lagos (Nigeria), he was there personally to deliver lectures to motivated engineers and donate technology to them.”
“When we had the earthquake in Kobe, Japan (in 1995), Bryn got on an airplane, flew to Japan and deployed GPS technology to enable the recovery,” said Mark Nichols, a general manager of Trimble Navigation. “And when the Sichuan Earthquake (in 2008) occurred in China, Bryn personally got on a plane and flew into Chengdu.”
The AEM Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for 2023 until Friday, June 16. To submit a nomination for consideration, click here to fill out the form, and tell us their story of innovation, industry contribution, leadership, and social responsibility.
About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.3 million jobs and contributes roughly $316 billion to the economy every year.