In its newly-released 2024 Annual Report, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) explores the key initiatives, successes, and impact AED and The AED Foundation have made throughout the past year.
“As we look ahead to 2025, I am confident that AED will continue to thrive, building on the momentum of this year’s achievements. Together, we will face the future with innovation, determination, and a shared commitment to excellence in our industry,” according to John Shearer, AED 2024 Chairman of 4Rivers Equipment. As part of its member engagement initiative, AED regional managers visited 200 dealer member locations. The organization Chairman for 2025 is Jerry Donlon of Standard Equipment Company.
Highlights from the organization here includes an overview of the AED Foundation’s top priorities and a progress report on its program successes in 2024, a snapshot summary of conferences and member events, as well as an update on government affairs.
AED Foundation Fosters Next Generation with Education, Accredited Programs
The AED Foundation reached its goal of raising $590,000, through the support of 114 distributors, 26 OEMs, and 17 affiliates, and including 15 new donors and 47 increased contributions. Noting that the core of the AED Foundation’s mission is to tackle the technician shortage in the equipment industry and improve the performance of equipment distributor operations. Diane Benck of West Side Tractor Sales Co. served as 2024 Foundation Chairwoman.
The Annual Report reinforced the three pillars of the Foundation: Professional development, career promotion, and research. The AED Foundation’s initiatives throughout 2024, according to the report, focused on addressing the equipment industry’s labor shortage by connecting students, educators, and industry leaders through impactful programs. Over 4,400 students were introduced to the industry via career days, advisory boards, and industry insight events, fostering partnerships between 50 schools and 100 AED dealer member locations.
Vision 2025, the AED Foundation’s separate fundraising initiative, is designed to achieve several key goals identified in the Annual Report: It aims to more than double the number of accredited college programs for training equipment technicians; revive the long-dormant high school recognition program to create a pipeline of students for both apprenticeship programs and accredited colleges; and, ultimately, the initiative seeks to add 10,000 technicians to the industry, reports AED.
To that end, the AED Foundation notes that it hosted over 30 workforce events in 2024, including roundtables with Career and Technical Education leaders, as well as career days bringing awareness to over 4,000 students of the careers in the equipment industry. This was all made possible through the support of over 130 industry partners throughout North America.
The AED Annual Report also reported that currently, the AED Foundation has over 94 accredited college programs and 100 recognized high school programs. These numbers represent the accreditation and recognition of more schools in the last 2 years than in the last 30 years combined. This resulted in nearly 5,000 students being placed into the industry in 2024.
The AED Foundation (AEDF) boasted robust participation in its job-specific training programs, with nearly 200 managers from across North America attending specialized training sessions, with 4 sessions set for 2025. In addition to ongoing research, AEDF held Leadership Development Conferences, and AED reports that the 2024 class had 16 participants complete the program, generating an average annual net income impact of over $540,000 for their dealerships. Three events are scheduled for 2025.
Summit and Conferences Enhance Dealer Knowledge and Networking
A wide range of events are hosted each year by AED. Kicking off the year was the AED 2024 Summit, which offered 40 educational sessions to over 3,000 attendees, which represented 51% of dealer members; the event also provided 200 exhibitors the opportunity to promote their products and services. The 2025 Summit took place in Orlando, Fl. and the 2026 Summit is scheduled for Jan. 19-21 in Dallas, Tex.
The 2024 AED Financial/HR Symposium was held in April, 2024 in Nashville, Tenn. and the 2025 event will be held April 22-24 in Charlotte, NC.
The organization’s 2024 Leadership Conference was held in Austin, Tex., and drew up-and-coming leaders from across the U.S. and Canada for an immersive experience aimed at sharpening leadership skills and fostering industry connections, according to the AED Annual Report. The 2025 Leadership Conference is scheduled for August 5-7 in Las Vegas.
During its Policy Conference and Advocacy Day in June, 2024, AED reported that its members met with nearly 100 congressional offices from 29 different states, advocating for Senate passage of the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Workers and Families Act to reinstate 100 percent bonus depreciation for 2023-2025, urging Farm Bill passage, and educating lawmakers on the impact of right to repair policies. AED’s board of directors met with senior Biden administration officials at the White House about areas of collaboration, including workforce development and infrastructure investment.
The AED Policy Conference & Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. is set for October 20-22, 2025. Similarly, the organization’s Parliament Hill Day 2024 in Ottawa brought together leaders, policymakers, and industry advocates for a series of impactful discussions addressing key issues affecting Canada and U.S. The Annual Report noted that AED members carried their priorities directly to policymakers through 26 meetings across Parliament Hill. Key advocacy efforts included bonus depreciation, workforce development and trade relations. This year’s Parliament Hill Day is planned for November.
The 2024 Women In Equipment Conference held in Denver, Col., saw a record-breaking turnout with over 125 attendees. According to AED, the event featured many high-level engaging speakers and closed with Diane Benck, President of West Side Tractor Sales Co. and AED Foundation Chairwoman leading an engaging fireside chat with keynote and former U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos. Attendees benefited from the candid discussion, gaining practical advice on career growth, stress management and resilience. The 2025 Women in Equipment Conference will be held in Chicago Sept. 25-27, 2025.
Legislative Outreach
Government Affairs endeavors also played a big role in AED’s efforts throughout 2024. With regard to government affairs initiatives in Washington, Ottawa and state capitols, he reported, “By putting AED member priorities in front of lawmakers, we continue to strengthen our voice and influence in shaping policies that impact our industry,” reported Shearer. These efforts included 66 legislative visits, a new state government affairs manager and 28 state legislative visits. The AED Political Action Committee (PAC) issued $150,000 on a bi-partisan basis in 2024.
