AEM president Dennis J. Slater to retire

MILWAUKEE, WI. – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced president Dennis J. Slater will retire as AEM president effective Dec. 31, 2021.

The AEM board of directors has selected AEM senior vice president of construction and utility Megan Tanel to succeed slater and serve as president effective Jan 1. 2022.

Slater joined the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA), the predecessor the to AEM, and became president in 1998 and president o the newly formed AEM in 2002 after CIMA merged with Equipment Manufacturers Institute.

The association has since grown 50 per cent to more than 1,000 member companies with revenue increasing nearly 700 per cent to $60 million annually, an AEM release stated.

“Through Dennis’ leadership and impressive contributions to the industry for nearly 40 years, AEM has built tremendous value and momentum for our members and the industry. He has been an outstanding leader of the equipment manufacturing industry and, on behalf of the AEM board of directors, I thank him for his steadfast leadership and vision in support of the association’s 1,000 member companies,” 2021 AEM chair and Trimble, Inc. executive chairman Steve W. Berglund said.

Tanel joined AEM as an intern in 1995 and became a full-time employee later that year. She led AEM’s exhibitions and events initiatives and helped launch World of Asphalt in 2001, served as show director for The Utility Expo (formerly ICUEE) and for CONEXPO-CON/AGG, North America’s largest construction trade show.

“I am honored to have the confidence of the AEM Board and I’m thankful for Dennis and what he has done for our association and the industry. Our association is healthy financially, our industry is relevant and critical to our global economy, and we have the strong support of our members. Now is the time to continue to build on our momentum, and with our strong team in place, I know we will do just that,” Tanel said.

“Megan has successfully led key initiatives and been a major driver in building relationships across our industry throughout her 20+ year tenure at AEM. With the support of the AEM Senior Team and our membership, I’m confident she will provide the leadership needed to continue AEM’s success in the future,” Slater said.