AEM seeking Hall of Fame nominations

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) is seeking nominations for its Hall of Fame and for 2023, the association is looking especially for individuals that reflect the diverse and inclusive nature of the modern construction and agriculture equipment manufacturing industry.

Mary Andringa, board chair at Vermeer, at her induction to the AEM Hall of Fame in 2019. The association is now taking nominations for 2023 induction. (Photo: AEM)

The AEM Hall of Fame celebrates the men and women who create the equipment and technologies that build, feed, and power the world. Since its inception in 1993, the Hall of Fame has inducted 67 individuals who have broken ground, literally and figuratively, on the jobsites and farm fields of the world.

“The oldest member of the AEM Hall of Fame, John Deere, was born in 1804,” said AEM President Megan Tanel. “A lot has changed since then and today’s technology would be unrecognizable to Mr. Deere. And the people that make this industry have also changed significantly. Today’s industry welcomes everyone, and the group of people we consider our most important contributors should reflect that.”

In 2014, AEM inducted its first Hispanic individual in Agustin “Gus” Ramirez, chairman of Husco International. Ramirez’s hydraulic innovations, along with his legacy of advancing education hydraulic research and technology – most notably with his funding of the Agustin A. Ramirez/Husco International Distinguished Chair position at the Georgia Institute of Technology and through the Ramirez Family Foundation’s funding of scholarships for both exceptional minority students and children of Husco employees.

“When I bought Husco, one of the things I said to each of our staff and each of the new members of our company was, ‘We will use Husco’s success to make the world better,” said Ramirez at his induction ceremony. “That’s something we live as a family, and something we live as a company.”

In 2019, AEM welcomed the first woman into the Hall of Fame in Vermeer’s Mary Andringa, who was recognized for her leadership in implementing lean manufacturing processes at Vermeer. Having started her career as an elementary school teacher, Andringa, like Ramirez, made education a focus of her activities as well.

With nominations for 2023 open, the AEM Hall of Fame is hoping to add another groundbreaker to its ranks. The AEM Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for 2023 until Friday, June 16. To submit a nomination for consideration, click here.