The Year of the Pandemic

Chairman’s CORNER

THE YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC

DAVE BOLDEROFF, CEM - 2020-2021 CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

©DMITRY KOVALCHUK – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

To say it’s been an interesting year is an understatement! The COVID-19 pandemic restricted the way the association, like many others, operates. One of the major benefits of being involved in any association is the ability to meet and network with like-minded professional in the industry. The pandemic brought all large in-person events and conferences to a grinding halt. So, associations like AEMP had to rethink and pivot to engage members and provide value to them.

VALUE PROPOSITION

AEMP has been well recognized as a provider of cutting-edge training and education for equipment management professionals. Some would say, “a university disguised as an association”. The association staff and committees did an incredible job of quickly changing the conference education to a virtual format. Well done!

AEMPs education, training, and certification offerings for equipment management professionals will continue to be the number one value proposition for members. As equipment managers, we need to ensure our staff are well trained and have succession plans in place to fill key roles. This past year’s events have highlighted this more than ever. This inevitably requires high-quality training and education, and that’s where AEMP can help provide value to you and your companies.

PARTNERSHIPS

Over the past year, AEMP has developed several new partnerships. We have welcomed several new Strategic Alliance Partners to the association and collaborated with a number of other associations and companies to work on training and data projects. Partnerships will play a key role in advancing the association over the coming years. Leveraging other resources is necessary to carry out the timely work of the association and provide valuable resources to members.

SUSTAINABILITY

Throughout the year I continued to place an emphasis on educating AEMP members on sustainability and how the issue will impact our profession over the coming years. Today we are seeing it incorporated in AEMP’s training and education offerings. It has been encouraging to hear the positive feedback from the members. I want to encourage all AEMP members and equipment management professionals to educate yourselves on sustainability and identify ways to incorporate it into your businesses and work practices. Be the sustainability champion within your companies. This will benefit you, your company, and future generations. We need people from a wide variety of backgrounds that can help solve tomorrow’s problems. A diverse community will ultimately make the profession stronger. In order to achieve this, we as professionals in the industry must be welcoming and value alternative opinions, developing a sense of trust and respect. Through inclusion, we will be more resourceful, leading to a more sustainable approach to equipment management.

CONTINUITY

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

It has been a great pleasure for me to serve the Association as Chairman over the past year and follow in the footsteps of some of the great thought leaders in the profession. Dan Hubbard, CEM will take the rope and lead the association starting in March, followed

Diversity and inclusion has been a hot by Tim Morgan, CEM, in 2022. I have worked topic this year. Today it’s the goal of AEMP closely with both Dan and Tim over the past leadership for all members to feel inclusive in year and have great confidence in their ability the association. We value all your opinions and to lead the association. Both have extensive strongly encourage you to get involved in the industry experience and a desire and volunteer committee work of the association, commitment to build excellence in equipment so your voice can be heard. management.

As a profession, we need to do It is also extremely promising to see a a better job in expanding and new wave of younger professionals attracting more diverse that are very motivated and demographics getting involved in into the workforce. WE NEED PEOPLE FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF committee work and leadership roles. This association is in great BACKGROUNDS hands and it will be THAT CAN HELP exciting to watch the SOLVE TOMORROW’S association continue to PROBLEMS excel and grow over the next few years. In closing, I would like to thank Donte Shannon, FASAE, CAE, and the AEMP staff that continue to support the Association and its membership. Your enthusiasm and dedication make this association great. I look forward to connecting with you all in person at a conference in the near future.