Inside AED
Inside AED President & CEO TOBY MACK Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. Executive Vice President & COO ROBeRT HendeRsOn Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. Officers Chairman of the Board G. BenneTT ClOsneR Closner Equipment Co., Inc. Schertz, Texas Vice Chairman of the Board dennis VAndeR MOlen Vermeer MidSouth, Jackson, Miss. Sr. Vice President dennis e. KRuepKe McCann Industries, Inc., Addison, Ill. Vice President MiKe CHRisTOdOulOu Cummins Eastern Canada LP Pointe Claire, PQ Canada Vice President lAwRenCe F. GlYnn CMW Equipment, St. Louis, Mo. Vice President of Finance dennis G. ROMAnsOn Road Machinery, Phoenix, Ariz. Past Chairman pAul w. CAMpBell Wheeler Machinery Co. Salt Lake City, Utah At-LArge DirectOrs JAMes p. COwin Cowin Equipment Company, Inc. Birmingham, Ala. MARK HARBAuGH Ditch Witch Midwest Carol Stream, Ill. wes sTOweRs Stowers Machinery Corp. Knoxville, Tenn. MiKe sOleY, JR. Miller-Bradford & Risberg, Inc. Sussex, Wisc. regiOnAL DirectOrs TiMOTHY J. wATTeRs, Northeast Reg. Hoffman Equipment Co. Piscataway, N.J. MiKe QuiRK, Rocky Mountain Reg. Wagner Equipment Co. Aurora, Colo. MOnTY BOYd, Southeast Reg. Whayne Supply Company Louisville, Ky. CRAiG BuRKeRT, South Central Reg. ROMCO Equipment Co., LP Dallas, Texas diAne BenCK, Upper Midwest Reg. West Side Tractor Sales Co. Naperville, Ill. ex-OfficiO DirectOr R. dAle VAuGHn OCT Equipment, Inc. Oklahoma City, Okla. December 2009 Construction Equipment Distribution www.cedmag.com 9 Proposed new Members Irontrax Cleveland, Ohio Robs Hydraulics Inc. Grimesland, N.C. Translectric, Inc. Jackson, Mo. This list is published each month as required by AED bylaws. Comments on the applicants should be directed to AED President Toby Mack at 800-388-0650 ext. 326. In-Depth Workshop Provides Survival Methods in the `New Normal' To help dealers successfully lead in their markets through another rocky year, AED Summit rolls out a practical and interactive strategic planning program designed for dealer executives. The word strategy usually makes the hair stand up on the necks of most deal-ers and distributors. But the sharply deterio-rated landscape of the equipment industry demands a serious investigation of strategy that fits the dealer's market realities today, as well as the dealer's own resources which is why AED Summit 2010 in San Antonio presents an in-depth and interactive strate-gic planning workshop with Michael Marks. Dealers are wary of people who talk to them about strategy, said Marks, because the common models and liter-ature are based on manufacturing and retailing firms that just don't work. The program he leads, titled Creating Competitive Advantage in the New Normal, immediately follows the new Inaugural Break-fast on Friday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. A 90-minute executive workshop for dealer principals and senior management team members, the session is based on Marks' new book published by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, Value Creation Strategies for Wholesaler-Distributors. The so-called new normal for equip-ment distribution companies comprises the marked decline of new equipment sales, an increasingly competitive rental arena, and the need for more thoughtfully planned product support sales, among other chang-es and challenges. Some industry experts look to Q2 of 2010 for even the earli-est traces of tangible construction market improvement, which puts the onus on deal-er principals to plan and make right deci-sions for the survival of their businesses. Marks says that being successful in the new normal will require doing new things, not just doing the same things better. In every major market shift there will be major gainers of market share at the Mike Marks, frequent moderator of AED's Execu-tive Forum (where he is pictured above in Sept. 2008) is recognized for his expertise in chan-nel strategies, supply chain management, and the practical application of technology. He co-founded Indian River Consulting Group in April 1987 after a 20-year career in distribu-tion management. He has written extensively, is frequently quoted on many industry issues, and is a research fellow for the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence. He has co-authored two previous books for the NAW Institute, What's Your Plan? and . (continued on page 10)