AEM President Slater to Retire at End of Year, VP Tanel to Succeed Him

August 11, 2021 – Dennis J. Slater, president of The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) for the past 23 years, will retire on Dec. 31 of this year.

The AEM board of directors has selected AEM Senior Vice President, Construction & Utility Sector, Megan Tanel to succeed Slater as AEM president, starting Jan. 1, 2022.

Slater, 63, joined AEM’s predecessor, the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) in 1982 and became CIMA’s president in 1998.

When CIMA and Equipment Manufacturers Institute (EMI) merged to form AEM in 2002, Slater became president of the newly formed organization. Slater led AEM’s transformation, which has seen the association grow by 50%, to more than 1,000 member companies, and seen revenue increase nearly 700%, to $60 million per year.

“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,” said 2021 AEM Chair and Trimble Inc. Executive Chairman Steve W. Berglund. “He has been an outstanding leader of the equipment manufacturing industry and, on behalf of the AEM Board Directors, I thank him for his steadfast leadership and vision in support of the association’s 1,000 member companies.”

Tanel, 48, joined AEM in 1995 as an intern and became a full-time employee later that year. She quickly grew in leadership to her most recent position of senior vice president, construction & utility sector.

For many years, Tanel 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 ConExpo-Con/Agg, North America’s largest construction trade show.

Through her leadership, she and the team she developed, grew AEM trade show revenue by 80% in 12 years, worked internationally to establish strategic relationships with global partners in support of AEM services, and led the effort to extend key contracts for AEM shows, most notably ConExpo-Con/Agg.

“I congratulate Megan on her new position and expanded role at AEM, and, on behalf of the board of directors, we are confident she will continue to lead the association and support the industry for many years to come,” said Berglund.

“Megan has successfully led key initiatives and been a major driver in building relationships across our industry throughout her 20+ year tenure at AEM,” said Slater. “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.”

Said Tanel, “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. With our strong team in place, I know we will do just that.”