AEM’s Slater to retire at year’s end

Megan Tanel, right, will take over in 2022 as Association of Equipment Manufacturers president following the retirement at year’s end of Dennis Slater. Photo: AEM

Dennis Slater will retire as president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) at the end of 2021. Megan Tanel, an AEM senior vice president, will take over as president beginning in January.

Slater, 63, joined AEM’s predecessor – the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) – in 1982. He became president of CIMA in 1998 and president of the newly formed AEM in 2002 following a merger between CIMA and Equipment Manufacturers Institute (EMI).

According to AEM, Slater led the transformation of the association, which has grown by 50 percent to more than 1,000 member companies. Revenue increased nearly 700 percent under Slater to $60 million annually.

“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,” says Steve Berglund, 2021 AEM chair and executive chairman at Trimble.  “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.”

About Tanel

Tanel, 48, currently serves AEM as senior vice president of the construction and utility sector. She joined AEM in 1995 as an intern and became a full-time employee later that year.

For years, Tanel led AEM’s exhibitions and events initiatives and helped launch World of Asphalt in 2001. She served as show director for The Utility Expo (formerly ICUEE) and ConExpo-Con/Agg, North America’s largest construction trade show.

Through her leadership, AEM says Tanel and the team she developed grew association trade show revenue by 80 percent over 12 years. Tanel worked internationally to establish relationships with global partners in support of AEM services, and she led an 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,” Berglund says.

Adds Slater: “Megan has successfully led key initiatives and been a major driver in building relationships across our industry throughout her 20-plus 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.”

Tanel says she is honored to have the AEM board’s confidence.

“Our association is healthy financially, our industry is relevant and critical to our global economy and we have the strong support of our members,” she says. “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.”