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AED Elects First Female Chair

Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) elected Diane Benck to serve as 2018 Chairwoman last week at their annual Summit held in Las Vegas. Benck, Vice President of General Operations at West Side Tractor Sales in Naperville, Illinois, becomes the first woman to lead AED. She replaces outgoing Chairman Wes Stowers, President of Stowers Machinery in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“I am honored my colleagues in the industry have put their faith in me, and I am up to the task,” stated Benck. She plans to focus on enhancing educational opportunities for the next generation of equipment technicians along with working to promote AED’s positions with legislative leaders in Washington. “AED has really done a great job of enhancing our programs and offering new educational opportunities, and I want to continue that trajectory,” said Benck. “I want to continue to offer top-notch education for the next generation entering the industry,” she added.

“I think staying on top of advocacy and continuing to enhance our government affairs program has always been a prime objective for me with AED and definitely will be during my chairmanship as well,” Benck concluded.

“We are very pleased to have Diane taking the reins at AED. Her experience and leadership skills will help our association maintain its position as the leader in the equipment distribution industry,” stated AED President & CEO Brian P. McGuire. “Based on the comments out of Washington, D.C. recently in regard to an infrastructure bill, it will be a busy year for our association. We are glad to have Diane at the helm as we expand our reach in government affairs, ramp up our training offerings and continue to grow The AED Foundation.”