Reporter

By Equipment World Staff

 

Top techs honored


The Association of Equipment Management Professionals honored the top equipment technicians from within its ranks at AEMP’s annual conference held in conjunction with ConExpo-Con/Agg.

Ron Bradly (left) and Tom Hellmers.Ron Bradly (left) and Tom Hellmers.

The 2011 National Technician of the Year winner in the private sector was Tom Hellmers, Murphy Tractor and Equipment, Omaha, Nebraska. The public sector winner was Ron Bradly of Sarasota County Fleet Services Department, Sarasota, Florida.

Hellmers is a 48-year veteran of the industry with more than 60 certifications and a reputation as an innovative technician who has designed his own tools to improve repair processes. “Customers will call and request him specifically and wait until he’s available,” says Robert Swangel, Murphy Tractor service manager.

Bradly has 30 years in the industry and holds two Emergency Vehicle Technician certificates and Six Master Mechanic ASE certificates and recently developed and taught an introductory course as a joint venture with Sarasota Vocational Institute. “He really makes it his mission to help others achieve that same level of success,” says his department fleet manager and CEM Greg Morris.

Additionally, the AEMP’s Fleet Masters Awards were awarded to Mike Munson, equipment director of Austin Bridge and Road, Irving, Texas; and Guy Gordon, Certified Equipment Manager, with Isituform Technologies, St. Louis, Missouri.

Munson and his team manage more than 800 pieces of equipment with substantial use of telematics and GPS and the company’s unique 500 page Austin Way Equipment Manual. Gordon leads the equipment management team of 45 and maintains a fleet of 1,800 licensed vehicles, 110 off-road units and many purpose-built machines.

For more information on AEMP and its Certified Equipment Manager Program visit: www.aemp.org.

– Tom Jackson



LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Magazine Untitled 1Your editorial in the February issue of Equipment World was especially interesting because you addressed an important and timely issue, that of the economy in general and construction in particular.

Partner Insights
Information to advance your business from industry suppliers
8 Crucial Elements of a Tire Safety Program
Presented by Michelin North America
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Presented by EquipmentWatch
Selecting the Correct Construction Tire Solution
Presented by Michelin North America

Unfortunately, Mr. Sullivan is wrong about the construction outlook, as is AGC generally and most other predictions appearing in construction related journals. Yes, 2011 will probably be much like 2010, but it is in 2012 when things will begin to go downhill.

This economic slowdown is a structural problem caused by too much debt in both the private and public sectors. Until the debt is dealt with in some rational way, there will not and cannot be a recovery.

Your readers are not well served by an overoptimistic economic forecast. All of us – contractors, dealers and manufacturers – are in this together. We cannot afford to be gearing up for recovery in 2013 when what we need to be preparing for is survival.

– Douglas H. Krohn

MKX,

Lakewood, Colorado

(specializing in mine safeguarding and remediation)



BidScout delivers bid information to your inbox

Learn about government bids let in specific metro areas with BidScout, a new site that sends bid and request-for-proposal information customized for the subscriber’s metro area and sent directly to their e-mail accounts daily.

BidScout (www.BidScout.com) taps into an online database that tracks the spending activities of more than 89,000 government agencies, with thousands of new project leads added to the database every day. BidScout notifies subscribers of new business opportunities at the federal, state, and local level, including cities, counties, colleges, schools, universities and municipalities. Daily alerts include information on contracts, subcontracts, anticipated bids, solicitations, modifications, amendments, sources sought, and grant and award notices. BidScout is owned by Randall-Reilly, parent company of Equipment World. Subscriptions to BidScout are $24.99 per month ($299.98 annually).



Digital Exclusives for May

www.EquipmentWorldDigital.com

 

Clip Board Untitled 1Inspection Checkpoint:  Checklist

Once you’ve read our article on how to inspect used compact track loaders), visit our digital issue for a printable companion checklist. And check out the downloadable inspection videos.





Tire 2Product Focus: CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 review

More new products from the show, including Lincoln Electric’s Tomahawk 625 plasma

cutting system, Bluebeam’s PDF Revu 9 software, Michelin’s XDR2 rigid dump truck tire,

Stellar’s Model 5521 telescopic service crane and much more.




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CORRECTION

On page 72 of the January issue of Equipment World, we incorrectly identified the P653S Electric Centro-Matic Pump as a Lincoln Electric product. The manufacturer is Lincoln Lubricants.