AED Leaders Embark on “Driving for Dealers 2.0” Tour

April 22, 2021 - The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) executive team has embarked on a nine-day multi-city motorcoach tour to visit equipment dealers across the midwestern and south-central regions of the U.S. to underscore the need for a robust federal infrastructure bill.

“Driving for Dealers 2.0” will travel about 2,800 mi. through Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Ohio before returning to AED headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, on April 30.

“A new, long-term, sustainable federal infrastructure bill is critical to moving our nation forward,” said AED President & CEO Brian P. McGuire. “Infrastructure jobs will go a long way toward economic recovery as we begin to move past the pandemic. We know our members are looking to elected leaders in Washington to break the logjam and finally produce the bill America needs to ‘Build Back Better’.”

AED leaders are meeting with equipment dealers across six states. “We want to hear first-hand the impact an infrastructure bill will have on our members,” said AED Executive Vice President & COO Robert Henderson. “We will use the data and anecdotes we collect to demonstrate this critical need to members of the U.S Congress as they consider bi-partisan infrastructure legislation promoted by the Biden Administration.”

“Driving for Dealers 2.0” builds on last September’s successful ten-day, nine-city, 2,600-mi. road trip across the Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and West, during which AED leaders met with more than 30 members one-on-one and in small groups.

All meetings on that trek used social distancing practices, masks, and sanitation measures to ensure everyone’s safety. So will all meetings on this trip.

Last year’s trip also included a stop in Las Vegas, where the AED executive team met with key staff at the Mirage Hotel & Casino to go over plans for the 2021 Summit and CONDEX safely.

The Summit is taking place May 24-26, and registration has exceeded expectations.

For more information on AED’s Driving for Dealers tour, please visit AED’s social media pages, and search the hashtag #aeddrivingfordealers, for daily messaging, interviews with members, and media coverage.