Knapheide Sponsors AEDF Award

The AED Foundation has named Knapheide Manufacturing Company as the exclusive sponsor for its Technicians of the Year Award, which recognizes hard-working technicians who are critical to AED’s success distributor members and the equipment industry.

“We thank Knapheide for their generous sponsorship of these awards, which will also help us continue our Foundation’s mission to address the industry’s technician shortage,” said Jason Blake, Executive Vice President and COO of The AED Foundation. “We are excited to recognize another stellar class of technicians, which is one of the ways we can showcase the critical role that technicians play in our industry.”

Established in 1919, AED is an international trade association based in Schaumburg, IL, representing over 700 construction equipment distributors, manufacturers and industry service firms nationwide.

The AED Foundation’s Technicians of the Year Award began last year to highlight the importance of the technician career, bring awareness to the technician shortage, and promote industry-specific jobs to students, parents, educators, and other stakeholders. The AED Foundation and Knapheide look forward to expanding the visibility of these awards.

“We are excited to be the exclusive sponsor for The AED Foundation’s – Knapheide Technicians of the Year Award over the next three years,” said Mandar Dighe, Knapheide’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “This is a unique opportunity that allows us to recognize top-performing technicians from across the U.S. and Canada and to support the work of The AED Foundation in creating a more stable future for the industry.”

Established in 1991 and directed by AED members, The AED Foundation (AEDF) addresses professional education and workforce development in the industry. This includes AEDF Accreditation of diesel equipment technology college programs and AEDF Recognition of secondary diesel programs.

The winning technicians will be formally recognized at The AED Foundation’s Fundraising Gala, held on Monday, May 24, during AED’s Summit at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Additionally, the winners will receive a recognition plaque and featured in AED’s monthly publication, CED Magazine.