Lance Glinn:

Welcome into another episode of the Inside the ICE House Podcast. Today's guest is Megan Tanel, President and CEO of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and she joins us from Las Vegas, Nevada at CONEXPO CONAGGG 2026. Megan, thank you so much for joining us Inside the ICE House.

Megan Tanel:

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I will tell you it is so much fun, but this is really the calm before the storm. So what is behind me looks really pretty, but in, I don't know, two hours, it's going to be full of thousands of people. It'll be really great.

Lance Glinn:

So Megan, CONEXPO CONAGG is really the gathering place for the entire construction and manufacturing ecosystem, a place where technology, equipment, engineering, and workforce trends all come together. When you think about the role that the event plays today, what's the overarching mission you and your team are trying to fulfill every three years?

Megan Tanel:

So I am the president and CEO of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and we own CONEXPO CONAGG 2026. So for us, our whole goal is to support our membership, and they're the ones that manufacture the equipment, the components, and provide services for both the construction and the agriculture equipment manufacturing industry. So with an event like CONEXPO CONAGG, there is no other like it in the entire Western hemisphere. For us, we're the largest event in any industry, not just construction. But what does this mean to us? This means it is a fabulous opportunity for our industry to have a very loud, all-encompassing voice to build recognition, to help with the perception of our industry, and really to help grow the economy. This is a market driver. With this show every three years, people don't want to miss it. So if you were looking at your schedule, your calendar, you're like, "Oh, I got a lot going on. I'm not missing this show," because it's every three years. If you miss it, you're missing it for six years. But what happens here is there's a lot of networking, there's a lot of community building, there's education, and then there's growth, and then there's commerce. I mean, there's a lot of buying and selling here. It's very exciting.

Lance Glinn:

And so CONEXPO CONAGG, as you mentioned, is owned and produced, 2026 is owned and produced by the organization you see, the organization you oversee, excuse me, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. So how does AEM's stewardship influence really the show's purpose, its priorities, and really the advocacy voice that it carries every three years?

Megan Tanel:

Yeah. So we are this little association based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but our reach is pretty far. While we are North America based, we have the US, Canada, and Mexico, our membership is a global membership, and everything we do is for the industry and by the industry. So an event like this, CONEXPO CONAGG is actually organized and run in collaboration with our members and with their customers. Really important to us, whether it's with this event or you had mentioned advocacy, is that we work industry-wide. So we have great partners with other associations that might represent the materials used in construction or the contractors that are doing the work. And collaboratively, we sit on these management committees and these committees to help drive the direction of the show, set the goals, set the vision, and then it's AEM's job to really make it all come to life.

Lance Glinn:

So Megan, there's a visual spectacle of the show that obviously we can see right behind you that really draws people in, but behind the scenes are billions of dollars of deals being done, orders and pipeline activity being shaped. How would you describe the economic impact of the show, not just on manufacturers, but on contractors, on suppliers, and just attendees overall?

Megan Tanel:

Well, overall, the US construction industry represents $2.2 trillion. And every three years when we hold this show, we see a spike in that activity. This is where contractors are coming and making decisions on what equipment they're going to be using for the next couple of years. It depends on what's happening with a highway bill and what funding is available. They'll use that certainty or uncertainty to make some of their decisions. Sometimes it might not drive to a new piece of equipment per se, but it might drive towards the latest technology. How can I do more with less at times? The workforce impact has a huge impact on what's happening with this industry. We have 42,000 open jobs here. And so some of what might be discovered is automation or autonomous vehicles that they can use on their job site. And then there's just an opportunity here to share how great this industry is and hopefully grow interest in the next generation as to what's available and get more people involved here.

Lance Glinn:

So with that being said, how do you use an event like this to attract that next generation of construction workers and those in manufacturing and agriculture? How do you make sure that it's sort of a tool to really garner interest and make people say, "Hey, I can have a career in this industry?"

Megan Tanel:

Yeah, there's a lot obviously that we're promoting and marketing on the front end, but we're not doing it alone. The over 1,100 or actually over 2,100 exhibiting companies here are also promoting themselves and talking about the great things that happen here, that talk about how great the industry is. Workforce really is a regional issue and it's one that our members have to deal with within their own communities and their cities. But what we can do here is highlight the importance of the overall industry and what the opportunities are. So there's education tracks here where we can teach people that are new to the industry or those that are very experienced on the latest trends. We have Mike Rowe who's going to be here, the host of Dirty Jobs, and he is such an advocate for our industry and shares the importance of what we do. But when people are looking for a purpose, when they want to find a job, they don't want to just sit at a desk and be bored, we can tell them our industry represents those that make the equipment that builds, feeds, and powers the world. And I think that's pretty impactful and something that I want to be a part of.

Lance Glinn:

From your conversations, from talking with people directly on the ground and the position that you obviously sit in, leading AEM, what are, from their opinion, some of the root causes of this gap and the challenge that they're facing?

Megan Tanel:

So we're seeing an impact in more rural communities. They're not being able to find necessarily the workforce in those areas. And so some of our OEMs, our equipment manufacturers are moving at times some of their manufacturing a little bit closer to the city. They're looking at ways to bring people, to incentivize people to want to look at rural living. That's having an impact with our farmers too. And otherwise, there are some groups in Canada, they're doing a really great job with this, they're working through immigration where they're finding groups of people that might be interested in working with them, and then they're helping their community to embrace people from different cultures or different countries to want to move to this area. I mean, it's a really big undertaking, but it's one that I think sets the stage for longtime growth and support for these members, our members, or these companies.

Lance Glinn:

And so a couple questions ago, we talked about obviously attracting the next generation of the workforce into this industry. And it really is an industry that I think is more modern than ever before. But sometimes, and I think you'd agree with this, sometimes that's not necessarily the public perception of it. And public perception does matter, right? People who aren't so familiar with the modernization of it, they think one way, and it's hard to sort of change their opinion or change their mindset of it without the proper education. What does, in your opinion, the industry need to do differently to help younger people see construction manufacturing as innovative and as a rewarding path and as that more modern industry that it is today?

Megan Tanel:

Yeah. Well, we have to start with talking about it. Those of us that are in it need to talk about it and how great it is. And instead of just being quiet about it, share the stories. Also, inviting communities in, inviting schools in, inviting families in to see what the manufacturing facilities look like, what a dealership looks like, a day in the life. And I think promoting events like this, like CONEXPO CONAGG, and really getting people to see the technology that's out there, the innovation that's out there. And then we also, we have exciting news to share that the salary, the average salary in the manufacturing field is $105,000. We hit six figures.

Lance Glinn:

Wow.

Megan Tanel:

That's 50% above the national average salary. So that's exciting. This really is a viable opportunity. It's a family sustaining salary that you could have. Or I mean, a kid could graduate high school and get a job and then go out and buy whatever amazing truck this guy or girl wants to have and really not have any debt or anything with it. So there's a lot of great things that we have to continue to talk about.

Lance Glinn:

And it's not just about bringing in the next generation of the workforce, but it's also about broadening that workforce and broadening those who see themselves in the industry, whether that's women, younger people, veterans, potentially those in groups and categories that are currently underrepresented in it. How do you make that happen? Do you see efforts sort of coming to fruition with those groups and bringing them into the industry?

Megan Tanel:

Yeah, definitely. We would say non-traditional at times. You even have formerly incarcerated that we can be looking at and former military. Again, it ends up being a regional focus. We do help provide tools to our members to help them promote themselves within their communities and have also encouraged our members to maybe look at things a little bit differently. Maybe it's the way the factory is laid out or the hours that you're required to work, or how can you be flexible around men or women that have kids at home that they might have to take care of or elderly parents. So there's a lot of work being put into it and I think looking at things differently and being able to attract others that maybe hadn't thought of it before.

Lance Glinn:

So Megan, for a couple of questions, I do want to touch on the importance of some of those underrepresented groups, specifically attracting more women into the industry. Now, it obviously is an industry that has been long male dominated. When you look at where it stands today, what's your sense of the progress being made for women, not just to enter the industry, but to advance in it and really build that career where they see themselves in high level positions like yourself?

Megan Tanel:

Well, I was going to say, I'm kind of that person. I started as an intern and worked my way up. My partners, my sister associations, the asphalt association is run by a woman, the aggregates association is run by a woman. We're showing up, we're being given space and not being, I guess, left out of the room. It's important that we just invite others to the table. It's the opportunity and it's up to us to make sure that all feel invited.

Lance Glinn:

And as you just mentioned, you've built a career in the industry from an intern to now leading the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. How have your own experiences over those years influenced the way you think about leadership, mentorship, and advocacy for women and those underrepresented groups in the industry, obviously across equipment manufacturing and across construction?

Megan Tanel:

It's an interesting question. I'm not one that really dives into one demographic over another, making it into a leadership position. And I think it's just because when I look at the opportunities I had, I know I was lucky, but I also took advantage of those opportunities. And so sometimes if you're sitting back and waiting to be invited, it's not always going to happen. So you need to know that you belong and your voice matters and that what you can bring to the table can make a difference no matter who you are or what you are. I just would encourage people that are interested to always show up, to always ask questions, and to be open to growing in a role, making mistakes, learning from them, and moving on.

It's been interesting. I was telling someone earlier, this is my 10th CONEXPO CONAGG. I started before kids, before I was married with my maiden name, just a bright-eyed kid showing up here going, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm in Las Vegas doing something like this." And you just meet people along the way. And through those 10 years, I'm seeing some of those same people and we get together and we talk about the stories of what we did to get here, how interesting it was, whether it's having kids along the way in an industry like this and how you make that work or family or what it may be. And we just laugh and we're just happy that we made it through and we stuck through it because it's a great industry, a great place to be, and hope we can encourage more to join us.

Lance Glinn:

Sure. I'm sure coming back every three years certainly gives you time to reflect on past previous CONEXPO CONAGGs and see what's changed, see what's grown, see how the industry has changed and see how the industry has grown. And I want to now pivot the conversation to AI implementation in the industry. And I'd assume, like most industries across the business landscape, technology is having an impact on construction and on manufacturing. When you talk to people on the ground and you're getting firsthand insight from those working on job sites, where are you seeing AI and technology as a whole making the most immediate, tangible impact?

Megan Tanel:

AI for this industry is used extensively. It's at times used for efficiency. It is being used for skills gaps, and it's also being used at times for safety initiatives. And it's not just AI. When you're talking about technology, I had mentioned earlier autonomous vehicles, the ability to have these vehicles on a job site can make it a safer environment. There's digitization. There's a lot of effort being put towards sustainability. How can we do things better, faster, safer, using less water? All of these things are in consideration, and alternative fuels as well. There's so much change happening here and to highlight it here every three years isn't enough, of course, but it makes it very exciting to be able to see what's coming, what's coming next, and how we're using these latest technologies to make a difference. We had talked about workforce, the shortage of workforce, and while AI and some of this technology, some might be worried will replace people. It's not that it's replacing, it's that it's opening up opportunities for upskilling or re-skilling people into different jobs that might be safer or that might actually put somebody in an opportunity to do something so much more exciting than what they were doing previously.

Lance Glinn:

And so you bring up a good point there. You said it's not replacing, it's helping re-skill people, it's helping upskill people. So with that being said, when you have this new technology, it's great to have it, but it's a whole nother thing to make sure you're using it in the right way and you're really harnessing all its potential. How crucial is it for those in the industry to welcome it? Because it is a technology that a lot of other industries are sort of cautious to welcome. But how important is it to welcome it so that you can use it to its full ability and, like you said, make the job site more efficient, more safe, more convenient, so on and so forth?

Megan Tanel:

Yeah. The adoption of technology has been something that we've struggled with at times within this industry. So between agriculture and construction, you'll see that agriculture has embraced the technology a little bit quicker. It could be in relation to workforce or just the amount of land that the farmers are working with and all the data that they have at their fingertips to make really informed good decisions. But it's part of our job here at CONEXPO CONAGG to help educate the end user, the contractors, materials, producers on the importance of this adoption of technology and the why. I think one area that this industry is also moving into is much more mixed fleets. In the past, you might have stuck with one brand and all of your equipment was that one brand. It's not necessarily the case moving forward. And so when you have mixed fleets or mixed brands within your fleet, you need that technology and understand how it works and make sure that the machines can talk to each other. And that's also something that we are focused on as an association as well, the telematics and how the equipment can talk to each other to provide that efficiency or cost savings or safety.

Lance Glinn:

And so I want to switch the conversation over to sustainability just for a little bit. And a lot of that demand for sustainability is being driven by those project owners. Cities, infrastructure agencies, large developers, they're demanding lower carbon outcomes. How is that demand shaping the equipment, the techniques, the technologies used in the industry? I'm sure some of or most of which are pretty much sitting right behind you getting ready for the conference over the next four days.

Megan Tanel:

Part of our job as an association is to work with, whether it's the administration or the regulators on how we can collaboratively get to a better place. So when you talk about engine emissions, we sit down with the EPA and share current state, future state, how we can get to the next gen of engine or whatever it might be if you're talking emissions. And I think it's really the best way to go. We don't ever want to go backwards. We want to keep going forwards to make sure that what we're doing is good for the environment and good for future generations. And I think the most important thing is having that open collaborative conversation using data as to why certain things are the way they are and how we can move forward, whether it's with alternative fuels, alternative energy, or various different materials. But in this industry, asphalt is the number one most recycled material in the world. We're working together to make sure that we can recycle everything that we can and leave this place better than how we found it.

Lance Glinn:

And to that point that you just brought up of collaboration, do you think the industry is ready to collaborate sort of at the scale that's needed to really solve some of these challenges? Whether it's sustainability challenges, whether it's workforce challenges, do you think the industry, your organization, alongside other organizations are ready to really work together to get this done? Because I know that each individual organization and all these different companies are working to solve different gaps, but I do think it will take sort of a holistic effort to really make a huge impact rather than just one individual company.

Megan Tanel:

I love that you just brought that up because literally we just had this... So when I was snowed in New York and I made it to DC, I went there for a meeting and it was myself and I think it was eight other association leads, as well as some of our members sitting around the table talking about the next highway bill and how we were going to work together on this. And we've always collaborated, but I feel like we're hitting unprecedented times in the willingness and openness to make sure that we are coming to the administration and to Congress with the same ask because we really want to move this forward and make a difference.

And so when you say the industry, the entire industry is on board with making this happen and working as a team to get us to where we need to to have a fully funded highway bill that is going to invest back in our communities to make sure that we have safe roads and safe bridges and clean water and strong utilities and rural broadband and all of those things together. So I'm really pumped, I'm really excited about that. We're continuing that conversation here at CONEXPO CONAGG because everyone's here. And I think I've brought this up three times now in interviews. So we have to do it because I've said we're going to do it, so we have to do it, and we're going to do it.

Lance Glinn:

So I would say, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I have a good idea, I would say you're pretty optimistic at the trends of collaboration happening, right? You think, as you just mentioned before, you were in Washington DC at the table with leaders of a bunch of other associations and companies, collaboration happening. You're optimistic that that isn't going to be a one-off, that's not going to be an anomaly, right? There are going to be more and more conversations like the one that you had in Washington DC happening over a variety of number of projects across the nation.

Megan Tanel:

Yeah. What we can do is join together and have a united voice. What the outcome's going to be, I can't guarantee that. But yeah, the world is so divided at times. This is an opportunity for this industry to show that we can work across the table, we can collaborate, and we can do so to make a difference.

Lance Glinn:

So Megan, as we begin to wrap up our conversation, you've obviously had a front row seat to the industry's evolution for the last bunch of years and now lead the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. So on a personal level, what just excites you most about where construction and manufacturing is all heading? We talked just now about the collaboration. But as you try to project forward the next three to five years, what excites you most about the trends in that direction?

Megan Tanel:

I think just working in an industry that has such history and it's not going away, but seeing how much it has morphed and changed. This perception of dirty or dangerous is so in the past. And what we're looking at moving forward is clean materials, is supporting the environment, is leaving things better than how we found it, and engaging with people of all walks of life, and it's an industry that goes around the entire world. Everybody needs to have these safe roads and bridges, and it's kind of cool to think how we're connected in that way. So I love seeing the evolution of the people, of the materials, of the focus. And for right now, I'm really enjoying this effort towards collaboration and to work as a united front as an entire industry.

Lance Glinn:

And so when CONEXPO CONAGG 2026 comes to an end, what are you hoping that attendees, whether they're attendees just coming to see the show or those making deals in the background, what do you hope they really leave the conference with in a few days?

Megan Tanel:

Well, I fear they're going to leave with some sore feet, but I hope they leave with amazing memories and this thought of, "Oh my gosh, I can't miss this. I can't wait to get back."

Lance Glinn:

Well, Megan, we really appreciate the conversation. Thank you so much for joining us Inside the ICE House.

Megan Tanel:

Thank you so much. Take care.