Edgar Chaves (L), president, and Dale Mickle, vice president, both of Allu North America, said they had a great show.

The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) held its 2016 Summit and CONDEX show in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19 to 22.

The AED Summit and CONDEX is an annual convention designed specifically to provide equipment distributors with opportunities to see new products, meet with current and prospective business partners, attend educational seminars and network with dealer peers. This year's event was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

An impressive lineup of keynote speakers highlighted the four-day event. Former President George W. Bush spoke Thursday evening (Jan. 21) from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Billed as a “Conversation with George W. Bush,” the former president discussed his eight consequential years in the Oval Office.

Kevin Lacz, a retired U.S. Navy Seal sniper, breacher and combat medic who served in Iraq with real-life American Sniper, Chris Kyle, also spoke. Lacz shared his journey from borderline college dropout to commended U.S. Navy Seal. He also provided a behind-the-scene look at making of the movie, “American Sniper.”

Mark King, president of Adidas Group North America and chairman of the TaylorMade Golf Company, discussed how he used the skills he mastered as a sales professional and he acquired the other skills needed to successfully refresh and grow TaylorMade into a market leaders. He also shared his experiences from starring in the show, “Undercover Boss.”

Denis Stevens, deputy head of mission of the Canadian Embassy to the United States, also spoke.

A host of education seminars also marked this year's event. Among the seminars were “Marketing 101 for Your Dealership,” “Right-Sizing Your Rental Fleet,” “Undercover Shopper — How Is Your Dealership Really Performing?” and many, many more.

Lunch sponsors over the course of the event included HKX Hydraulic Kits for Excavators, Avalara, C-Tabs and EBS.

For more information, visit aednet.org.

Today's top stories

Growing Interest in Construction Careers Among Younger People Means Jobs Filled, Deadlines Met

Larry Young Paving Tackles Grade-Separated Interchange in Texas

Caltrans, Crews Working to Repair Highway Landslides

FIRSTGREEN Industries Launches ROCKEAT Electric Skid Steer Loader

'Tiltrotator Effect' Increases as Energy Consumption Goes Down

VIDEO: Birmingham, Ala., Awarded $14.5M Fed Grant to Revitalize Its 'Black Main Street'

Pettibone Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Cary-Lift

Fay Preps Way for Pittsburgh International Airport Modernization Project