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With a daughter in college and another job-seeking, it's easy to let current economic and political times cloud one's vision for the future. The last thing a parent wants is children facing challenges greater than one's own.
In the construction-equipment business, we're anxiously awaiting the effects of stimulus spending on actual construction project starts. Reports surfacing this spring indicated that little of the money has actually made it into projects using construction equipment.
Economic data, especially construction-related, continues uncertain. Homebuilding seems to be bouncing along the trough like a stone skips across a lake. Nonresidential is shaky, and equipment OEMs posted another quarter of negative news.
The automobile and banking industries struggle with government oversight designed to protect the financial stability of the nation, yet the tactics worry more than a few concerned citizens. Many wonder about the long-term changes in our capitalistic underpinnings.
Yet, as my children exemplify, optimism and hope continue to bloom in the young. In our business, that's seen with a group of students heading into the technician field.
As a trustee of the AEMP Education Foundation, we look forward to this time of year when applications come in for the Foundation scholarships. Each year, more students apply, and each year the Foundation is able to increase the number of scholarships awarded.
Reading these applications fuels our hope in the future. These young people are excited; they have an aptitude for mechanical problem-solving and a love for heavy equipment and diesel technology.
For most, a scholarship to attend a technical school will open the door to their future, a future they see as bright indeed.
Want to help fund that future? The number of scholarships given is directly proportional to the donations the Foundation receives. Learn how to support the AEMP Foundation at aemp.org.
