BLOOMINGTON, IL – Dan Augstin, CEM, director of Fleet Management for the City of Bloomington, Ill., was named the 2008 Member of the Year by the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP). Augstin is retiring at the end of April with more than 30 years of experience in asset management.

Created in 2004, the Member of the Year Award is given in recognition of an individual's outstanding service to AEMP through active participation and contribution of new ideas, practices, and innovation in heavy equipment management.

Augstin has served in AEMP leadership since 2000 and is widely credited with overseeing an overhaul of the Certified Equipment Manager (CEM) exam from a text-based to a competency-based exam. He has served on the AEMP Board of directors, and for the last six years has chaired the CEM Commission.

"Dan led us through a very critical period in the life of the CEM exam. Thanks to his efforts, the CEM credential is now in a position to go for accreditation," said Dick Brannigan, CEM, AEMP 2008-09 national president. "The results will enable equipment managers who hold this prestigious credential to apply it towards college credit."

Augstin also oversaw the start of two additional credentials: one for entry level equipment managers and another for individuals working in the other two legs of the "Equipment Triangle," the OEMs and suppliers of the equipment industry.

AEMP is a membership organization comprised primarily of professional fleet asset managers. Its members are responsible for managing risk, preventive maintenance, safety, human resources, and technologies for leading corporations and government entities that utilize heavy, off-road equipment. AEMP and its members also represent others within the "Equipment Triangle," including the major manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers of the heavy equipment industry.