IPAF to Develop New Apps, Other Learning Programs, Turner Says
A new presidential team has been confirmed for the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), with Norty Turner of United Rentals officially instated during the federation’s 2020 AGM, held on April 23. For the first time ever, the general meeting was a virtual one, owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Norty Turner succeeded Brad Boehler, who stepped down in October 2019 after leaving his role with Skyjack, while Karin Nars of Dinolift was confirmed as IPAF deputy president and JLG’s Karel Huijser was named vice president. Nick Selley of AFI-Uplift continues in an ex officio role on the IPAF Board, while three new members of the IPAF Board that were seconded last year were also officially confirmed in place: Pedro Torres of Riwal, Julie Houston Smyth of Lolex Ltd and Ben Hirst of Horizon Platforms. The AGM was the first since Peter Douglas took up post as IPAF CEO & Managing Director in December 2019.
In his inaugural address, Norty Turner said: “I would like to reiterate our thanks to Brad Boehler, who selflessly stepped down last year after leaving his role with Skyjack. His tenure as president was shorter than planned, but his leadership and dynamism over many years with the federation will not be forgotten, and we at IPAF wish him well in his future endeavors.
“It is traditional for an incoming IPAF President to set out some key objectives for their term in office. Of course my first priority, working together with the IPAF board, council and senior management, will be to support our entire team and all the federation’s members worldwide through this global public health crisis, and to assist our industry in whatever way we can to recover from this challenging situation as quickly as possible.
“Beyond that I am particularly looking forward to supporting Peter and the rest of the team in increasing sustainability in our industry, embracing and integrating new technology into everything we do. The way the world learns is evolving due to the pandemic, and ever adaptable, IPAF will bring forward new innovations, including but not limited to a digital app for operators and managers, paperless IPAF courses, and adapting more of IPAF’s training program into both eLearning and virtual reality applications.
“During the next two years IPAF will consolidate and bolster its core markets and membership such as in the U.K., while continuing international growth in developing markets and new territories such that the federation realizes at least 50 percent of its revenue beyond the U.K.
“Additionally, I will keep championing initiatives such as the IPAF Roadmap to Qualified Service Technician or Engineer Status and new industry-relevant apprenticeships to both attract young people into our great industry and assist our members in retaining, developing and planning for succession in their workforce.”
The IPAF Annual Report 2019 has been published to coincide with the AGM, and is available in English to read now or as a digital download via www.ipaf.org/annual-report; printed copies and translations into core IPAF languages have been deferred owing to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak but will be produced at the first available opportunity.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.