Long-time AWP industry leader Brad Allen is leaving the field to take a volunteer position as director of engagement for Pontis Nicaragua, an organization that provides agricultural, business, and life training to help poor farmers in rural Latin America improve their lives.
Allen is currently vice president of marketing, product management, and engineering for Terex AWP/Genie. He will leave the company on Friday, April 29.
As Pontis Nicaragua’s director of engagement, Allen will continue to live in the United States. His main roles will be to raise awareness of the way Pontis Nicaragua improves the lives of poor Latin American farmers and to grow support for the organization.
"I take a strong lesson from the Genie sales team that people want to engage with those who are honest, transparent, and develop a relationship with them,” said Allen. “My primary role is simply to make our work in Nicaragua available so people can see if they can have a role in transforming lives."
As part of the job, Allen will travel to Nicaragua three to four times per year, where he will be involved hands-on in educating farmers, something he’s done for the past eight years.
Hard to leave Genie family
"It's going to be very hard for me to leave the Genie team. I have felt a part of the Genie family, growing the business and building jobs for people around the world. I have also been touched by the support I’ve received, especially from the key Genie and Terex leaders in making this transition," Allen said. "The aerial industry has been fun to work in and I've enjoyed the opportunity to get to know and serve our many customers in rental.”
Allen leaves the aerial-work-platform industry after serving Terex AWP/Genie for 17 years in a variety of leadership positions in engineering, product development, and marketing positions. He has also served the industry overall as a member of industry councils and associations.
"Terex has a strong emphasis on community support, and views the corporate role as providing resources for individuals to serve and make the world a better place," says Allen. "Being part of the Genie team has prepared me, both professionally and financially, to be able to do this."
Jeremy Rife, Terex AWP/Genie vice president of engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain, said, “For nearly two decades, Brad has dedicated his career to growing and expanding the Genie brand in the aerial and rental industries, and his contributions to our company have truly taken us to new heights worldwide.”
Rife added, “Fortunately, one of Brad’s greatest contributions has been the development of outstanding teams. We greatly appreciate all that he has given to us in his years of service, professionally and personally, and we offer him our congratulations and wish him the best in his new venture with Pontis Nicaragua. This organization’s work in Latin America makes a real difference in people’s lives, and we are extremely proud of Brad for making the commitment to become a part of their mission and field work. We look forward to hearing about his endeavors with Pontis Nicaragua.”
Latest step in life of volunteering
Although this career change is a big step, Allen has been volunteering and serving in a variety of capacities for more than thirty years. He was introduced to rural agricultural development in 2008 through the organization Agros, working in a remote mountain community in Nicargua, where he visited the community six times, learned Spanish, and developed close relationships with the 34 families who live there. He has worked closely with Pontis Nicaragua's chief agronomist, Ernesto Martinez, since 2009.
"Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,” said Allen. “Some 60% of the rural population lives in extreme poverty, earning less than $2 per day." Allen joins a team assembled by Pontis Nicaragua’s Executive Director Leck Heflin, which uses farm training centers to help farmers bring higher yields, get better prices at market, and grow more diverse crops on sustainable, less chemical-dependent farms. “I have had a life target to serve the rural poor in some capacity in my early fifties, and the time is right," said Allen.
Terex AWP/Genie has prepared well for Allen's departure. “Moving forward, our commitment to our customers and the industries we serve does not change,” said Jeremy Rife. “Our team members continue to develop products and services to solve our customers’ worksite challenges — and that process never ends. It is through this teamwork that we will continue to find new solutions and opportunities to take our customers higher in the years to come. Our products will continue to set the industry standard for quality, reliability, safe operation and a high rental return on investment (rROIC).”
For information about Pontis Nicaragua, visit www.pontisnicaragua.org.