May 17, 2016—The Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI) announced on Monday that it awarded retired industry veteran and former ETI board president John Wiedemann with ETI’s 17th Founder’s Award at this year’s ToolTech 2016 in Monterey, Calif.
Established in 1985, the Founder’s Award recognizes individuals who have made numerous important contributions to the Institute.
“John has done so much for ETI, has a tremendous passion for the industry, and is an outstanding role model for getting out of the institute what you put into it”, ETI marketing manager Jessie Korosec said. “John cares so much about the institute, the members, and its success. He is one of the most deserving recipients of the Founder’s Award and ETI appreciates all of his efforts and hard work over the many years he has been involved in ETI. John has always led by example and with integrity and continues to be an asset to ETI.”
Wiedemann won the award for unselfish dedication to ETI’s principles since beginning involvement with the institute more than 26 years ago.
“Our task at ETI is to help turn challenges into opportunities for our members. With this goal in mind, there are three areas that I want to focus on during my term as President to help make this happen. They are Value, Collaboration, and Engagement,” Wiedemann said when he was president of the board of directors.
Wiedemann started his automotive career in 1989 at Mac Tools, attending his first ETI meeting in 1990. From there he became widely involved in ETI projects and groups. In 1998, he started at Actron Manufacturing and became a member of the ETI’s board of directors. He held several positions on the board including secretary/treasurer, vice president of marketing, vice president of programs, and finally president in 2008 while working for JS Products. After leaving JS Products in 2008, Wiedemann worked for Weld Racing, remaining active with ETI during his time there as well as after retiring from Weld.
