MILWAUKEE — November 13, 2026 -- Pat Weiler, founder of Iowa-based equipment maker Weiler, was inducted into the AEM Hall of Fame as its 2026 inductee on Nov. 12, 2026, at the AEM Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona. It is his third honor of 2026, after the Alan Curtis Industry Service Award and induction into the Pavement Hall of Fame, and it comes 26 years after he founded the company in 2000.
Weiler made three acquisitions in seven years after its 2000 founding
The company bought a top-hammer rock drill product line in 2017, added a purpose-built forestry division in 2019 and acquired a self-propelled broom in 2024. The span from 2017 to 2024 is seven years. Weiler describes itself as one of the largest employers in Marion County, Iowa, and says Pat Weiler now leads manufacturing operations in multiple markets and states.
The company says its P385C commercial paver has been the highest-selling model of its kind in North America since its 2009 introduction, a run of 17 years by our calculation. It also says it leads the market in material transfer vehicles, road wideners and windrow elevators, and it holds 10 U.S. patents with more pending. Weiler did not disclose revenue, headcount or the sales volumes behind these market-share claims.
AEM's independent panel judges nominees on four criteria, from innovation to social responsibility
The panel scores each nominee on innovation, industry contributions, leadership and corporate citizenship/social responsibility. AEM says Weiler earned the recognition for product innovation, industry leadership and philanthropy. AEM President and CEO Megan Tanel said his innovations raised the bar for equipment design across the industry.
The philanthropy criterion rests on the Weiler Foundation, which makes annual grants and donations to local organizations. That includes a $5 million commitment to the local hospital. Weiler has also backed affordable housing initiatives and helped set up one of Iowa's first registered apprenticeship programs, which the company says became a model across the state.
The program dates to 1993, when Construction Equipment magazine launched it as the Construction Equipment Hall of Fame. AEM has run it since 2008, which is 18 years.
Weiler has collected AEM awards every year since 2019 and sits on its board
AEM gave Weiler its Pillar of the Industry Award in 2019 and its Advocacy Gold Award in each year from 2020 through 2025, six in total by our count. He is a member of the AEM Board of Directors and a past chair of the AEM PAC. The Iowa Association of Business and Industry has also given him its Legend in Manufacturing Award.
He sits on the board of a trade group that says it represents more than 1,100 companies and more than 200 product lines in agriculture and construction-related sectors worldwide. According to AEM, the U.S. equipment manufacturing industry supports over 2.2 million jobs and contributes $415 billion to the economy every year.