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MACHINERY DEALERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

NEWS

wednesdays with wheeler

2025 holiday edition

Happy Holidays to my en re MDNA family, This holiday season, it has been truly inspiring to see so many of our chapters come together in celebra on. I was honored to par cipate in events with both my home chapter—the West Coast Chapter—and the Detroit-Toledo Chapter this past weekend. I am con nually struck by the incredible diversity of our membership. From large corpora ons to single-operator businesses; from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States; and across Canada, Europe, and Asia—we represent a remarkable global community. It fills me with pride to see us unite during the holiday season, whether at an in mate dinner in a great restaurant or a full black- e affair at a world-famous private club. No ma er the se ng, the theme remains the same: we come together to break bread with long me friends and new connec ons, to share smiles with our business partners, to express gra tude for our many blessings—and, of course, to do a li le networking along the way. I hope you had the opportunity to a end one or more chapter or na onal events this year. If not, my wish for you in 2026 is that you join us at one of the many outstanding events being planned by our na onal office and local chapters. Wishing you all happy holidays, a happy Hanukkah, a merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year.

Save The Date!

MDNA AUSTIN D. LUCAS SCHOLARSHIP Fund

Kristine Conroy

SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Registration is Now Open Online 15-Hour USPAP Course for Machinery and Equipment Appraisers Monday, February 23 and Tuesday, February 24 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM ET This is your chance to take the 15-hour personal property USPAP course for machinery and equipment appraisers and become a Certified Equipment Appraiser (CEA) with the AMEA. Register now for the online 15-hour personal property USPAP course hosted by the AMEA. This course will be taught by R. Lee Robinette, an AQB Certified USPAP instructor, with a background in machinery and equipment appraising.

Note: This course does not meet the Appraisal Foundation's USPAP continuing education requirements for Real Property appraisers and state licensing or certification.

How the Austin D. Lucas Scholarship Fund Helped Launch Attorney Jeremy Goldkind's Career For more than four decades, the Austin 0. Lucas Scholarship Fund {AOLSF) has helped countless students pursue higher education-by reducing financial pressure and opening doors that once seemed out of reach. That impact is clearly evident in the lives it has changed, and none more so than that of attorney Jeremy Goldkind. For Jeremy, the AOLSF award didn't simply provide financial assistance - it was the catalyst that allowed him to pursue higher education, graduate at the top of his class, and build a successful legal career. "I grew up in a middle-class household;' Jeremy said. "The scholarship from AOLSF was vital. Without it, college could have looked very different for me:' Jeremy first applied to the AOLSF as a high school senior, with hopes of entering the Univer sity of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. The AOLSF scholarship he received all four years made

Jeremy Goldkind

that dream possible, with each award providing several thousand dollars directly toward tuition. Coupled with his parents' hard-earned savings and his own part-time employment, AOLSF helped close the financial gap - and gave Jeremy time to focus on academics rather than pursuing additional jobs. "The Austin 0. Lucas Scholarship gave me the time to study;' he said, "which in turn allowed me to succeed in ways that shaped everything that came after:' Building an Academic Foundation At the University of Illinois, Jeremy earned a degree in advertising and marketing with a minor in French, studied abroad, and held several student leadership roles. On top of all this, he earned the university's coveted Bronze Tablet award, granted to those graduating in the top 1 % of their class. That strong foundation opened another door: law school at the University of Iowa, followed by a career in litigation that has now spanned 20 years. Today, Jeremy is a partner at one of the country's largest and most distinguished law firms, Venable LLP, representing national and international clients in commercial litigation and product liability matters - often in industries deeply connected to his family's roots in industrial machinery. A Legacy of Connection In fact, Jeremy first learned about the Austin 0. Lucas scholarship through his father and uncle, both active in MONA, as well as through his grandfather, longtime machinery dealer Bob Barron of Barron Machinery, and the Raco community where his father, Michel Goldkind, worked for decades. "The scholarship wasn't anonymous;' Jeremy said. "I knew the people behind the fund. We were all connected through the MONA family:'

Click here to learn more about the Austin D. Lucas Scholarship Fund. MONA NEWS I PAGE 14

Amy and Chuck Radtke

Chuck Radtke, Dan Wheeler, Jake Josko