AEM and Kubota Award UTV to Winner of I Make America Sweepstakes
(Quincy, IL) – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) today awarded a brand-new Kubota Sidekick utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to Brian Cheney, a solutions engineer at Knapheide and the winner of AEM’s I Make America sweepstakes. I Make America is AEM’s national grassroots campaign that celebrates the people behind the equipment manufacturing industry and tells their stories in state capitals and Washington D.C.
I Make America partnered with Kubota to promote awareness about its campaign and initiatives through the giveaway for the Sidekick UTV. The giveaway marked I Make America’s fourth UTV giveaway in the campaign’s 15-year history.
Representatives from AEM, Knapheide, and Kubota gathered at the company’s Quincy facility to surprise Mr. Cheney alongside his colleagues and present the keys to the UTV.
“We are proud to partner with AEM’s I Make America campaign, which recognizes the people who power equipment manufacturing,” said Bo Knapheide, President & CEO of Knapheide. “Our employees are the backbone of everything we do, and it is exciting to see one of our own recognized by this 15-year-old campaign that continues to unite the industry for positive change.”
“I Make America is about the men and women who show up every day to power equipment manufacturing and take pride in the work they do,” said Kristen Prather, Senior Director of Grassroots Advocacy at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “Through this campaign, we work to elevate the industry’s voices, recognize their contributions, and make sure their stories are seen and valued. We’re proud to celebrate Brian today and grateful to the team at Knapheide for welcoming us to Quincy and highlighting what Made in America truly looks like.”
Mr. Cheney was randomly selected from more than 1,200 I Make America supporters who attended the 2025 Utility Expo in Louisville, Kentucky. During the gathering of more than 22,000 utility professionals and construction contractors, I Make America engaged supporters to sign a petition advocating for policies supporting American manufacturing and its workforce.
About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM):
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,100 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports over 2.2 million jobs and contributes $415 billion to the economy every year.
About Knapheide:
Founded in 1848 and headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, Knapheide is the nation’s leading manufacturer of work truck bodies and equipment solutions. A sixth-generation, family-owned business, Knapheide supports the skilled trades and essential industries that keep America running.
With more work trucks on U.S. roads carrying the Knapheide name than any other brand, the company helps workers and fleet leaders build safer, more efficient and more productive vehicles for the job. Guided by nearly two centuries of craftsmanship, reliability and service, Knapheide continues to define the modern work truck through America’s Work Truck — a position celebrating American work and the people behind it.