Three members of the Impact Recovery Systems, Inc.® team have stepped into leadership roles in recent months serving in official positions for a variety of industry and trade associations. At the forefront of Impact Recovery Systems is the mission to provide quality safety products to its customers.
Tom Aber, Regional Sales Manager, has been elected Traffic Safety Industry Division (TSID) President of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), an organization that brings together all areas of the transportation construction industry to advocate for infrastructure investment and policies that support nationwide safe and efficient travel.
Tim Lang, Regional Sales Manager/Business Development Analyst, is serving on the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA).
Product Manager Ken Parrott has been elected vice chair of Protective Guarding Manufacturer’s Association (ProGMA), a subgroup of the Material Handling Industry (MHI).
Aber has worked with Impact Recovery Systems for nine years and has 35 years experience in sales. In his role with ARTBA, he is the liaison from the TSID – which is made up of 30 companies – to the larger Washington D.C.-based organization. Aber was nominated and elected vice president and served two years before stepping into this position as president, which is another two-year commitment. The organization hosts two large meetings each year where they share new products, help others learn how to implement them, and advocate for safety on roadways and highways. Aber said he saw serving in a leadership role as an opportunity to get more involved and to have a greater voice. “I attended the meetings for years and while I could speak up and talk, I wasn’t involved at that national group level,” Aber said. “I saw an opportunity to do some things that I thought our group should be doing.”
Lang has been in the transportation safety business for 13 years, and at Impact Recovery Systems for four years. He said he joined the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and ATTSA because he wanted to get more involved with the federal government side of the business, positioning himself to contribute to federal policies for roads and highways. “Having that impact was important to me,” Lang said. This summer he was introduced as a member of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD). They meet twice a year in the summer and again in January. Currently, NCUTCD is waiting on the approval of the 11th edition of the manual from the Federal Highway Administration. Lang and the NCUTCD are hard at work looking at what updates are needed for the 12th edition. ATSSA is comprised of some 1,500 companies, and more than 11,000 professionals, and holds a trade show once a year. Lang serves on the Temporary Traffic Control Committee which meets twice a year and includes a legislative fly-in, where committee members fly to Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress to discuss topics that are important to the overall industry. Lang said he enjoys the work of the group and the role he plays in safety. “I enjoy interacting with the customers. I enjoy seeing our products on the road,” he said. “When I’m on the road with my family I like to point out our products on the road and I get cheers from my kids. I have a tremendous amount of pride in our products.”
Parrott has been with Impact Recovery Systems since 2009. His job entails some logistics and supply chain management, but his primary focus is on new product level engineering. He was recently elected to a two-year term as vice chair of ProGMA – MHI. The organization’s focus is to promote protective guarding for material handling in such places as factories and warehouses, and to also be considered the industry experts in the field. After Parrott’s term expires he will serve an additional two years as the chair, beginning in 2024. Parrott said ProGMA and MHI offer industry companies guidance, training, new ideas, and professional opportunities. “The work is all about safety. We are a professional group, with a tremendous amount of experience. We are all working together to act as a resource for smaller companies who need guidance,” said Parrott.
Service such as this—participation in national trade organizations— really lends itself to succeeding in our mission as a company, said Impact Recovery Systems President Greg Hannah.
“In our business, it is critical that we are proactively participating in our industry groups and government committees,” Hannah said. “Oftentimes, decisions are made regarding product specifications, new standards are created, and regulations are set. Our engagement, especially as leaders, allows us to be at the forefront of any changes, and possibly even affect those changes.”
