Al Kern, former president of Equipment Corporation of America, passed away at 89. A decorated civil engineer, Navy lieutenant, and avid golfer, he grew ECA into a top distributor. Survived by his children and grandchildren, a celebration of life will be held later. Memorial donations can be made to his church or Boy Scouts of America.
Photo courtesy of ECA
Alfred "Al" Roy Kern
Alfred "Al" Roy Kern died Aug. 29, 2024, former president and chairman of Equipment Corporation of America, died peacefully at home in Ocean Ridge, Fla. He was 89.
Born in Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 1934, to Leonard and Alice, Mr. Kern was a fifth-generation Pittsburgher whose great, great, great grandfather emigrated from Germany in 1850 to work in the Pittsburgh steel mills. He grew up in Sheraden [Pittsburgh] and earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh, graduating magna cum laude. Upon graduating, Mr. Kern immediately enlisted in the Navy where he served as a lieutenant in the Civil Engineering Corps and was first stationed in Mayport Naval Base [Jacksonville, Fla.].
While in Mayport, he met his wife of 61 years, Iris Matthews. After three years in Mayport, he and Iris were transferred to Lualualei Naval Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, where they started their family. After serving a six-year tour and experiencing a brief delay from discharging due to the Cuban Missile Crisis, Mr. Kern and his young family moved back to his native Pittsburgh [Moon Township] to work for his father, Leonard, in his construction equipment distribution business, Equipment Corporation of America (ECA).
Mr. Kern was associated with ECA, based in Coraopolis, Pa., for close to 50 years. He helped grow the company into one of the largest and most respected foundation construction equipment distributors on the East Coast.
In his 35 years at the helm of ECA, his philosophy was "always take care of customers first" and he transitioned the company's product offerings, specializing in foundation and hoisting equipment. He further expanded the two locations (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia] to five by adding a full-service branch in the 1970s in Upper Marlboro, Md., [Washington, D.C.], later entering in a partnership with a related business in Taunton [Boston], Mass., and oversaw the purchase of Specialty Construction Equipment [now named ECA Canada] in Toronto in 1999, thus expanding ECA's footprint. Today, ECA has 11 locations throughout North America.
Mr. Kern supported and was active in the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), serving on AED's board and numerous committees, and other trade associations including Deep Foundations Institute [DFI], the International Association of Foundation Drilling [ADSC] and the Western Pennsylvania Contractors Association. He also served as a district council leader and advisor to the Boy Scouts of America, was a member of the Masonic Temple and Kiwanis. A life-long Christian, Mr. Kern had belonged to Coraopolis United Methodist Church and, later, First Church of Boynton Beach.
Mr. Kern's interests included reading novels and the Wall Street Journal, and he was an avid golfer, shooting his age at 74 and many times after that. He was a long-time member of Montour Heights Country Club [Moon Township, Pa.], Williams Country Club [Weirton, W. Va.], and finally, the Lost City Golf Club [Lantana, Fla.].
He was predeceased by his wife, Iris, and his son, Dennis (Loraine) of Mesa, Ariz. He is survived by his children, Roy (Lori) of Peters Twp, Pa.; and Tara (Pete) Rose of Peters Twp., Pa.; and also, by his six grandchildren, who knew and loved him as "Pepa:" Rod (Anna) and Darby Kern; Nolan and Brea Kern; and Jake and Ryan Rose.
A Celebration of Life Services for family and friends will be planned for a later date.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to:
First Church of Boynton Beach
101 North Seacrest Boulevard
Boynton Beach, FL 33435
www.firstandfaith.org/give
-or-
Boy Scouts of America - Laurel Highlands Council
1275 Bedford Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
https://donations.scouting.org
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