Leading with integrity
As President of Advanced Equipment Company (AEC), Darin Boik is recognized throughout the material handling industry as a trusted problem solver and partner. Since joining AEC in 2004, he has built his career around combining a strong technical background with a straightforward commitment to helping customers find the right solution.
For Darin, that commitment starts with a simple principle:
“The main value is just doing the right thing. We always make sure we act as an extension of our client and do what’s right for them.”
It is an approach that influences not only the way Darin works with customers, but also the way AEC approaches projects and relationships throughout the company.
From sales engineer to president
Darin joined AEC in 2004 as an Outside Sales Account Manager. With an engineering background and an ability to understand both the technical and practical sides of a customer’s challenge, he quickly established himself as a valuable resource for AEC clients.
Over the years, Darin has worked with customers across a wide range of industries, including retail, food and beverage, manufacturing, and distribution. His experience includes projects ranging from custom design applications to larger integrated systems engineered to improve efficiency, productivity, and material flow.
In 2018, Darin became President of AEC. Since then, he has helped guide the company through significant internal changes and within the material handling industry, while keeping the focus on the relationships and customer service that have defined AEC since 1960.
Technical knowledge with a practical approach
Darin’s engineering background remains an important part of how he approaches both leadership and customer relationships. His experience runs the gamut from system automation integration to large facility-wide material handling systems.
One of Darin’s greatest strengths is his ability to look at a complicated application and help make it understandable. He’s comfortable working through technical details with engineers, walking a facility with an operations team, or discussing costs and expected results with company leadership. That range of experience helps him keep both the technical requirements and the customer’s larger business goals in view.
Putting customers first, every time
For Darin, every successful partnership starts with total transparency, quick action, and earned trust. He doesn’t walk into a facility with a pre-set agenda. Instead, he steps onto the floor to see the operation firsthand – asking targeted questions, uncovering hidden bottlenecks, and looking at the big picture.
It’s never about making a quick sale; it’s about engineering an operational strategy that solves today’s friction while scaling for tomorrow’s growth. That boots-on-the-ground, consultative mindset is why operations leaders across the Carolinas and beyond turn to AEC project after project.
Leading through industry evolution
Over two decades in material handling gives you a strong foundation, but Darin believes the best solutions come from constantly expanding your knowledge base. By actively immersing himself in the latest automation trends, advanced equipment developments, and specialized training, he ensures AEC always brings modern, high-value insights to every project.
This appetite for continuous improvement sets the tone for the entire organization. Under Darin’s leadership, decades of proven industry experience serve as the launchpad for creative, next-generation systems design.
Grounded, approachable leadership style
Equally analytical and approachable, Darin’s leadership style centers on team alignment and practical problem-solving. He enjoys rolling up his sleeves to tackle tough application hurdles, working alongside team members to map out the ideal path forward.
Off the clock, Darin stays active through tennis, fitness, travel, and family time. His early focus on professional golf highlights the core traits that define his leadership today: quiet competitiveness, intense discipline, and a commitment to continuous refinement.
Why AEC clients rely on Darin
After more than 20 years in the industry, Darin still approaches the business with the same basic idea: understand what the customer needs, find the right solution, and do the right thing.
His combination of engineering knowledge, material handling experience, and commitment to long-term relationships has made him a trusted resource for customers and an important part of AEC’s continued growth.
For Darin, success is not simply completing the next project. It is building the kind of relationship that makes a customer comfortable calling AEC again when the next challenge arises.
Partnering with AEC
Since 1960, AEC has remained the leading conveyor integrator in North and South Carolina, and delivering elite material handling expertise to the entire US.
AEC’s premier status is built on a “boots on the ground” approach that transforms complex material handling challenges into streamlined, high-performance realities. By combining local expertise in the Carolinas with a robust nationwide reach, we provide the scalability of a national firm with the dedicated, responsive service of a regional partner.
Written by AEC Director of Customer Engagement, Josh Hamrick