OPEI Announces 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Directors

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) recently announced its 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Directors during the OPEI Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, VA, June 18-20, 2013.

Officers for the 2013-2014 year include:

OPEI chairman - Todd Teske, chairman, president & CEO, Briggs & Stratton

OPEI vice chair - Paul Mullet, president, Excel Industries

OPEI secretary/treasurer - Lee Sowell, president of outdoor products, Techtronic Industries, N.A., Inc.

“OPEI is entering this new fiscal year stronger than ever, both organizationally and financially,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “The OPEI Board reflects the impressive scope and breadth of our membership. Our membership is at a record high, representing small engine manufacturers with a range of power sources, utility vehicle manufacturers, and a myriad of small engine equipment manufacturers and suppliers serving a broad range of industries and uses.”

"OPEI’s long history and strong membership put us in a unique position to make sure we are bringing good quality high value products to the marketplace,” said OPEI chair, Todd Teske. “Our collective strength to influence legislation in order to protect our employees and consumers and to communicate accurate information about our industry will continue to be our focus into the future. For the over hundred million consumers who use our products, we want them to know we are working hard for them.”

Continuing their service on the OPEI Board are:

Immediate past chairman - Daniel Ariens, president & CEO, Ariens Company

Marc Dufour, president, Club Car

Peter Hampton, president, Active Exhaust Corporation

Jean Hlay, president and chief operating officer, MTD Products Inc.

Steven Bly, executive vice president, Echo Inc.

Ed Cohen, vice president of Government & Industry Relations, Honda North America

Michael Hoffman, chairman, chief executive officer, The Toro Company

Tim Merrett, vice president, AT&T Global Platform Turf & Utility, Deere & Company

Fred Whyte, president, Stihl Incorporated

New to the board this year are:

Tom Cromwell, president, Kohler Engines, Kohler Company

John Cunningham, president, Consumer Products Group, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

OPEI Announces 2012-2013 Officers and Directors

Alexandria, VA – June 28, 2012 – The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) today announced its 2012-2013 Officers and Board of Directors during its 60th Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, CO June 20-22, 2012.

Officers for the 2012-2013 year include:

OPEI Chairman Daniel Ariens, President, Ariens Company;

OPEI Vice Chairman Todd Teske, Chairman, President & CEO, Briggs & Stratton Corp.; and

Secretary/Treasurer Paul Mullet, President, Excel Industries.

“Our new officers will lead the organization in an important year for our industry,” said Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI. “A variety of legislative, regulatory and market issues will be addressed by the new OPEI Board of Directors, who bring strategic thinking and expertise to the direction we will take.”

Added OPEI Chair Dan Ariens, “The vantage point that OPEI represents is more relevant than at any other time in the organization’s 60-year history. Our members are in a unique position to provide firsthand knowledge of how legislative actions might affect the employees in this industry and the consumers who rely on power equipment products every day.”

Continuing their service on the OPEI Board are:

Immediate Past Chairman, Jean Hlay, President and Chief Operating Officer, MTD Products Inc.;

Steven Bly, Executive Vice President, Echo Inc;

Ed Cohen, Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, Honda North America;

Michael Hoffman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, The Toro Company;

Michael Jones, President of the Americas, Husqvarna; and

Fred Whyte, President, Stihl Incorporated.

New to the board this year are:

Marc Dufour, President, Club Car;

Peter Hampton, President, Active Exhaust Corporation; and

Lee Sowell, President – Outdoor Products, Techtronic Industries, N.A., Inc.

About the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is an international trade association representing more than 84 small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers worldwide. OPEI is a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the development of safety and performance standards. For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.

OPEI Announces 2010-2011 Officers and Board Members

Alexandria, VA – July 7, 2010 - The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announced its 2009-10 Officers and Board of Directors during its 58^th Annual Meeting in Couer D’Alene, Idaho held June 25-27, 2010.

Officers for 2010-11 include: OPEI Chairman Fred Whyte, President, STIHL, Inc ; OPEI Vice Chairman Jean Hlay, President and Chief Operating Officer, MTD Products, Inc; and Secretary/Treasurer Richard Fotsch, President of the Global Power Group, Kohler Company.

“Our new officers will lend their leadership during what’s expected to be a pivotal year for our industry,” said Kris Kiser, Executive Vice President at OPEI. “As a team on the OPEI Board of Directors, they will bring forward thinking to a variety of issues that our industry is tackling in the next 12 months from legislative and regulatory issues to market issues.”

“The international scope of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute will drive decision making to meet global business challenges,” said Mr. Whyte. “And, we look forward to meeting those challenges through responsible research, design and manufacturing processes that ultimately benefit our customers and the environment worldwide.”

Continuing their service on the board are: Immediate Past Chairman, Michael Hoffman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, The Toro Company; Daniel Ariens, President, Ariens Company; Steven Bly, Executive Vice President, Echo Inc; Edward Cohen, Vice President- Government & Industry Relations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; Michael Jones, President, Husqvarna Professional Products; John May, Senior Vice President, AT&T Global Platform, Turf & Ag Division, John Deere Company; Gary Michel, President & CEO, Club Car, Inc; Paul Mullet, President, Excel Industries; Todd Teske, President; CEO, Briggs and Stratton Corp.; and Dan Wilkinson, President. Jacobsen, A Textron Company

About the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute

OPEI is an international trade association representing the $15 billion landscape, forestry, utility and lawn and garden equipment manufacturing industry. OPEI is a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the development of safety standards. Founded in 1952, OPEI represents and promotes the outdoor power equipment industry and ensures the public may continue to benefit from the economic, lifestyle and environmental contributions of landscapes and turfgrass. For more information on OPEI, visit www.OPEI.org.