OPEI announces additional board members

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) has announced three additional board members will be joining the current board of directors at the opening of the Green Industry & Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) and Hardscape North America (HNA) Oct. 21-23 at Louisville’s Kentucky Exposition Center. The new board members are as follows:

* Tom Duncan, president & CEO, Positec USA, Inc.

* David Withers, president, Jacobsen, a Textron Company

* Bjoern Fischer, incoming president, Stihl Inc.

Continuing their service on the OPEI board of directors are as follows: Daniel Ariens, president & CEO, Ariens Company; Earl Bennett, general counsel, North America & Latin America, Husqvarna Group; Edward Cohen, vice president, government & industry relations, Honda North America, Inc.; Tim Merrett, vice president of A&T global platform and turf & utility, Deere & Company; Tom Cromwell, group president – power, Kohler Company; Tim Dorsey, president, Echo Incorporated; Marc Dufour, president, Club Car; Peter Hampton, president, Active Exhaust Corporation; Jean Hlay, president and chief operating officer, MTD Products Inc.; Michael Hoffman, chairman, chief executive officer, The Toro Company; Paul Mullet, president, Excel Industries; Lee Sowell, president, outdoor products at Techtronic Industries Power Equipment; Todd Teske, chairman, president & CEO, Briggs & Stratton Corp.; and Fred Whyte, president, Stihl Inc.

“OPEI represents the depth and breadth of the outdoor power equipment, utility vehicle, and small engine manufacturing industries,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “Board members play a vital role in overseeing our work, ensuring we continue to be the voice of this diverse industry. The additional board members will lend their unique vision and expertise to our already-strong board.”

OPEI, a majority shareholder of GIE+EXPO, represents its members and their interests in Washington, D.C.; educates the public about proper fueling for outdoor power equipment through its ‘Look Before You Pump’ campaign; and shares safety standards and best practices. In addition, OPEI’s TurfMutt environmental stewardship and education program, created in partnership with Scholastic, teaches children and families how to take care of and enjoy living landscapes.

For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.