OPEI Names New Board Members

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which owns and manages the Equip Exposition (formerly GIE+Expo), has named three new members to its board of directors, as well as a new chairman.

During the Institute’s annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June, the board of directors approved the association’s budget, its work plans for the coming year and named the three new directors, including:

• Steve Andrews, president and CEO, Briggs & Stratton
• Terry Horan, president and CEO, Stihl Inc.
• John Wyatt, senior vice president and president of outdoor, Stanley Black and Decker

The 2022-23 OPEI board of directors executive committee comprises:

• Brian Melka, group president – power, Kohler Co., chair
• Robert McCutcheon, president, Husqvarna North America, vice chair
• Mike Clancy, CEO, Chervon North America, secretary/treasurer
• Tom Duncan, executive board member, Positec USA, Inc., immediate past chair
• Dan Ariens, chairman and CEO, Ariens Company, Equip Exposition show chairman

Rounding out the board of directors are:

• Steve Andrews, president and CEO, Briggs & Stratton
• Tim Dorsey, president, Echo Incorporated
• Peter Hampton, president and CEO, Active Exhaust Corporation
• Terry Horan, president and CEO, Stihl Inc.
• Rick Olson, chairman and CEO, The Toro Company
• Lee Sowell, president, outdoor products, Techtronic Industries Power Equipment
• David Thorne, vice president, Turf & Compact Utility Business Unit, John Deere
• John Wyatt, senior vice president and president of outdoor, Stanley Black and Decker

More than 100 OPEI members attended the annual meeting for three days of education and networking.

“Members in attendance heard from four excellent speakers covering key issues facing the business, including the global economy, the impact of the war in Europe, future technology trends, and the science of employee retention,” says Kris Kiser, president of OPEI. “With so many networking events, our annual meeting is an extraordinary opportunity for members to gather and connect.”

Attendees and the board of directors were also briefed by association staff on Equip Exposition, which OPEI took full ownership of last fall. The show, slated for October 18-21 in Louisville, Kentucky, will expand the Outdoor Demo Yard to nearly 30 acres, broaden education opportunities to help attendees boost profits, and offering additional programming, among other improvements.

“OPEI and our trade show continue to receive tremendous support from the industry. Preliminary numbers on attendees, exhibitors and sponsors indicate that this year’s event could be one of the best in the show’s 40-year history,” Kiser says.

The next OPEI board meeting will take place in conjunction with Equip Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky. The association’s 2023 annual meeting is slated for June 20-22 in Asheville, North Carolina.

OPEI
www.opei.org