Polaris Honors Contributors
With Induction into the Polaris Hall of Fame Retired Employees, Dealerships
& Supplier Representative Are Honored
Medina, MN (8/3/2011) -
Polaris Industries Inc. honored three individuals
and three dealerships for their significant
long-term contributions to the company’s
success by inducting them into the Polaris
Hall of Fame today at the National Sales Meeting
held in Nashville, Tennessee.
Inducted into the Polaris Hall of Fame, which
was created during the company’s 50th
anniversary in 2004, were two retired employees,
a former executive with a key supplier and
three Polaris dealerships.
“It’s an honor for us to recognize
the outstanding contributions these individuals
made to Polaris growth and success, and the
way these leading dealerships have helped
built and represent the Polaris brand,”
said Polaris CEO Scott Wine.
The 2011 Polaris Hall of Fame inductees
are:
Jeff Bjorkman,
who joined Polaris in 1990 as a Manufacturing
Engineering Manager and went on to become
VP of Operations before retiring in 2009.
He oversaw vast expansion and modernization
of the company’s Roseau, Minnesota,
engineering and manufacturing operations,
directed company manufacturing start-ups
in Wisconsin and Iowa and oversaw creation
of the company’s state of the art
product development center in Wyoming, Minnesota.
Norm Berg,
who made invaluable contributions to the
development of numerous significant snowmobile
components and models as well as off-road
vehicles and sub-systems. As a Sr. Design
Engineer, Manager of Research and Product
Development and Sr. Staff Engineer, he contributed
to product development with his vision and
ability to turn concepts into components.
Hawkins Equipment,
Ltd., a Polaris dealership
since 1965, when Basil Hawkins started selling
Polaris snowmobiles from his new lawnmower
repair shop in Fredericton, N.B., Canada.
He sold the business to his son and daughter-in-law,
Brent and Elva Hawkins, in 1987, and they
have continued to provide Polaris snowmobile
and off-road vehicle owners with outstanding
customer service.
Carl’s
Cycle Sales, a Boise, Idaho,
dealership opened by Carl Struthers and
his wife Liz in 1966. They became Polaris
dealers in 1982 and developed a reputation
as a leading source of outstanding performance
products and tuning. Following Carl’s
untimely death in 1996, the family kept
the business running strongly. Owned and
operated today by two of Carl and Liz’s
children, Jack Struthers and Carrie Jolliffe,
Carl’s Cycle Sales is widely known
and respected Polaris dealership and performance
shop.
RideNow Powersports,
one of the nation’s leading dealership
groups, serves customers by providing exactly
what riders want in terms of custom and
performance products. With dealership staffs
comprised of avid riders, RideNow personnel
understand what customers are looking for,
and they have provided valuable market insights
to Polaris off-road vehicle product development
teams. RideNow Powersports is led by Chairman
Bill Coulter, CEO Mark Tkach and COO Bill
Nash.
Masatoshi “Mako”
Iwasaki, a retired executive
with Fuji Heavy Industries, a Polaris Hall
of Fame supplier. For 31 years Mr. Iwasaki
served as the primary liaison between Polaris
and Fuji, a long-time engine supplier and
partner in Robin Manufacturing USA, a joint
venture engine manufacturer. He helped bridge
the differences in the partners’ business
cultures and languages, and was instrumental
in nurturing the outstanding business relationship
Fuji and Polaris enjoy to this day.
About Polaris With annual
2009 sales of $1.6 billion, Polaris designs,
engineers, manufactures and markets off-road
vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles
(ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER(r), snowmobiles
and Victory Motorcycles(r) for recreational
and utility use. Polaris is a recognized leader
in the snowmobile industry, and one of the
largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world.
Victory Motorcycles, established in 1998 and
representing the first all-new American-made
motorcycle from a major company in nearly
60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads
into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace.
Polaris also enhances the riding experience
with a complete line of Pure Polaris(r) apparel,
accessories and parts, available at Polaris
dealerships.
Polaris Industries Inc.
trades on the New York Stock Exchange under
the symbol "PII," and the Company
is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock
price index.
Information about the
complete line of Polaris products, apparel
and vehicle accessories, is available from
authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from
the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
