OPEI Hosts 2024 Annual Meeting, Announces Executive Committee Transition
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, an international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of outdoor power equipment, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and personal transport vehicles, and golf cars, recently named its new Board President and Directors at the organization’s Annual Meeting in June at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
150 attendees gathered for the event, where OPEI announced the transition of its 2024-2025 Board of Directors, reported on the health of the association, it’s engagement over the last year, as well as the standing of its trade show, Equip Exposition.
“With 150 attendees and invited guests, insightful keynotes, and so much time to connect, I think it was one of the best Annual Meetings yet,” said Kris Kiser. “We’re pleased to report that the association and our trade show are on solid financial footing, and remain in a good position to advocate for members and the industry as we head into 2025.”
Keynote speakers at the event included Alan Beaulieu, President, ITR Economics; Robert Costa, Chief Election & Campaign Correspondent for CBS News; and Charles Duhigg, two-time New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist. OPEI staff also shared updates on the associations policy and regulatory engagement, market statistics program, TurfMutt Foundation, and consumer safety education.
The OPEI Board of Directors met concurrently with the Annual Meeting, approving the association’s budget, the transition of the Board’s Executive Committee, and work plans for the coming year.
OPEI’s Board of Directors for 2024-2025 comprises:
- Chair – David Thorne, Vice President, Turf & Compact Utility Business Unit, Deere & Company
- Vice Chair – Rick Olson, Chairman and CEO, The Toro Company
- Secretary/Tresurer – Chris Keffer, President and CEO, STIHL Inc.
- Immediate Past Chair – Mike Clancy, CEO, Chervon North America
- Equip Exposition Show Chairman – Dan Ariens, Chairman and CEO, Ariens Company
- Rick Gray, President – Outdoor Power Equipment, Milwaukee Tool
- Klaus Hahn, President North America, Greenworks
- Peter Hampton, President and CEO, Active Dynamics
- Brian Melka, Group President — Kohler Energy
- Andreas Rangert, President – North America, Husqvarna Forest & Garden Division
- Doug Redpath, President & General Manager, Outdoor, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
- Harold Redman, President and CEO, Echo Incorporated
- Tom Rugg, Senior Vice President & President Energy Solutions, Briggs & Stratton
- Nelson Wilner, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Engines, Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA
“We couldn’t host events like Ponte Vedra without the ongoing, generous support of our sponsors,” Kiser said. Sponsors at this year’s Annual Meeting included:
- Huntington — Premiere Sponsor
- Louisville Tourism — OPEI Louisville Golf Classic Scramble
- Sheffield — Keynote Sponsor
- TD Retail — Keynote Sponsor
- The Toro Company — Keynote Sponsor
- Closing Reception & Dinner — STIHL, Inc.
- Propane Energy Research Council — Breakfast Sponsor
- Briggs & Stratton — Breakfast Sponsor
- Senix — Wi-fi Sponsor
- Wells Fargo — Welcome Amenity Sponsor
- Kawasaki Engines — Registration Gift Sponsor
- Kubota — Networking Break Sponsor
- Active Dynamics — Networking Break Sponsor
OPEI’s 2025 Annual Meeting will be held at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah, June 24-26.
OPEI is an international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of power equipment, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and personal transport vehicles, and golf cars. OPEI is the advocacy voice of the industry, and a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the development of safety and performance standards. OPEI owns Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living and equipment exposition, and administers the TurfMutt Foundation, which directs the environmental education program, TurfMutt. OPEI-Canada represents members on a host of issues, including recycling, emissions and other regulatory developments across the Canadian provinces
