Polaris Renews Its Leadership

by Jason R. Sakurai

Published: May 4th, 2021

Polaris today affirmed the appointments of a new CEO and CFO, both of whom had been serving in interim roles since January. The manufacturer of motorcycles, off-road vehicles, and boats named Michael Speetzen as CEO, and Bob Mack as CFO.

CEO Scott Wine left the company in November to helm CNH Industrial NV, an agricultural and construction equipment maker. CNH’s Iveco unit also produces commercial trucks. During Wine’s tenure, as interest in powersports rebounded, the firm revived Indian Motorcycles to compete with Harley-Davidson. The company curtailed Victory motorcycle production. In a widely-debated move, they bought the 4 Wheel Parts chain of truck and off-road parts stores.

John Wiehoff, Board of Directors chairman said in making the announcement, “Mike is a proven and highly respected leader within Polaris and across the powersports industry. His strong vision and deep understanding of the business gives us great confidence in his ability to further build on Polaris’ legacy of innovation and growth.”

“In his six years with the Company, Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to inspire our team, build strong stakeholder relationships and drive strategic execution. We are excited about the next chapter of success and value creation under Mike’s leadership,” Wiehoff said.

Speetzen said, “Bob is a results-driven leader who was integral in expanding Polaris’ role as an industry leader through strategic mergers and acquisition activity and his leadership of our global adjacent markets and boats operations.”

Polaris’ stock took a dive in November when Wine’s departure was announced, according to Bloomberg. At the time Wine left, the company’s share price was $141.45, down 4.6 percent reportedly due to a pandemic-related shutdown in 2020. Shares quadrupled in value with Wine in charge, and the company’s revenue grew fourfold, according to reports. Polaris Inc.’s shares closed at $142.72 yesterday.

[Images: Polaris]

#4WheelParts #IndianMotorcycles #Off-Road #Polaris #SUVs #SxS #TransamericanParts #Trucks #UTVs

Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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2 comments

Lou_BC on May 04, 2021

Polaris makes boats named Michael Speetzen?

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Pig_Iron on May 05, 2021

Polaris of Indian motorcycle fame. (CNH = Case New Holland, if you so care)

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