4 • February 2024 • Powersports Business

Polaris has announced that executive vice president ( EVP ) of global operations and chief technology officer ( CTO ), Ken Pucel , will retire in April , following a notable nine-year career with the Minnesota-based company .

“ Ken has been an instrumental leader , operational advisor and trusted colleague during his career with Polaris ,” says Mike Speetzen , Polaris CEO .

Pucel joined Polaris in 2014 as EVP of operations , engineering and lean , and was named CTO in 2022 . During his tenure , he was responsible for the global growth and expansion of Polaris ’ operations . Pucel oversaw the company ’ s efforts to enhance its lean capabilities , refine its supplier and logistics operations , and invest in its operational processes .

Speetzen says Pucel made many impactful contributions to the organization , from improving safety to enhancing the capabilities of its operations and product development processes to navigating the unprecedented complexity of the supply chain and logistics during the pandemic .

“ His laser focus on quality and passion for the industry has helped Polaris raise the bar for quality , performance and innovation ,” says Speetzen . “ Ken has built a strong foundation that leaves us well-positioned for continued growth and operational excellence well into the future . Under his leadership , we are situated to take the next step in our evolution to become a more business-unit-oriented , customer-focused organization .”

LEADERSHIP MOVES Polaris is elevating and expanding the roles of the following leaders to continue delivering on its long-term growth strategy , and to more closely align operations and engineering teams into its Global Business Units :

Tony Kinsman , vice president of Off-Road Engineering , has been appointed CTO in addition to his current responsibilities . In his expanded role , Kinsman will oversee its engineering department and technology development while driving increased integration between Polaris ’ engineering teams .

Kinsman will dual report to Speetzen and Steve Menneto , president of Off-Road . A 20-year veteran with the company , Kinsman has a keen understanding of Polaris , along with extensive technical and leadership expertise , having spent his career in various Off-Road and engineering roles focused on vehicle design , development and technology integration .

To reinforce its operations , Polaris ’ sourcing and logistics teams will move under Marc Suarez , vice president of Polaris Off-Road Operations . Suarez will be responsible for driving deeper alignment between business teams and its strategic sourcing and logistics plans . He will continue to report to Menneto . With more than 25 years of operations experience , he is an experienced leader with a strong track record of success , who previously held key leadership roles at Daikin , United Technologies , Easton Bell Sports and Whirlpool .

To support critical centralized needs and continue lean manufacturing across the enterprise , Polaris is naming Doug Adrian as vice president of Quality & Operational Excellence . He will report to Speetzen . He will lead critical centralized areas of focus , including quality , central manufacturing , employee health and safety , lean ( mfg .) and indirect sourcing .

KEN PUCEL

Adrian brings more than 25 years of experience in operations , quality and process development . He joined Polaris in 2020 , most recently serving as vice president and general manager of Godfrey and Hurricane within the Polaris Marine segment .

“ Tony , Doug and Marc will bring a wealth of understanding and experience to these roles . Building on the path that Ken laid out , now is the natural time to continue the progress of our organization ’ s evolution and transition several areas of formerly centralized operations closer to key stakeholders that can drive impactful decisions while maintaining important cross-company teams that foster cohesion in critical areas across our businesses ,” Speetzen says .

To support these leaders in their new and expanded roles , Pucel will transition into a strategic advisor role until he officially retires in April .

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Husband and wife team Derek and Laura Clardy have sold MotoGear Warehouse to Scott Lawrence and his father Laney Lawrence , the principals of Triple Curl Capital LLC , after a highly successful 12 years of ownership . The couple established the dealership , located in Shelbyville , Tennessee , in 2011 and oversaw its expansion from a preowned motorcycle business to a prominent powersports , tractor and power equipment dealer . New units from industry brands are sold from a 21,000-square-foot facility on six acres with additional covered storage .

Scott Lawrence , a resident of a neighboring city and seasoned entrepreneur , in partnership with his father Laney , were in search of a new business interest . Mike Pate , vice president of Powersports Listings M & A ( PLMA ), orchestrated the transactional process and presented Scott and Laney with the MotoGear Warehouse buyout opportunity .

Under Pate ’ s purview , PLMA ’ s CIO David Clay and CEO Tom Macatee , the successful transaction and final reconciliations were managed thoroughly and the change of ownership was finalized on December 21 , 2023 .

Well-renowned brands such as Can-Am , Kawasaki , Massey Ferguson and Scag Power Equipment will continue to be supported by the dealership , which will be rebranded as Southbound Powersports . Scott and Laney Lawrence ’ s track record of entrepreneurial acumen , coupled with the dedication and discipline of MotoGear Warehouse ’ s exceptional team , promises a continued positive trajectory for the dealership .

Derek and Laura Clardy take pride in passing the baton to capable hands to continue to support the riders and farmers of

Pictured from left to right are Mike Pate , Laura Clardy , Derek Clardy , Tom Macatee , David Clay and Scott

Lawrence . Photo courtesy of Powersports Listings M & A

Shelbyville and neighboring areas . “ We have such great customers and employees , so it was not an easy decision to sell the business that we built together for 12 years ,” Derek and Laura Clardy share . “ We appreciate Mike Pate and the PLMA team for smoothing out the process .”

“ I could not have asked for better people than the Clardy ’ s to work with as a buyer ,” Scott Lawrence says . “ Be on the lookout for our new signs and new name Southbound Powersports .”

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