Echo Inc. Announces Dan Obringer as President

ECHO Inc., a manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, announced that effective Dec. 1, Dan Obringer will become president of the company. He succeeds Yoshi Nagao, who will return to Japan as president of Kioritz Corporation, the parent company of ECHO.

Serving as ECHO’s vice president and senior vice president of administration for more than 13 years, Obringer becomes ECHO’s first American president.

“During his tenure, Dan has been instrumental in helping the management team plan and execute strategies that have consistently grown ECHO’s sales and profitability,” says Chuck Kitazume, current president of Kioritz Corporation.  “We believe Dan is well qualified to lead the ECHO organization as our first American President and continue ECHO’s record of success.”

Also effective Dec. 1, Steve Bly will be promoted from senior vice president of operations to executive vice president. Bly joined ECHO 12 years ago as vice president of manufacturing and currently serves on the board of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), the major international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment.

Obringer resides in Glenview, Ill., and Bly in Oakwood Hills, Ill.

ECHO Incorporated, based in the Chicago suburb of Lake Zurich, Ill., designs and manufactures commercial-grade outdoor power equipment. ECHO is a subsidiary of Kioritz Corporation of Japan.