OPEI holds annual meeting in Utah

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute recently held its annual meeting, which is open to all association members, in Park City, Utah, where attendees got a peek into the future of the economy, technology and issues impacting the outdoor power equipment industry.

The OPEI Board of Directors also met in conjunction with the annual meeting and mapped out strategic plans for the coming changes in business. At the meeting, the board also elected two new members: Brian Melka, President, Kohler Engines and Will Walton, III, Vice President, Honda Power Equipment.

“In addition to what’s occurring with the economy and technological shifts, the industry is facing a number of pressing issues with the emissions changes in California, impact of tariffs on trade, and ongoing threats to the managed landscape,” said Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI. “The board discussed these issues at length and mapped out a game plan.”

Kiser also said the board discussed the continued growth of GIE+EXPO, the industry’s trade show held in Louisville, Kentucky, each year. They'll partner with Louisville Tourism on a ‘Land in Louisville’ campaign designed to educate the fly-in audience that coming to the show can be affordable.

The speakers at the meeting were consistent in their message: inescapable changes are coming that will impact everyone, no matter who you are. They included Dr. Lior Zoref, with a Ph.D. in crowdsourcing, best-selling author, and TED speaker who has spoken at The White House, Google, MIT Media Lab and LinkedIn; Dr. Alan Beaulieu, President and principal at ITR Economics and a Senior Economic Advisor to numerous U.S. and international trade associations; and Paul Zikopoulos, named one of the “50 Big Data Twitter Influencers” by SAP, a consultant for “60 Minutes” and multiple universities.