Polaris Reorganizes Victory and International Divisions
Several members of the management team for Minnesota-based Polaris Industries Inc. have been apppointed to new positions, effective immediately.
Mark Blackwell has been named Vice President, Victory Motorcycles & International Operations. Blackwell joined Polaris in 2000 as General Manager of Victory Motorcycles.
“Mark has done an outstanding job over the past four years building a very strong team, developing new, compelling product and establishing Victory as a legitimate brand positioned for significant growth in the motorcycle industry,” said Polaris President and Chief Operating Officer Bennett Morgan. “There are many reasons why this is a good move for Mark and Polaris – he is a proven leader with strong international experience running businesses and as a motocross champion early in his career.
“His experience will be a huge asset in our developing partnership with KTM, and Victory will be a key component of our growth outside the U.S in the future.”
Other changes include the promotion of Allan Hurd to General Manager, Victory Motorcycles, reporting to Mark Blackwell. An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Hurd joined Polaris in 2000 as Director of Engineering for Victory.
Marc Tullemans has been promoted to the role of International Operations Manager. In this role, he will be responsible for managing the international staff based in Medina and overseeing logistics, marketing and retail development processes on a global basis. Tullemans came to Polaris in 2001 as the Product Manager for the RANGER Utility Vehicle Division and later joined the international team as the Global Sales and Dealer Development Manager. Tullemans also served with Arctic Cat.
Paul Tomsche has been promoted to International Business Development and Distributor Sales Manager, reporting to Marc Tullemans. In this role, he will be responsible for global business development in a variety of territories. Tomsche joined Polaris in August, 2000 as the Retail Development Manager for the Personal Watercraft division. Tomsche also spent nine years with Yamaha.
Finally, John Corness, Vice President of Human Resources, had been taking on interim responsibilities of managing the international business for the past 7 months leading up to this announcement. Corness will now resume full-time responsibility for Human Resources.