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10 SEPTEMBER 2014 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com INDUSTRY NEWS HOT News Briggs & Stratton Corporation acquires Allmand Bros., Inc. Briggs & Stratton Corporation announced Aug. 29 that it has acquired U.S.-based Allmand Bros., Inc. for a total consideration of approximately $62 million in cash for all outstanding shares of Allmand, net of acquired cash. Briggs & Stratton financed the transaction from cash on hand. Founded in 1938 and based in Holdrege, Neb., Allmand is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality towable light towers, industrial heaters, and solar LED arrow boards.Allmand has sales of approximately $80 million annually. "This acquisition helps us to further our strategic initiative of focusing on attractive higher-margin, commercial end-use products," said Todd J. Teske, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Briggs & Stratton Corporation. "The acquisition of Allmand augments our higher-margin commercial product portfolio, expands our market access to include the rental channel, and helps diversify our business into industry segments that we do not meaningfully participate in today. In addition, we believe this acquisition will accelerate our sales growth in the U.S. and abroad. We look forward to welcoming the management team and the employees of Allmand to our team, and building upon the strong foundation that has made Allmand a highly successful company." "For over 75 years, Allmand has been producing innovative products that make customer worksites brighter, warmer, safer, and more productive," commented Roger C. Allmand, chairman of Allmand Bros., Inc. "The combination of Allmand with Briggs & Stratton will provide even more opportunities for our people and our customers. With a proven track record of operating successfully for over 100 years, we believe that Briggs & Stratton will be able to accelerate our presence globally." Kawasaki's Engine Division promotes four executives Kawasaki Engines, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., has promoted four members of its management team. Leading the group announcement is Rodger Howe, who becomes vice president. He is joined by Karen Howard, senior manager, national sales-dealer and select distributor channels; Tom Moskwa, senior manager, engineering & technical services; and Lorraine Lauer, who becomes senior administrative sales supervisor. Howe has served in executive positions with Kawasaki in both the consumer products area and with the Engine Division, most recently as the division's executive director. His broad experience with the company includes sales, marketing and operations posts, and he will now oversee various aspects of the company's growth plans for the division's business. Howard, who is also a veteran Kawasaki employee, has held marketing management titles and is being promoted from her position as national sales manager, dealer and select distributor channels. She will continue to develop and implement strategic sales plans, focus on improvement of dealer traffic, oversee the company's district manager sales team, and help ensure the achievement of wholesale objectives. Moskwa, most recently the division's manager of the engineering group, will add responsibilities for research and development engineering to his existing oversight of the applications engineering team and the quality assurance group. The new position includes coordination with Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. (KMM) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI) in the R&D area, as well as development, testing, and analysis of innovative engine performance concepts. He will coordinate new engine product development, helping ensure Kawasaki's ability to meet OEM requirements. Lauer moves to her new post from the position of sales administration supervisor, where she has oversight responsibility for OEM engine orders and coordinates production with KMM and KHI. The 17-year Kawasaki employee is involved with engine forecasting and business planning both domestically and for export, inclusive of Australia, Central America and most of South America. Kawasaki currently markets more than 40 general-purpose engines, most of which are produced by Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A., in its Maryville, Mo.-based facility, which has turned out in excess of eight million units. Kawasaki Engines distributes gasoline engines for landscape, industrial and consumer markets. The division services customers through a network of more than 7,500 independent dealers through the United States, Canada, and the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific, including Guam. Rodger Howe