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FEATURE STORY INDUSTRY FORECASTS Leading minds delve into 2012 The following is the first of a two-part series: to share their thoughts. Specifically, we asked the following thought-provoking questions: 1. What is exciting or new about O your company or organization for 2012? 2. What will be the OPE industry's top trends in 2012? 3. What will be the OPE industry's biggest story in 2012? 4. Who will emerge as the Republi- can Party representative for the 2012 U.S. presidential election? Who will be elected president? How will the out- come of the presidential election im- pact the OPE industry? 5. What is your overall outlook for the OPE industry in 2012? OPE received the following written responses, in order, Dec. 13-22, 2011: utdoor Power Equipment recently took the pulse of the OPE indus- try by asking several of its readers Dean's firstborn, is planning to join early in 2012; we are excited because our planning and dreaming for the company are to con- tinue to be a independent, family-owned and family-operated business. Also, we are making capital investments for our operations to be more productive and efficient — a new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) manufactur- ing software operating system will be in- stalled in 2012 and several new metal- working machines have been purchased for the factory. 2. What will be the OPE industry's top trends in 2012? BW:We think EFI engines will become the dominant power for commercial mowing equipment in the next couple of years. We began putting Kohler EFI engines in our machines 13 years ago, and now for the first time, in 2011, we sold more machines equipped with EFI engines than carburetor engines in our most popular model. With the major producers such as Exmark and John Deere beginning to use EFI engines in their machines, the industry should begin to shift and the momentum build for the EFI tech- nology. 3. What will be the OPE industry's biggest story in 2012? BW: I don't have any insight on the BOB WALKER PRESIDENT WALKER MFG. CO. (FORT COLLINS, COLO.) 1. What is exciting or new about your company or organization for 2012? BW: Ryan Walker, Dean Walker's second oldest son (my nephew), has started to work in the company as a third-generation Walker family member, and his brother, Ted Walker, 18 "big" story, but would suggest that industry consolidation and the impact of environmen- tal and technical compliance issues on equip- ment design have the potential to be big stories in 2012. 4. Who will emerge as the Republi- can Party representative for the 2012 U.S. presidential election? Who will be elected president? How will the out- come of the presidential election im- pact the OPE industry? BW: Mitt Romney will be nominated and elected as president. He will have a posi- tive influence on the OPE industry and the OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com JOHN D. HEDGES DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING CENTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTORS, INC. (CPD) (ANOKA, MINN.) 1. What is exciting or new about your company or organization for 2012? JDH: Central Power Distributors, Inc. (CPD) has again had a banner year. There are always those obvious reasons like rain when we need it, cool temperatures instead of burning hot, and record snowfall in much of our territory. But when we take the weather out of the equation, customers need to like economic engine of this country. Just shifting away from leadership that denigrates wealth creators and job creators "not paying their fair share" to leadership that understands how the economy works will be a huge boost to business and to the attitude of folks throughout the country. The common sense possessed by the majority of our citizens un- derstands that the high standard of living we enjoy in the country comes from wealth generated by private enterprise and not from tax revenues and government spending. 5. What is your overall outlook for the OPE industry in 2012? BW: The industry will be on a plateau in 2012, holding at about the same level as 2011. Modest expansion could begin in the last quarter of 2012. Image ©istockphoto.com/moorsky.