McNary is one busy individual with her hands-on Production, Engineering, Product Strategy, Marketing and Sales. Finding enough qualified, skilled employees has always been the challenge in Northern Minnesota but Arctic Cat’s drive to add headcount shows their commitment to the brand and continued investment in the products they sell. The intent is to expand the Arctic Cat workforce by up to 300 employees over the next five years. The company is actively pursuing assemblers, welders, Engineers, ISC professionals and more. As one can imagine, Arctic Cat’s employees have a profound effect on the economy of TRF. She is not oblivious to the legacy of Arctic Cat employees and customers.Īrctic Cat is on an aggressive hiring program in TRF. Heidi commented on the changes in the leadership team by saying this: “A fresh perspective is never a bad thing”. This team positions Arctic Cat to meet the challenges of the near- and longer-term future. Trenton Munsell, Director of Product Strategy, Dirt, brings years of powersports industry knowledge and strategic thinking, and Peter Keppler, Vice President of Sales, joins the team from Harley and Brunswick Boats, and comes from a long history of channel development. Troy Halvorson – Director of Product Strategy, Snow, has a lifetime of experience with Arctic Cat snowmobiles. Heidi McNary has nothing but praise for the team she has in place right now. Both these successful products give customers a reason to visit their local Arctic Cat store and website. The success of the BLAST is proof Arctic Cat is attracting new riders and the Riot is clearly meeting the needs of the faithful, hardcore Arctic Cat aficionados. McNary makes it clear both loyal Arctic Cat snowmobile customers and new snow customers are important to her team. Arctic Cat is prioritizing all Snowmageddon orders for production by year end and will switch to in-season orders as quickly as possible. McNary surprised us with her open admission she regularly walks the production line in TRF so she can listen to the challenges facing the production team. Arctic Cat is a smaller but intimately similar example of this Covid rooted problem. It’s why huge OEMs like GM and Ford cannot meet customer and dealer orders. An issue plaguing every manufacturer is supply chain shortages. The model mixes on this season’s early orders has been a challenge, however Arctic Cat is on a path to fill each and every order. Just to make this perfectly clear – Arctic Cat will fulfill every MY22 early order before year end. To grow “Snowmageddon” orders in MY23, McNary has given the command to ensure the early order process is easier to understand and reflects accurately what early order buyers want. Interestingly, youth and mid-size models showed strong growth – likely an indicator of new and younger enthusiasts entering and returning to the market. McNary reported with enthusiasm Arctic Cat’s success with their early order sled program last spring. Finally, Arctic Cat wants to develop their dealer network – both snow and dirt – to ensure they are vibrant and profitable. First, Arctic Cat is maximizing production of existing products, then ensuring the customer is first – delivering Arctic Cat products reflecting what they want. In our discussion with Heidi McNary at Hay Days we asked her to drill down on a number of issues she is focused on. So, sit back and get the straight goods from Heidi McNary, the new Senior VP and General Manager, Powersports. Maybe the most asked question we field here at Trax Media World HQ is: “What is Arctic Cat up to?” It’s no secret there have been a myriad of changes at the Thief River Falls based OEM since Arctic Cat was sold to the giant Textron Corporation more than three years ago.
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