Polaris Industries celebrated the company’s 60-year anniversary with a closing bell ceremony from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Chairman and CEO Scott Wine and a number of key Polaris executives and team members participated in the nationally televised event, which took place in late October on Wall Street in New York City.
Starting from humble beginnings in 1954 in Roseau, MN, Polaris was among the first in the nation to produce a working snowmobile and six decades later has grown to become a $4 billion plus highly profitable global leader in the powersports industry. Polaris’ armada of products includes an ever-expanding lineup of snowmobiles, ATV and side-by-side vehicles, motorcycles, electric/hybrid powered vehicles and military/defense vehicles and related PG&A. Key milestones and innovation highlights over the company’s 60-year history include:
1956 – Produces the first modern snowmobile
1985 – Introduces first ATV
1987 – Becomes a publicly traded company
1998 – Ranger, the first of many utility side-by-side vehicles, is launched
1998 – Victory Motorcycles, the company’s first on-road vehicles, are introduced
2007 – RZR is unveiled—first trail-capable recreational side-by-side vehicle in the market
2009 – Achieves No. 1 market share position in powersports
2011 – First manufacturing operation established outside North America in Monterrey, Mexico
2011 – Exceeds 3 million Polaris Off-Road Vehicles sold since introduction
2013 – Re-launches Indian Motorcycles
2013 – Acquires Axiam Mega quadricycle company; complements GEM and Goupil Small Vehicles
2014 – Introduces Slingshot, the company’s unique 3-wheel roadster
“Innovation is the lifeblood of this company and we have an incredible global team of nearly 7,000 employees relentlessly focused on driving innovation in everything we do,” said Polaris Industries Chairman and CEO Scott Wine. “As we ring the Closing Bell today we pause to celebrate 60 years of truly pioneering achievements and the dedicated folks who made it happen, and we look forward to the almost limitless opportunities ahead for Polaris Industries.”
