“My 40-year Toro career has been rewarding beyond imagination, from the richness of the relationships I share with employees, customers and other colleagues, to the totality of all the different career experiences on my Toro journey,” commented Hoffman. “Most recently, it has been an honor to lead this company following Ken Melrose, my mentor, who taught me the true meaning of leadership. I want to thank the board, distributors, customers, and especially our great employees, for their support and friendship. I am confident that Toro’s future will remain bright, under the leadership of Rick Olson. His broad-based experience, intelligence, and passion for our culture, have prepared him well to serve all of our stakeholders. Rick will help ensure that the Company holds true to our mission of delivering superior innovation and superior customer care.”
Hoffman joined The Toro Company in 1977 and spent several years in service, sales, and marketing roles for the professional and residential businesses. He went on to serve in a number of top executive positions throughout the Company. He was elected president in October 2004 and served as chief executive officer from March 2005 through October 2016. He was first elected chairman of the board in March 2006.
Olson joined Toro in 1986 and served in various positions of increasing responsibility in engineering and operations for several years, before being named general manager of Exmark in 2010. Olson subsequently held a series of executive leadership roles across businesses. Olson was elected president and chief operating officer in September 2015 and to the board of directors in January 2016. In November 2016 he became president and chief executive officer.
