New Leadership Roles Announced for Arctic Cat Today

Sorry to see Troy go, but happy to see he will be staying on. Crossing my fingers he goes back to engineering. Would love to see his influence on some new high-performance, lightweight trail sleds and new race sleds. Welcome Heidi. AC seems to be on the rebound with new product offerings, please keep the momentum rolling. Lets get back to leading the snowmobile industry with innovation and performance.

Id also like to see a refocus on lightweight performance focused trail sleds. The mountain sled drum has been beaten enough. There’s no dealers left in the west anyway, so lets move on.

Ill have cash down the minute I see the story here. I want a new Prowler Pro with some additional wheel/ground clearance and more horsepower. PLEASE keep it whisper quiet though.

So far, this Gunnar Kleveland CEO guy seems to be making a difference at Arctic Cat with improvements. I hope Heidi continues to follow his cue – get back the talented employees and invest in R&D and a strong dealer base.

Heidi. For the love of God, please get rid of the color gray on snowmobiles. That is all.

I just want some competent person that truly wants this brand to succeed to take the reigns, dig in, get a good team around them and run! I just roll my eyes when Textron makes all these leadership changes so often. If Heidi is the real deal, Ill support the hell out of her. But up to this point, people with Augusta addresses haven’t held the best track record with this brand…change my mind.

It is ridiculous how many leadership changes there has been. Good luck to you Heidi. Please listen to consumers and dealers. Put Arctic Cat back on top.

Just when I think we have finally gotten through all the cutbacks and job chopping changes at thief river. 40 years of successful retail in this industry, I’ve seen my share of “really great “business people move in and screw this thing up. Don’t know our new leader, but gods speed and don’t fix things that aren’t broken, plenty of broken ones to fix!

Hoping for the best, but a little resume browsing sure looks like 67GTa is on the right track. Linkedin has this quote, “…I like to say that triage is my forte…”

Time will tell.

Will she bring back the Black Cats? How do I get on the team?

Rider16 I totally agree! However, I just watched a video of Heidi
in her home and: 1)She has gray walls in her house. 2)Was sitting in a gray chair and 3)Was wearing a gray sweater! I think we will see more gray sleds.

Heard Brian Dick was let go and Troy sliding in?!?

Kale, nice old picture, that is my old F150 directly under the AC sign. Haven’t driven that one since 2010!

More Textron smoke and mirrors. Clock is ticking to the end.

Welcome to Arctic Cat, Heidi. Please give the team in TRF the tools they need to thrive, especially a budget that allows for significant new product development. We are waiting, and not patiently.

Her first act was to ax brian dick. Stick a fork in em. They are done.

More smoke and mirrors, Nailed it.

Heidi….call me, I can save you a lot of time, Ive been there got the t shirts from TXT and the industry, straight up no BS. I watched your video and the 3 focus areas you pointed out to concentrate on (lean, lean, green) OH my I had expected you to focus on employees, customers, dealers, product leadership, engineering, product support, quality, parts, a strategic engine plan. You fired Brian, the last to speak openly with vast industry knowledge, and to ask for honest input from others…..shame on you! Can me when you want to lead a run down the ditches to Bemidji for lunch and back. Ideal time of the year is the 3rd week of January. No need for a map, or directions. Good Luck JRC

I’ll be very sad if the news of Brian Dick being gone is true. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He didn’t know me, but he lent me one of his personal tools that allowed me to finish my first 500 race.
Kale, is this news true? 🙁

I can confirm the firing of Brian Dick is true. Why you would get rid of a guy who understands this industry and has a passion for it is beyond me. Can Textron quit acting like they want what’s best for Arctic??? For God’s sake, please bring back people who actually know the world of power sports, snowmobiling especially. Watching a company that was built up by legends only to be torn down in a matter of a couple years is heartbreaking to see. If they keep this up, there will be no more Arctic Cat. Someone help make this nightmare end.

Jon Carlson,
You’ve got their number, for sure! It’s a wonder we never crossed paths, though I dealt with the consumer side of Jacobsen, as it was botched beyond repair by Homelite/Textron. I was also a Deere “Consumer Products” dealer, but after they had washed their hands(emphatically)of snowmobiles. Deere was a different, better, company then, too. Much more of the old-school ag mentality at that time, unlike today.

In the end, once you have danced the dance with Textron, their moves are all too predictable. Sad for Arctic Cat.

Man, I’m speechless. I just, no words.

Brian, if you’re reading this-thanks for getting me across the finish line to see my Dad. It meant so much to him and I to be able to finish that race. I never got to properly thank you. #203.

Glad2BGone….no truer words spoken. TXT violates the basic laws of business. Sad to see an iconic name being taken down. We at least have good memories of a great time in snowmobiling.

If the folks in Roseau are listening they should make Brian and sweet deal right now. Ask Zach to come on up as well. The new clutch gave me a ray of hope but the lady has sung and my nickels spent on sleds are heading north to Roseau. I am normally not so negative but this really ticks me off…sorry.

It should of been textron being fired, not Brian!!!!!!They know nothing about the snowmobile industry so might as well sell it and move on already.

Puss600…It isn’t about the snowmobile industry. It is about power and control. Doing away with iconic companies that interfere with them retaining control. Textron is a military defense contractor. They only bought A/C for the ATV unit. They could care less about snowmobiles. Destruction of dealer network brings end to recreational usage. Parts supply will dry up soon. This is only the beginning.

Textron has Intentionally eliminated anyone at Arctic that knows anything about snowmobiles. Sickening.

To hear the news of Brian being fired has made me physically sick. It is so very apparent how much Textron cares about its employees and its brand. Brian was customer/dealer focused and inspired so many people to love the brand just as much as he did. He truly devoted his life to the company. This is a great loss for Arctic Cat / Textron and the repercussions are going to be felt for a long time.

I would like to see the proof that Brian was fired, before I go all crazy like some of you on here.

JimR – I can confirm 100% that its the truth, I am a close family friend. Brian can confirm it too. Look him up.

Unbelievable if Brian Dick was fired. I just don’t get it. Anyone know the purported reason?

Seems to me, not only has Textron not infused the brand with cash to regain a leadership position in the market, but they have eliminated literally everyone passionate about this brand.

Everything that made this brand unique is vanishing before our eyes.

Was Mr Dick’s release from A/C a mutual decision or an actual firing? More than meets the eye apparently,.

Reason? Most likely due to speaking up on behalf of the dealers and/or consumers, or the preservation of what is left of Arctic Cat. We had a very good DSM who had the audacity to speak out against one of the myriad “hose the dealer” policies the E-Z-Go idiots were implementing, and was immediately chopped off at the knees by John Collins, and was told “you can easily be replaced”. That’s how the E-Z-Go idiots view the lowly DSM’s, dealers, and consumers. They are the smartest people in the room, even when they are dead-wrong, which is almost always. Their arrogance is beyond breathtaking.

Then apparently Mr Dick had no contract with A/C? One must question his involvement with TXT when the company changed hands. Surely he was aware of TXT business practices? If not, then shame on him.

I’m interested to hear what the new exec has to say. Sorry to hear that another good member of the team was thrown overboard.

Arctic Cat survived, not because of some great vision by an executive, but because regular workers solve problems and make the company better every day that they show up for work.

I’ll reserve judgement until more is known, but if true it’s very bad news. To me it’s beginning to feel that the Textron acquisition was a big big mistake and that everything the Arctic Cat name has stood for and has meant to so many customers no longer exists. I hope I’m wrong.

true or not our message

#respect Brian

From retired AC Cross Country racer #248
Dustin

I watched the video. Leaner? Leaner than NO dealers left, leaner than NO parts, and you can’t get more leaner than NO machines to sell in season. Why was she holding a dog?

Snopro….do you have a link to the video?

https://www.facebook.com/TSVRecruiting/videos/1599201636901485/ hope that works, otherwise I just punched in Heidi Arctic cat.

After the review of the video….kiss the arctic cat you knew goodbye. Cleaner,greener, leaner? All code words for less of what you want and a product future most will not want.

Snopro…..the dog is a pysop. Look up the meaning of lap dog.

Well, after a long time of denying that Textron could be as poorly managed company as the keyboard jockeys say, the news of Brian Dick’s departure pretty well seal my thoughts of Textron and the new management team. I am a guy who has owned around 40 cats and currently has an ATV, a SXS, and 5 sleds in the fleet. I’ve bled Arctic my whole life. Preached the good word about the product to anyone who asked. But here I now sit, simply hating the new management strategy. Dozens of good engineers that built arctic now gone. Brian was my last hope. But now discarded by a career job-hopper currently living in Atlanta that will be gone along to the next management opportunity as soon as it presents itself. Leaving behind her only a trail of destruction by cutting one of the smartest tuners, racers, and engineers to set foot in MN. A guy who rode more miles on a sled than 95% of his customers and certainly understood the passion of the brand and us who ride it. And now Ms. McNary leaves me wondering, will my next 40 buys be cats? Do I want to do business with a company that doesn’t give a hoot about me or it’s most loyal workers? Sure hope she read the threads. I know Brian did…

Maybe this will help guide the misdirected individuals in seeing the future

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-29/sea-doo-maker-seeks-growth-beyond-fan-base-after-pandemic-boom

You may see a clearer path to the future of powersports

you know when country cat the largest dealer starts selling kawasaki its over.

She’s had some aerospace experience according to LinkedIn. Beechcraft vs Bombardier. Arctic Cat vs Ski-Doo. Yup, it’s the same thing. Oh, and the same people that ride electric buses ride snowmobiles.

She has a track record of lasting about 2 years at each position, builds her resume’ and leaves. This is a short term solution for Textron, they are gonna let her streamline the business and then sell off Arctic Cat. Textron will pat her on the back for doing a good job and promote her.

What a joke. I used to say that I was glad that Textron purchased Cat because the doors would have been closed if not. Well I now wished the doors would have closed then. It’s so sad to watch this great company go down the tubes every day. It’s more painful to watch it suffer every day then to just put it out of its misery and be done with it. I’m so sorry for the great workers at Cat.

Sick of these corporate idiots that think they know what they are doing. Cleaner, greener & leaner. Libtard idiots!! I’ve had enough of this crap.

I have to say she doesn’t look or sound like she knows a damn thing about snowmobiles or the powersports industry. If she did she sure as hell wouldn’t have done a video with that dog sitting on her lap talking about getting leaner and greener. Cant imagine she’s going to be any help developing new competitive products out of Arctic Cat. Seems like her only goal is to figure out how to slash costs and create a work environment filled with unicorns and fluffy bunnies. WTF Textron?

Doubt she has ever rode a snowmobile.
Question if she has ever rode an ATV.

Textron, Share Our Passion!!!

Wow some of you on here get all bent out of shape over what is probably nothing. Jobs change all the time.

Ken – no disrespect meant here but if AC doesn’t become greener they’ll be left further in the dust. A lot of us who grew up with sleds, bikes, quads, etc love our gasoline powered toys but it’s changing even faster than I believed. Look at Ford and other auto makers. Lawn mowers are ditching gas engines. Yeah sleds aren’t there but in 10 years they’ll have to be and that R&D starts now.

Sad state of affairs for AC. Been riding CAT from age 3 until last year. Last two sleds have been a 2021 Polaris 850 Assault and a 2022 Polaris 850 XCR. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2022 zr 8000 rr but could not justify the changes. Hopefully 2023 CAT gets back on track. If so I will be owning a 2023 CAT.

Kevin- You are correct on the R&D. However, R&D takes money. Textron has virtually eliminated R&D along with nearly everything else in the company. Now, as of last Friday they canned the head of engineering. There is basically just an old building with a dated assembly line left in TRF, surrounded by a modern Digikey company. At this point, the company is so eviscerated that know one in their right mind would want to buy them. Now just where do you think most of the talent has went? That’s right, 60 miles down the road to our old rival. Now, even if another company buys Cat from Textron, Polaris knows everything Cat had in the hopper. Better get your hands on a 2022 model if you can, they will likely be the last Cats made.

I hate to say this, but she won’t last. And for 1 reason only….moving from Augusta, Georgia population 190,000 to Thief River Falls will not be easy. It takes a special person to live in TRF, especially in the winter. I wish her well, but Textron has a revolving door since the Cat faithful are the only ones that can survive up north.

She is cleanup operations before the plug is pulled.

Give her the wheel & handle bars see were it goes..

Save up your money boys. The cat name is gonna get really cheap in a few years.

The way it looks now, arctic is way behind in tech compared to polaris and ski doo. Look at all the tech doo and polaris have on their 21,s and 22,s. Cat is way behind and will never catch up with textron people writing the checks. So sad.

What tech Hawk? Does Polaris have adjustable shocks on the go? They all have GPS capability but Cat did one better by making it transferable from machine to machine. What is so great about Polaris and Ski Doo’s Tech?

JimR…You may want to review some information regarding Ski Doo’s smart shock system and Polaris’s GPS system. Both are ahead in technology. Garmin may be transferable but is it continually updateable? Both have 2 stroke turbo engines. Each has yearly chassis updates. The Matrix is the new standard. G4 isn’t far behind. Each company continues to swallow up market share left vacant by Cat and Yamaha. The writing is on the wall.Time is ticking away.

TP: Sometimes simpler is much better. Having a Garmin means you will get free updates all the time. Being it is removable you just have to hook it up to your computer. I rode the matrix and went with the RR because it is just a better ride for me. Could care less about a turbo two stroke where Cat’s Alpha still out climbs them both. You probably complain that your coffee is to hot and your ice cream is to cold. Get new material!

I see Textrons #1 Cheerleader (JR) is here – LOL

ever heard the phrase ‘don’t argue with an idiot’?

gone from Cat… Brian Dick, Roger Skime, The Hibberts, Craig Kennedy, Donn Eide, Greg Spaulding, Kim Chervestad, Ron Bergman, Russ Ebert and Darrel Janisch… just to name a few.

writing is on the wall kids, stick a fork in it and turn out the lights because the party is over.

next week, it will probably be Kloety and the end of the race dept.

F’ng Sad

JimR…different strokes for different folks. As for new material…the responses here are clear indications of the future of A/C. As stated…sad.

JIM R- are you blind and live in a hole? Polaris and doo sleds are loaded with new technologies. Your next sled will be a poldoo . CAT IS DONE!

I would be very interested in hearing from Roger Skime about all of this. I don’t think Roger is part of the company any longer. His candid, truthful comments regarding the real future of our beloved brand would at least allow future buyers make an informed decision. It’s clear that all the assurances from Craig Kennedy and others have been intentionally misleading in the hopes of keeping the faithful buying just a bit longer. Good luck to Brian. I hope you can join Ryan at Polaris which incidentley will be my next ride.

Another way to look at it was look where Cat was with the old guard running it. Maybe some fresh ideas are needed.

I just read through all the comments and want to remind everyone to keep your comments civil. EVERYONE visiting here, and making comments, has a right to their own opinions. Good, Bad or indifferent, I respect what you post, and you should do the same to others. What I won’t tolerate, and find completely unnecessary, is name calling or defaming another person. There’s no need. I truly appreciate everyone of you that visits this site and I want to ensure it stays enjoyable for all.

Ok Kale, sorry.

What affect will all this have on a new freestyle sled?

: )

Kale….Would happen to know the expiration date for the contract between A/C and Yamaha? And will this contract be renewed?

Kale, I obviously understand your relationship to arctic cat. And I love this site and the articles you post for us to read. But in this case why post an article like this where people just run with all these rumors and there are no answers. If brian is gone, why is it a secret. If textron fires an employee it would be better to just tell the cat faithful what is up. Still a mystery what happened to skime for real, and the hibberts? When experienced ppl are let go with 0 explanation the natural reaction is to think that this company has no idea what its doing.

Jason – Great comment. Ill try to stay on track here – the announcement I posted above was simply that…an announcement regarding new leadership changes for the VP of Powersports title at the time of the dealer announcement. It appears CatsOuttaTheBag was the first to comment, a day after my post, as they had heard of Brian departing.

Playing Devils advocate, I can’t think of any company (especially big corp) that sends out an announcement when someone leaves (voluntarily or not). The exception here would be a major executive change, like a CEO, CFO etc.

Despite our love, friendship and admiration for talented, dedicated AC employees like Brian who have been at the forefront of racing and marketing limelight, he didn’t hold an executive title, so again, its not surprising there is no official announcement.

I think back when Polaris transitioned corporate from Roseau to Medina, and beyond, many years ago, and there was a changing of the guard that came with it. Little by little the employee “legends” there disappeared. I see the same thing happening at AC and its truly a tough pill to swallow.

I look at Polaris now (also SkiDoo), outside of talented ambassador athletes, like Levi Lavallee, I cant name one Polaris engineer who is romanticized within marketing. Despite this, they still crank out great product.

Long story longer, I don’t know what happened with Brian, but I do know I appreciate his dedication to the Arctic Cat brand throughout the years via racing, engineering and product development. Im proud of him, and other employee “legends” I worked with for their accomplishments.

My hope is that Textron continues to invest in R&D for both snow and dirt sides and I have to trust in whatever vision they have for future employee and dealer investments.

While its easy to get down hearing of Brian’s departure, the good news is, there are still very talented and passionate individuals within the walls of Arctic Cat, some of their names and positions Ive shared in interviews here recently and Im proud of them too. Ill do my best to share more of those faces.

Kale – those are excellent points, thank you for putting things into perspective. I got to ride with Brian on a couple of occasions and found him humble, generous and patient – the opposite of what I would expect from a rider with his credentials.

With that said, I’ve worked for 400,000-employee publicly-held multinational corporations, along with smaller corporations, and what we’re seeing is a large company “working as designed”, with execs trading places as they work their way up the ladder and people – seemingly key people, as well – leaving with no announcement and no explanation.

It’s the regular employees and lower-level managers – in my opinion – that make the company great. New execs that use vague cool-sounding jargon have very little impact, both good and bad, yet end up getting most of the attention.

I’m actually pretty excited about the partnership with Garmin, the new primary clutch and the future. I enjoy those kinds of inside stories and it’s what I look forward to.

Have you considered purchasing the rights to argoinsider.com yet?

; )

Check it out! New leaked info on the future of where cat is going!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGDgryoMU14

That would be “leaked” information!!! 🙂

Oh she’ll do some Triage! First on the list is to get rid of the people that built Arctic Cat so they won’t get in the way when textron takes it apart piece by piece. Hear that? Edgar just rolled over in his grave!

We have gone from Edgar and Roger to Green Heidi and her dog fluffy.

MY UNIT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 1 YEAR AND ARCTIC CAT REFUSES TO REFUND OR EXCHANGE THE UNIT. THE UNIT HAD 251 MILES ON IT WHEN IT WENT INTO THE SHOP. ITS SAD THAT ARCTIC CAT WOULD TREAT A DISABLED VETERAN THIS WAY……………………..IT BEEN A YEAR CAN I GET AN ANSWER, REFUND OR AN EXCHANGE. THIS IS POOR BUSINESS!!!!! I SAY ALL VETERANS SHOULD BOYCOTT ARCTIC CAT/TEXTRON!!!!!

Floyd Brown – Who is your dealer? What is the product, and what was the problem? A consumers vehicle in a dealers possession for one year seems suspect to me.

I’m just guessing the sound of a triple triple TCAT would scare the dog and annoy her. Things have been all screwed up since that yoga article on here a few years ago. LOL

So, in summary….
1. Another Textron lackey sent
into a brutal winter location to a facility that has barely has enough technology to keep electricity running? Nokay!! That’s not gonna end well.

2. How does lil’ John Collins still have a job? Talk about the wrong stuff.

3. Jon Carlson looking for a lunch date in January.

4. The “Whoah is me” chorus boys who keep spewing the same stuff over and over and over….

Shut it down fellas… time for a new hobby

p.s. Kale, you’re the best though.

Have the 2021 world snowmobile sales figures been released yet?

Looking forward to reading the interview with Heidi. Would like to see some tidbits about the plans for the brand going forward.

So let me get this straight, she’ll be in charge of Powersports. She’s been in charge if customer service at Textron according to her LinkedIn. Just like the marketing guy and President, she probably don’t even own a sled or atv!!! God forbid we have anyone in charge of an area at Cat that actually lives and breathes the sport. I’m surprised she’s even moving, I mean the marketing guy don’t even live in MN. Can’t wait to see how this goes. Kale you better push hard on finding out if she even rides anything and has any kind of passion for powersports…because if she don’t – then how’d she get the job!!?

Cat still has never explained Roger’s departure nor the Hibbert’s as mentioned above. At least Polaris recognizes their guys and makes them ambassadors! But Cat, no. That tells you the execs DO NOT understand the brand.

Hey catsfor life. Roger is over 70 years in age and I bet still has a key to get in to the factory any time he wants but he RETIRED!

Just looked up Heidi’s facebook. She does not appear to be any kind of powersports enthusiast. Once again Textron putting people in charge of an area they have no enthusiasm for or knowledge of. I can only imagine the types of people they put in charge of their aviation division.

I sure hope Kale doesn’t softball her questions.
One question needs to be: Heidi, Arctic Cat enthusiasts have concerns that you have no background in powersports not do you seem to have a passion for it. How do you enhance a brand like Cat without any knowledge of the two types of products it offers? (and at this point, before she answers, Kale needs to say “no company bull**** please”)

JimR,

Hi there. Close personal friend of Roger’s here. Yes he is over 70 years old. In fact I believe he turns 78 tomorrow. However, he did not choose to retire nor does he have a key to the factory anymore. He has very little to do with Arctic these days which I’m sure is sad when that’s been your whole life. He was given what they call forced retirement, along with many others. I guarantee you he’d still be there today, along with many Arctic faithfuls, if Textron hadn’t forced them out. Unless you’ve actually talked with Roger quit looking through rose colored glasses.

ArcticForever,
Thank you for confirming events, as that is the same way I had been told things went down. The E-Z-Goons love to throw their weight around. Collins is a prime example. Arrogantly disregarding the experience of those who ate, slept, and breathed Arctic Cat for years, when the reality was they had no idea what they were doing, and were making it up as they went along.

ArcticForever,
I hope that Roger is a regular reader of this site as I am wishing him a Happy Birthday!

The plot thickens like duck soup. This reminds me of the International Harvester and American Motors takeovers. In the end, it didn’t turn out to well for them either. Same for Wheel Horse tractors.

I’m choosing to be hopeful that Textron did not just buy Cat to slap the tracker name on the dirt products to sell them to Bass Pro. It takes more than an enthusiast to develop and bring to market new product these days. Until there is a new chassis, new dealers added, or some other significant positive development it’s hard to see what they are doing with snow though. The developments with the 200 and blast make a lot of sense but we need something new in the core markets.

all the names on this list paved the way for textron to buy cat. hate textron, but without you would be 6ft under and grass growing green, green, and thick.

I see Textrons #1 Cheerleader (JR) is here – LOL

ever heard the phrase ‘don’t argue with an idiot’?

gone from Cat… Brian Dick, Roger Skime, The Hibberts, Craig Kennedy, Donn Eide, Greg Spaulding, Kim Chervestad, Ron Bergman, Russ Ebert and Darrel Janisch… just to name a few.

writing is on the wall kids, stick a fork in it and turn out the lights because the party is over.

next week, it will probably be Kloety and the end of the race dept.

F’ng Sad

Last I knew Kloety is the entire race department, textron fired everyone else.

krom,…Mike is the only one in the Race dept. The Others were not fired. But offered jobs in the Plant ! Some decided to take a different career path. Dawn, occasionally helps Mike out when needed !

Well just learned yesterday day (May 21) that another very dedicated life long employee has been let go from thief River home of Arctic cat snowmobiles and ATV’s. This is very sad news and as a loyal customer myself sees it, another nail in the coffin and a slap in the face to us bleed green loyal customers. For the first time in my life (I’m 68) I will be looking at other brands, I never dream I would say that not with over 25 arctic cats in my two shops right now!
Does anyone know if there will be visitation prior to the arctic cat funeral? Or should I say liquidation
RIP Cat

When even my relatives are thinking of switching to Ski-Doo, you know it is bad at Cat!

I think I should unload my late model Cats while they still have some value!

Heidi sounds like another Irwin Jacobs. But at least he did everyone a favor by committing suicide!

back from the dead to point out she was lying about almost everything she said… The job in TRF was nothing more than a place holder until she moved on.