Five Minutes With

OPEI’s Kris Kiser

It’s been a rollercoaster of a year and a half. Kris Kiser, President of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, gives dealers a five-minute pep talk.

PET caught up with Kris Kiser, President of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), a veteran congressional aide and lobbyist who joined OPEI in the beginning of the ethanol fight and has made OPEI a force to be reckoned with ever since.

Power Equipment Trade: OPEI is heavily involved in manufacturer relations and mapping equipment trends. Have you noticed any trends during your tenure with the association that dealers need to make sure they pay attention to especially as we move into the post-pandemic years?

Kris Kiser: Continued shift into battery/electric, including in larger format equipment like zero-turns. Equipment continues to be more connected and, increasingly, looks like autonomous labor saving and time saving equipment for commercial contractors. As landscapers expand into different business—tree care, snow and ice management, etc.— dealers should be ready with equipment solutions to support them.

PET: Any words of encouragement for dealers that are feeling like their business is going stale now that stimulus money has been spent and other sources of extra money appear to be dwindling?

Kiser: Throughout the past year and half, we’ve seen a real reconnection with the outdoors, whether that’s homeowners investing in equipment and doing the work themselves or hiring professional landscape contractors to create and maintain their outdoor spaces.

PET: EXPO is back! And it was certainly missed by the industry. What are some of the safety protocols OPEI, as the new show management, has implemented? What do you say for those that say it might be a little early for the largest gathering of the industry?

Kiser: Landscape contractor registrations are running ahead of GIE+EXPO 2019, our largest year ever, and we are looking forward to hosting the industry’s family reunion Oct. 20-22 in Louisville. Current protocols from the state of Kentucky include a mask mandate for state facilities, and the situation remains fluid, as Kentucky COVID-19 numbers are decreasing. We have been informed by facility management at the Kentucky Exposition Center that show organizers will not be asked to enforce that mask policy. Show organizers are asking attendees to be vaccinated, and if unable to be vaccinated, to please wear a mask.

PET: What do you think the biggest takeaway for dealers who haven’t attended EXPO in the past might get this year?

Kiser: EXPO is the industry’s family reunion, and even if you’ve never been to the show, you’re still in the family. PET