Thor Industries announced Dec. 18 that Jan Suwinski will retire from its Board of Directors after 20 years of service.
Suwinski’s retirement is part of the company’s continuing director refreshment strategy, Thor stated. Bill Kelley was announced recently as an addition to the director team in conjunction with the strategy.
“I am extremely proud of what Thor has accomplished over the last 20 years and of my contributions to our board,” Suwinski stated. “Times like this are always bittersweet, as my time with Thor has been such an important part of my professional career, and it’s just been such a great experience. Thor is a company that is incredibly diligent about doing things the right way and always seeks to be better tomorrow than it is today.”
Beginning his professional career in 1965, Suwinski served a variety of managerial roles such as executive VP and chairman at Corning Incorp., a global manufacturing company. After retiring from Corning, he served as a clinical professor of management and operations at Cornell University’s Samuel-Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. Suwinski also served on the board of directors at Cray Research, Armco Steel and Ohio Casualty Group, joining Thor’s board in 1999.
“I’m particularly proud of my engagement with the current management team, where I worked with them on setting processes for strategy development and pushed for key initiatives focused on operational excellence,” Suwinski stated. “The company has a very well-developed strategy that sees well into the future of the RV industry, and I leave with full confidence that this management team is well-positioned to continue on its successful path and to grow upon its successes. I support and participated in the development of the board’s refreshment program and look forward to being a long-term shareholder in this great company.”
“Jan’s voice and leadership in our board room left deep impressions on Thor’s path over the course of the last 20 years,” Chairman Andy Graves stated. “Jan saw Thor grow from a company just over $800 million in revenue to over $8 billion in our last fiscal year. Jan brought passion to strategy for Thor and worked with our management team to develop more robust and successful strategic processes. His contributions profoundly impacted Thor’s business trajectory. We are all very thankful for Jan’s service, and appreciate his support as we execute our board refreshment program plans. We wish Jan only the best as he retires from his board role.”
