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Item 1. Business

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Item 1. Business

We are a leading designer and manufacturer of a wide range of power generation equipment and other engine powered products serving the residential, light commercial, industrial, oil & gas, and construction markets. Power generation is our primary focus, which differentiates us from our primary competitors that also have broad operations outside of the generator market. As the only significant market participant focused predominantly on these products, we are a market leader in the power generation market in North America and have an expanding presence internationally. We believe we have one of the widest range of products in the marketplace, including residential, commercial and industrial standby generators, as well as portable and mobile generators used in a variety of applications. Other engine powered products that we design and manufacture include light towers which provide temporary lighting for various end markets; commercial and industrial mobile heaters used in the oil & gas, construction and other industrial markets; and a broad product line of outdoor power equipment for residential and commercial use.

We design, manufacture, source and modify engines, alternators, transfer switches and other components necessary for our products, which are fueled by natural gas, liquid propane, gasoline, diesel and Bi-Fuel™. Our products are available primarily across the United States and Canada, with an expanding presence internationally in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific regions. Products are sold into these regions through a broad network of independent dealers, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and equipment rental companies under a variety of brand names. We also sell direct to certain national and regional account customers, as well as to individual consumers, that are the end users of our products.

We have a significant market share in the residential and light commercial markets for automatic standby generators, which we believe remain under-penetrated. We also have a leading market position for portable generators used in residential, light construction and recreational applications. We believe that our leading market position is largely attributable to our strategy of providing a broad product line of high-quality, innovative and affordable products through our extensive and multi-layered distribution network to whom we offer comprehensive support and programs from the factory. In addition, through recent acquisitions, we are also a leading provider of light towers, mobile generators, flameless heaters, outdoor power equipment and industrial diesel generators ranging in sizes up to 3,250kW.

History

Generac Holdings Inc. (the Company or Generac) is a Delaware corporation, which was founded in 1959 to market a line of affordable portable generators that offered superior performance and features. Through innovation and focus, we have grown to be a leading provider of power generation equipment to the residential, light-commercial, industrial, oil & gas and construction markets.

Key events in our history include the following:

●In 1980, we expanded beyond portable generators into the industrial market with the introduction of our first stationary generators that provided up to 200 kW of power output.
●During the 1990’s, we expanded our industrial product development and global distribution system, forming a series of alliances that tripled our higher-output generator sales.
●In 1998, we sold our Generac® portable products business (which included portable generator and power washer product lines) to a private equity firm who eventually sold this business to another company.
●Our growth accelerated in 2000 as we expanded our purpose-built line of residential automatic standby generators and implemented our multi-layered distribution philosophy.
●In 2005, we introduced our quiet-running QT Series generators, accelerating our penetration in the commercial market.
●In 2006, the founder of Generac Power Systems sold the company to affiliates of CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC (CCMP), together with certain other investors and members of our management (CCMP Transaction).
●In 2008, we successfully expanded our position in the portable generator market after the expiration of our non-compete agreement that was entered into when we sold our Generac® portable products business in 1998.
●In February 2010, we completed our initial public offering (IPO) of 20.7 million primary shares of our common stock (including additional share over allotment).
●In early 2011, we re-entered the market for gasoline-powered pressure washers (or power washers), which we previously exited in 1998 with the sale of our Generac® portable products business.
●In August 2013, CCMP completed the last of a series of sale transactions that began in November 2012 by which it sold substantially all of the shares of common stock that it owned as of the initial public offering.

Additionally, over the past several years, we have executed a number of acquisitions that support our strategic plan. A summary of these acquisitions can be found in Note 1, “Description of Business,” to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Products

We design and manufacture stationary, portable and mobile generators with single-engine outputs ranging between 800W and 3,250kW. We have the ability to expand the power range for certain stationary generator solutions to much larger multi-megawatt systems through an integrated paralleling configuration called Modular Power Systems (MPS). Other engine powered products that we design and manufacture include light towers, mobile heaters, power washers and water pumps, along with a broad line of outdoor power equipment including trimmer & brush mowers, log splitters, lawn & leaf vacuums, and chipper shredders. We classify our products into three categories based on similar range of power output geared for varying end customer uses: Residential products, Commercial & Industrial (C&I) products and Other products. The following summary outlines our portfolio of products, including their key attributes and customer applications.

Residential Products

Our residential automatic standby generators range in output from 6kW to 60kW, with manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRPs) from approximately $1,799 to $16,199. These products operate on natural gas, liquid propane or diesel and are permanently installed with an automatic transfer switch, which we also manufacture. Air-cooled engine residential standby generators range in outputs from 6kW to 22kW, are available in steel and aluminum enclosures and serve as an emergency backup for small to medium-sized homes. Liquid-cooled engine generators serve as emergency backup for larger homes and small businesses and range in output from 22kW to 60kW. We also provide a cellular-based remote monitoring system for home standby generators called Mobile Link™, which allows our customers to check the status of their generator conveniently from a desktop PC, tablet computer or smartphone and also provides the capability to receive maintenance and service alerts.

We provide a broad product line of portable generators that are fueled predominantly by gasoline, with certain models running on propane and diesel fuel, which range in size from 800W to 17,500W. These products serve as an emergency home backup source of electricity and are also used for construction and recreational purposes. Our portable generators are targeted at homeowners, with price points ranging between the consumer value end of the market through the premium homeowner market; at professional contractors, starting at the value end through the premium contractor segment; and inverter generators targeted at the recreational market. In addition, we offer manual transfer switches to supplement our portable generator product offering. Our portable generators are offered under the Generac®, Powermate®, Dewalt® and Honeywell® brand names. In 2015, we introduced a new inverter generator called the iQ2000, which includes state-of-the-art sound mitigation technology coupled with advanced electronics that greatly reduces noise while also improving fuel consumption and ease of operation.

We also provide a broad product line of engine driven power washers for residential and commercial use, fueled by gasoline, which range in pressure from 2,500 to 4,200 PSI. Additionally, we offer a product line of water pumps built to meet the water removal needs of homeowners, farmers, construction crews and other end-user applications.

The acquisition of Country Home Products (CHP) in August 2015 provides a broad product line of chore-related specialty outdoor power equipment that includes trimmer & brush mowers, log splitters, lawn & leaf vacuums, and chipper shredders for the property maintenance needs of larger-acreage residences, light commercial properties, municipalities and farms. These products are largely sold in North America through catalogs and outdoor power equipment dealers primarily under the DR® brand name.

Residential products comprised 51.2%, 49.5% and 56.8%, respectively, of total net sales in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Commercial & Industrial Products

We offer a full line of C&I generators fueled by diesel, natural gas, liquid propane and Bi-Fuel™. We believe we have one of the broadest product offerings in the industry with power outputs ranging from 10kW up to 3,250kW.

Our light-commercial standby generators include a full range of affordable systems from 22kW to 150kW and related transfer switches, providing three-phase power sufficient for most small and mid-sized businesses including grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, pharmacies, retail banks, small health care facilities and other small-footprint retail applications. Our light-commercial generators run on natural gas, liquid propane and diesel fuel.

We also manufacture a broad line of standard and configured stationary generators and related transfer switches for various industrial standby, continuous-duty and prime rated applications. Our single-engine industrial generators range in output from 10kW up to 3,250kW, which includes stationary and containerized packages, with our MPS technology extending our product range up to much larger multi-megawatt systems through an integrated paralleling configuration. We offer four fuel options for our industrial generators, including diesel, natural gas, liquid propane or Bi-Fuel™. Bi-Fuel™ generators operate on a combination of both diesel and natural gas to allow our customers the advantage of multiple fuel sources and extended run times. Our industrial standby generators are primarily used as emergency backup for large healthcare, telecom, datacom, commercial office, municipal and manufacturing customers.

Our MPS technology combines the power of several smaller generators to produce the output of a larger generator, providing our customers with redundancy and scalability in a cost-effective manner. For larger industrial applications, our MPS products offer customers an efficient, affordable way to scale their standby power needs, and also offers superior reliability given its built-in redundancy which allows individual units to be taken off-line for routine maintenance while retaining coverage for critical circuits.

We provide a broad line of light towers, mobile generators and mobile heaters, which provide temporary lighting, power and heat for various end markets, such as road and commercial construction, energy, mining, military and special events. We also manufacture commercial mobile pumps which utilize wet and dry-priming pump systems for a wide variety of wastewater applications.

We introduced several new C&I products during 2015, including a number of stationary and mobile natural gas generators that further expand our broad natural gas product range. We began shipping our new 400 kilowatt power node earlier in the year at an industry leading price point, and toward the end of the year we announced a new 500 kilowatt natural gas generator, the largest gas unit in our industrial generator line. Both of these units are ideal for large standby power applications such as office buildings, mission-critical data centers and healthcare facilities. Recently, we also introduced the new MGG450 mobile generator that operates on natural gas, wellhead gas or liquid propane, and offers superior power density making it ideal for powering large equipment under continuous operation in remote field locations.

C&I products comprised 41.6%, 44.6% and 38.4% respectively, of total net sales in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Other P__roducts

Our “Other Products” category includes aftermarket service parts to our dealers and proprietary engines to third-party original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Other power products comprised 7.2%, 5.9% and 4.8%, respectively, of total net sales in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Distribution Channels and C****ustomers

We distribute our products through several distribution channels to increase awareness of our product categories and brands, and to ensure our products reach a broad customer base. This distribution network includes independent residential dealers, industrial distributors and dealers, national and regional retailers, e-commerce merchants, electrical and HVAC wholesalers (including certain private label arrangements), catalogs, equipment rental companies and equipment distributors. We also sell direct to certain national and regional account customers, as well as to individual consumers, that are the end users of our products.

We believe our distribution network is a competitive advantage that has strengthened over the last decade as a result of adding, expanding and developing the various distribution channels through which we sell our products. Our network is well balanced with no customer providing more than 7% of our sales in 2015.

Our overall dealer network, which is located principally in the United States, Canada and Latin America, is the industry's largest network of factory direct independent generator contractors.

Our residential/light commercial dealer network sells, installs and services our residential and light commercial products to end users. We have increased our level of investment in recent years by focusing on a variety of initiatives to more effectively market and sell our home standby products and better align our dealer network with Generac.

Our industrial network consists of a combination of primary distributors as well as a support network of dealers serving the United States and Canada. The industrial distributors and dealers provide industrial and commercial end users with ongoing sales and product support. Our industrial distributors and dealers maintain the local relationships with commercial electrical contractors, specifying engineers and national account regional buying offices. In recent years, we have been particularly focused on expanding our dealer network in Latin America and other regions of the world in order to expand our international sales opportunities.

Our retail distribution network includes thousands of locations and includes a variety of regional and national home improvement chains, retailers, clubs, buying groups and farm supply stores. These physical retail locations are supplemented by a number of catalog and e-commerce retailers. This network primarily sells our residential standby, portable and light-commercial generators, as well as our other engine powered tools. The placement of our products at retail locations drives significant awareness for our brands and the automatic home standby product category.

Our wholesaler network distributes our residential and light-commercial generators, and consists of selling branches of both national and local distribution houses for electrical and HVAC products.

On a selective basis, we have established private label and licensing arrangements with third party partners to provide residential, light-commercial and industrial generators. These partners include leading home equipment, electrical equipment and construction machinery companies, each of which provides access to incremental channels of distribution for our products.

The distribution for our mobile products includes international, national, regional and specialty equipment rental companies, equipment distributors and construction companies, which primarily serve non-residential building construction, road construction, energy markets and special events. In addition, our Tower Light business provides access to numerous independent distributors in over 50 countries.

We sell direct to certain national and regional account customers that are the end users of our products covering a number of end market verticals, including telecommunication, retail, banking, convenience stores, grocery stores and other light commercial applications. Additionally, a portion of our portable generators and other engine powered tools are sold direct to individual consumers, who are the end users of the product.

Business S****trategy

We have been executing on our “Powering Ahead” strategic plan, which serves as the framework for the significant investments we have made to capitalize on the long-term growth prospects of Generac. As we continue to move the Powering Ahead plan into the future, we are focused on a number of initiatives that are driven by the same four key objectives:

Growing the residential standby generator market. As the leader in the home standby generator market, it is incumbent upon us to continue to drive growth and increase the penetration rate of these products in households across the United States and Canada. Central to this strategy is to increase the awareness, availability and affordability of home standby generators. Ongoing power outage activity, combined with expanding our residential/light commercial dealer base and overall distribution in affected regions, are key drivers in elevating the awareness of home standby generators over the long term. We intend to continue to supplement these key growth drivers by focusing on a variety of strategic initiatives targeted toward generating more sales leads, improving close rates and reducing the total overall cost of a home standby system. In addition, we intend to continue to focus on innovation in this emerging product category and introduce new products into the marketplace. With only approximately 3.5% penetration of the addressable market of homes in the United States (which we define as single-family detached, owner-occupied households with a home value of over $100,000, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau's 2013 American Housing Survey for the United States), we believe there are opportunities to further penetrate the residential standby generator market.

Gaining commercial and industrial market share. Our growth strategy for commercial and industrial power generation products is focused on incremental market share gains. Key to this objective are efforts to leverage our expanding platform of diesel and natural gas offerings by better optimizing our industrial distribution partners’ capabilities to market, sell and support these products. Specifically, we continue to pursue certain initiatives to expand our distributors interactions with engineering firms and electrical contractors responsible for specifying and selecting our products within C&I power generation applications. We are also committed to a number of initiatives to improve the overall specification rates for our products which should increase quoting activity and close rates for our industrial distributors. In addition, we will attempt to gain incremental market share through our leading position in the growing market for cleaner burning, more cost effective natural gas fueled back-up power solutions. While still a much smaller portion of the overall C&I market, we believe demand for these products continues to increase at a faster rate than traditional diesel fueled generators as a result of their lower capital investment and operating costs.

Diversifying end markets by expanding product offerings and services. In recent years, we have diversified our end markets with new product and service platforms. Much of this diversification has been achieved with our strategic acquisitions, which gave access to several new products, markets and customers. As a result of these acquisitions, we now have access to a broad lineup of mobile power products, higher-output generators and other engine powered tools, including products that serve the oil & gas and other infrastructure power markets. We are now a more balanced company relative to our residential product sales as compared to only five years ago, as revenues for our C&I products have expanded from 31.0% of total net sales in 2010 to 41.6% in 2015. As we continue to build upon our recent diversification efforts, we intend to evaluate other products and services which we believe could further diversify our end markets, either through organic initiatives or additional acquisitions.

Expanding into new geographies. During 2015, approximately 10% of our revenues were shipped to regions outside the U.S. and Canada. Given that the global market for power generation equipment is estimated to exceed $16 billion annually, we believe there are growth opportunities for Generac by expanding into new geographies. Prior to the acquisitions of Ottomotores in 2012, located in Latin America, and Tower Light in 2013, located in Europe, these efforts had been mostly organic with the creation of a dedicated sales team and the addition of new distribution points around the globe, with a focus in Latin America. The Ottomotores and Tower Light acquisitions provide us with an enhanced platform and increased scale for our international growth initiatives, and also accelerate our efforts to become a more global player in the markets for backup power and mobile power equipment. As we look forward, we intend to leverage these acquisitions while also evaluating other opportunities to expand into other regions of the world. This is targeted to be accomplished through both organic initiatives and potential acquisitions, and by establishing and developing additional distribution globally and building the Generac brand internationally.

We believe the investments we have made to date, due in part to our Powering Ahead strategy, have helped to capitalize on the macro, secular growth drivers for our business and are an important part of our efforts to diversify and globalize our business. See “Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Business Drivers and Trends” for additional drivers that influence demand for our products and other trends affecting the markets that we serve.

Manufacturing

We operate several manufacturing plants, distribution facilities and inventory warehouses located principally in the United States, Mexico, Italy and Brazil totaling over three million square feet. We maintain inventory warehouses in the United States that accommodate material storage and rapid response requirements of our customers.

In recent years, we have added manufacturing capacity through investments in automation, improved utilization and the expansion of our manufacturing footprint through organic means as well as through acquisitions. We believe we have sufficient capacity to achieve our business goals for the near-to-intermediate term.

Research and D****evelopment

Our primary focus on power generation equipment and other engine powered products drives technological innovation, specialized engineering and manufacturing competencies. Research and development is a core competency and includes a staff of over 250 engineers working on numerous projects. Our sponsored research and development expense was $32.9 million, $31.5 million and $29.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Research and development is conducted at each of our manufacturing facilities worldwide and is focused on developing new technologies and product enhancements as well as maintaining product competitiveness by improving manufacturing costs, safety characteristics, reliability and performance while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. We have over 30 years of experience using natural gas engines and have developed specific expertise with fuel systems and emissions technology. In the residential and light commercial markets, we have developed proprietary engines, cooling packages, controls, fuel systems and emissions systems. We believe that our expertise in engine powered equipment gives us the capability to develop new products that will allow continued diversification in our end markets.

Intellectual Property

We are committed to research and development, and we rely on a combination of patents and trademarks to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Our patents protect certain features and technologies we have developed for use in our products including fuel systems, air flow, electronics and controls, noise reduction and air-cooled engines. We believe the existence of these patents and trademarks, along with our ongoing processes to register additional patents and trademarks, protect our intellectual property rights and enhance our competitive position. We also use proprietary manufacturing processes that require customized equipment.

Suppliers of Raw M****aterials

Our primary raw material inputs are steel, copper and aluminum, all of which are purchased from third parties and, in many cases, as part of machined or manufactured components. We have developed an extensive network of reliable suppliers in the United States and internationally. Our strategic global sourcing function continuously evaluates the quality and cost structure of our products and assesses the capabilities of our supply chain. Components are sourced accordingly based on this evaluation. Our supplier quality engineers conduct on-site audits of major supply chain partners and help to maintain the reliability of critical sourced components. In 2015, we sourced approximately 52% of our materials and components from outside the United States.

Competition

The market for power generation equipment and other engine powered products is competitive. We face competition from a variety of large diversified industrial companies as well as smaller generator manufacturers, along with mobile equipment and engine powered tools providers, both domestic and internationally. However, specifically in the generator market, most of the traditional participants compete on a more specialized basis, focused on specific applications within their larger diversified product mix. We are the only significant market participant with a primary focus on power generation with a core emphasis on standby, portable and mobile generators with broad capabilities across the residential, light commercial, industrial, oil & gas, and construction generator markets. We believe that our engineering capabilities and core focus on generators provide us with manufacturing flexibility and enable us to maintain a first-mover advantage over our competition for product innovation. We also believe our broad product offering, diverse distribution model and strong factory support provide additional advantages as well.

A summary of the primary competitors across our main product classes are as follows:

Residential products – Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Cummins, Honda, Champion, Techtronics International, FNA Group, Mi-T-M, Karcher, Swisher, MTD, Husqvarna, Ariens and Ardisam, along with a number of smaller domestic and foreign competitors; certain of which also have broad operations in other manufacturing businesses.

C&I products – Caterpillar, Cummins, Kohler, MTU, Stemac, FG Wilson, Wacker, MultiQuip, Terex, Doosan, Briggs & Stratton (Allmand), Atlas Copco, Himonisa, Flagro, Frost Fighter, Therm Dynamics and Tioga; certain of which focus on the market for diesel generators as they are also diesel engine manufacturers. Also includes other regional packagers that serve local markets throughout the world.

In a continuously evolving market, we believe our scale and broad capabilities make us well positioned to remain competitive. We compete primarily on the basis of brand reputation, quality, reliability, pricing, innovative features, breadth of product offering, product availability and factory support.

Employees

As of December 31, 2015, we had 3,156 employees (2,920 full time and 236 part-time and temporary employees). Of those, 1,922 employees were directly involved in manufacturing at our manufacturing facilities.

Domestically, we have had an “open shop” bargaining agreement for the past 50 years. The current agreement, which expires October 17, 2016, covers our Waukesha and Eagle, Wisconsin facilities. Additionally, our plants in Mexico, Italy and Brazil are operated under various local or national union groups. Our other facilities are not unionized.

Regulation, including Environmental Matters

As a manufacturing company, our operations are subject to a variety of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations covering environmental, health and safety matters. Applicable laws and regulations include those governing, among other things, emissions to air, discharges to water, noise and employee safety, as well as the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of waste and other materials. In addition, our products are subject to various laws and regulations relating to, among other things, emissions and fuel requirements, as well as labeling and marketing.

Our products sold in the United States are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and various other state and local air quality management districts. These governing bodies continue to pass regulations that require us to meet more stringent emission standards, and all of our engines and engine-driven products are regulated within the United States and its territories. Other countries have varying degrees of regulation depending upon product application and fuel types.

Segment I****nformation

We refer you to Note 6, “Segment Reporting,” to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

Available Information

The Company’s principal executive offices are located at S45 W29290 Highway 59, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 53189 and the Company’s telephone number is (262) 544-4811. The Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are available free of charge through the “Investors” portion of the Company’s web site, www.generac.com, as soon as reasonably practical after they are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC maintains a web site, www.sec.gov, which contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information filed electronically with the SEC by the Company. The information provided on these websites is not part of this report and is therefore not incorporated herein by reference.

Executive Officers

The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers:

NameAgePosition
Aaron P. Jagdfeld44President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
York A. Ragen44Chief Financial Officer
Russell S. Minick55Executive Vice President, North America
Roger F. Pascavis55Executive Vice President, Strategic Global Sourcing
Patrick Forsythe48Executive Vice President, Global Engineering
Allen D. Gillette59Executive Vice President, Global Engineering
Clement Feng52Senior Vice President, Marketing

Aaron P. Jagdfeld has served as our Chief Executive Officer since September 2008 and as a director since November 2006. Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jagdfeld worked for Generac for 15 years. He began his career in the finance department in 1994 and became our Chief Financial Officer in 2002. In 2007, he was appointed President and was responsible for sales, marketing, engineering and product development. Prior to joining Generac, Mr. Jagdfeld worked in the audit practice of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin office of Deloitte and Touche. Mr. Jagdfeld holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

York A. Ragen has served as our Chief Financial Officer since September 2008. Prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Ragen held Director of Finance and Vice President of Finance positions at Generac. Prior to joining Generac in 2005, Mr. Ragen was Vice President, Corporate Controller at APW Ltd., a spin-off from Applied Power Inc., now known as Actuant Corporation. Mr. Ragen began his career in the Audit division of Arthur Andersen's Milwaukee, Wisconsin office. Mr. Ragen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Russell S. Minick began serving as our Executive Vice President, North America in September 2014. Prior to this appointment he served as Executive Vice President, Residential Products in October 2011, with this responsibility being expanded in January 2014 to Executive Vice President, Global Residential Products. Prior to joining Generac, Mr. Minick was President & CEO of Home Care Products for Electrolux from 2006 to 2011, President of The Gunlocke Company at HNI Corporation from 2003 to 2006, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Development at True Temper Sports from 2002 to 2003, and General Manager of Extended Warranty Operations for Ford Motor Company from 1998 to 2002. Mr. Minick is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, and holds a degree in marketing.

Roger Pascavis has served as our Executive Vice President, Strategic Global Sourcing since March 2013. Prior to becoming Executive Vice President of Strategic Global Supply, he served as the Senior Vice President of Operations since January 2008. Mr. Pascavis joined Generac in 1995 and has served as Director of Materials and Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Generac, Mr. Pascavis was a Plant Manager for MTI in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Mr. Pascavis holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and an M.B.A. from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

Patrick Forsythe has served as our Executive Vice President of Global Engineering since July 2015. Prior to re-joining Generac, Mr. Forsythe was Vice President, Global Engineering & Technology of Hayward Industries from 2008 to 2015, Vice President, Global Engineering at Ingersoll Rand Company (and the acquired Doosan Infracore International) from 2004 to 2008, and Director of Engineering at Ingersoll Rand Company from 2002 to 2004. Prior to 2002, Mr. Forsythe worked in various engineering management capacities with Generac from 1995 to 2002. Mr. Forsythe holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ulster (United Kingdom), a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and an M.S. in Manufacturing Management & Technology from The Open University (United Kingdom).

Allen D. Gillette is our Executive Vice President of Global Engineering. Mr. Gillette joined Generac in 1998 and has served in numerous engineering positions involving increasing levels of responsibilities and corresponding titles. Prior to joining Generac, Mr. Gillette was Manager of Engineering at Transamerica Delaval Enterprise Division, Chief Engineer—High-Speed Engines at Ajax-Superior Division and Manager of Design & Development, Cooper-Bessemer Reciprocating Products Division. Mr. Gillette holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Gonzaga University.

Clement Feng has served as our Senior Vice President of Marketing since August 2013 when he re-joined Generac after three years as Vice President – Global Marketing with the Fluke Corporation. Mr. Feng served as our Senior Vice President of Marketing from 2007 until 2010. Mr. Feng holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago- Booth School of Business.

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