IAVA Honors Polaris CEO Scott Wine for Ongoing Support of Military Veterans

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 12: Honoree Scott Wine attends the 9th Annual IAVA Heroes Gala at the Cipriani 42nd Street on November 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images) — Honoree Scott Wine attends the 9th Annual IAVA Heroes Gala at the Cipriani 42nd Street on November 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) presented Polaris Chairman and CEO Scott Wine, a U.S. Navy veteran, with the 2015 IAVA Civilian Leadership Award in recognition of Victory Motorcycles’ contributions as a strategic partner to IAVA. Wine, a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, received the award at the ninth annual IAVA Heroes Gala held Nov. 12 in New York City.

Victory Motorcycles, a division of Polaris, is in its second year as a strategic partner to IAVA, and has provided financial contributions and helped raise awareness for IAVA by providing the organization with exhibit space at major motorcycle events such as Daytona Bike Week, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and motorcycle shows from coast to coast.

IAVA honored Wine for Victory’s significant support, and for his role in the expansion of Polaris Defense, a division that provides products including deployable advanced ground off-road vehicles used worldwide by U.S. military personnel.

IAVA also honored U.S. Army veteran Daniel Rodriquez at the Heroes Gala, presenting him with the 2015 IAVA Veteran Leadership Award.

“IAVA is extremely excited to honor Scott Wine and Daniel Rodriguez for their incredible contributions to the veterans community,” said IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff. “Each fall we look forward to the Heroes Gala, where we celebrate our new greatest generation of veterans and those who have shown the utmost support for them. Scott Wine is a dynamic business leader who has also dedicated himself to working to propel the work of IAVA and supporting and empowering our nation’s veterans.”

The IAVA Heroes Gala was held one day after Veterans Day, when IAVA members rode a fleet of Victory Motorcycles to lead the proud IAVA contingent down New York City’s Fifth Avenue in “America’s Parade,” the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade. Victory donated a green Gunner motorcycle for the auction portion of the Heroes Gala, which fetched a winning bid of $32,000, all of which went to IAVA.

Victory Motorcycles is honoring military veterans with “The Road Home,” through which Victory contributes $500 to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) for every new Victory motorcycle sold in November and December 2015 up to a total of $250,000. Victory also provided a fleet of motorcycles to lead the proud IAVA contingent in the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade, “America’s Parade” in New York City on Nov. 11.

Along with “The Road Home,” Victory proudly supports military personnel, military veterans, and first responders with “Hero’s Metal,” which provide these individuals with $1,000.00 off the price of any new Victory.

For more information: www.VictoryMotorcycles.com.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame recently named Marilyn Stemp and Steve Piehl to its board of directors.

Stemp is a pioneering figure in the motorcycle industry, founding IronWorks Magazine with her late husband, Dennis, and becoming the first female editor of a nationally circulated, mainstream motorcycle magazine. She also revived their trade magazine, Iron Trader News; edits the monthly Kiwi Indian News; contributes to several powersports media outlets; and is the founding editor of Sturgis Rider Daily. Stemp is a noted editor and writer of several motorcycle-focused books. Her consistent support for charitable efforts in the industry include the annual Biker Belles Celebration, Las Vegas BikeFest and as campaign chair for the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum’s development plan in 2014. She co-founded the Flying Piston charity events taking place in Daytona and Sturgis each year and is a National Ambassador for All Kids Bike. Stemp was inducted into both the Las Vegas Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Sturgis Museum's Hall of Fame in 2018, and in 2022 she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Powersports by DealerNews.