fbpx

Wolf, Scanlon Assume P&L Responsibility for Snowmobiles, Slingshot Respectively

Polaris Industries Inc. has announced that the responsibilities of retiring Vice President of Snowmobiles and Slingshot, Mike Jonikas, will be divided between two roles. Chris Wolf, currently general manager, Snowmobiles, will be promoted to vice president of that business, and Craig Scanlon will fill the role of vice president, Slingshot.

0Polari (2)

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]olaris Industries Inc. has announced that the responsibilities of retiring Vice President of Snowmobiles and Slingshot, Mike Jonikas, will be divided between two roles reporting directly to President and Chief Operating Officer Bennett Morgan. Chris Wolf, currently General Manager, Snowmobiles, will be promoted to Vice President of that business, and Craig Scanlon will fill the role of Vice President, Slingshot.

Chris Wolf becomes vice president, Snowmobiles
Chris Wolf becomes vice president, Snowmobiles

“Mike’s departure presents us with an opportunity to leverage our incredibly deep pool of talent and further develop two outstanding performers,” said Scott Wine, Polaris Chairman and CEO.  “Expanding Chris Wolf’s role into Vice President, Snowmobiles, allows him to continue the work he and Mike did spearheading the renaissance of our Snowmobile division.  And by promoting Craig Scanlon to Vice President, Slingshot, we apply the experience of one of our largest business’ chief architects toward leading a new business with substantial runway.”

Craig Scanlon becomes vice president, Slingshot
Craig Scanlon becomes vice president, Slingshot

Over the past 15 years, Mike Jonikas has been a key leader for Polaris and the powersports industry, and has made significant contributions to both.  Jonikas began his Polaris career in 2000 as a Marketing Director in the Off-Road Vehicles (ORV) division, then went on to become the first General Manager of Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles, Vice President of Sales & Corporate Marketing and On Road, and finally VP of Snowmobile and Slingshot.  Under his guidance, Polaris’ snowmobile business has reached new heights in performance – both from the vehicles themselves and from a sales perspective – while his work with Slingshot resulted in one of the most successful product launches in Polaris history.

“I have worked with so many great people during my time at Polaris, and it is their passion and commitment that I will miss the most,” remarked Jonikas.  “Though I was present as Polaris broke through the $2, $3 and $4 billion revenue barriers, launched any number of groundbreaking products, and became a truly global business, it is the day-to-day interaction with the best team in Powersports that always inspired me.  As I leave, I am confident that the company is in great hands, and I look forward to seeing what they will accomplish.”

Wine continued, “It is never easy to replace someone of Mike’s caliber, but we have a deep reservoir of strong leaders ready to tackle such challenges, many of whom Mike trained himself. We have developed a thorough succession plan for his role.”

Chris Wolf started with Polaris in 2002, rising through roles in sales, service, and product management before advancing to Director of Snowmobiles in 2011 and subsequently being promoted to General Manager, Snowmobiles in 2014.  Chris graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Craig Scanlon has been with Polaris since 2004, rising through a variety of Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) line management and sales positions prior to assuming the Director, ORV Sales and Marketing role in 2010.  Scanlon was further promoted to General Manager, Side-by-Side vehicles in 2012.  He graduated from the University of Maryland- College Park with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

You May Also Like

Indian Motorcycle Announces Sponsorship of Handbuilt Motorcycle Show

Indian’s sponsorship includes the season’s first Owners Ride, Custom Bike Display and demo rides of the all-new Scout lineup.

Handbuilt Motorcycle Show 2024

Indian Motorcycle announced sponsorship of the renowned Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin, Texas, taking place April 12-14. In conjunction with the show, and in celebration of riding season, Indian Motorcycle will kick off its 2025 Indian Scout demo tour, host its first 2024 Rider Series owners ride and showcase a lineup of artfully designed custom motorcycles. 

Iron Pony Motorsports Acquires Honda/Suzuki/Can-Am of Jackson

The company expands its footprint in Ohio.

Iron Pony Motorsports
MAP Services Corp. Adds 13 New Brands to Portfolio of Clients

MAP Services leverages AI to enforce MAP policy and monitor compliance.

MAP Services
Turn 14 Powersports Names Matthew Sturdevant as Director of Brand Management

Sturdevant will oversee the company’s 12 brands.

Matt Sturdevant
Synchrony Partners With BRP to Provide Retail Financing Options in the U.S.

Synchrony to offer consumers flexible financing on powersports products.

Other Posts

Polaris Slingshot Introduces Over 40 New Styles in 2024 Spring Apparel Collection

Drawing inspiration from its vehicle lineup, the collection features bold and colorful designs coupled with subtle and sleek looks to show off one’s personal style.

Polaris Slingshot 2024 Spring Apparel Collection
2025 Full-Size Polaris RANGER Lineup

Polaris brings back fan-favorite RANGER CREW XP 1000 Waterfowl Edition and announces RANGER CREW XP 1000 NorthStar Texas Edition.

2025 Polaris RANGER Lineup
Indian Motorcycle Dealers Ranked Highest in 2024 Pied Piper Internet Lead Effectiveness Study

The industry’s average performance declined; increased use of texting was offset by lower speed and quality of email and phone responses.

Accepting the trophy from Pied Piper CEO Fran O’Hagan (center) were Joel Harmon, Polaris vice president, on-road sales and market development (left) and Aaron Jax, vice president, Indian Motorcycle (right).
FIN Provides Realtime Tracking to Police, Recovers 2023 Kawasaki Motorcycle

After sitting for several hours in what appeared to the be the interior of a residential property, the motorcycle started moving.

Kawasaki KLX 250R