OPE+ Under 40 Awards: Highlighting the leadership shaping the industry’s future
By Brian Ethridge
As the outdoor power equipment industry navigates workforce shortages, financial pressure and rapid change, OPE+ recognized five emerging leaders during the OPE+ Power Forum whose work is already shaping how the business evolves.
The 2025 OPE+ Under 40 honorees were Logan Gray, senior project manager for Husqvarna Group; Chad Hutchens, dealership owner for Uncharted Adventures; Teddy Marsillo, owner of Fords Outdoor Power Equipment; Scott Nelson, territory sales manager for Power Distributors; and Justin Noland, senior product operations manager for turf and RTV at Kubota.
Together, the group represents a cross-section of the industry — dealerships, distribution and manufacturing — and a shared focus on people, processes and long-term growth.
At the dealership level, Hutchens and Marsillo were recognized for hands-on leadership and measurable business impact. Hutchens has remained closely involved in sales, parts and service operations at Uncharted Adventures, working directly with customers while implementing new internal processes to improve efficiency and follow-up.
“I’ve decided to take a more hands-on approach and help with the customer follow-ups, getting on the sales floor and sale, and putting in new processes and procedures to make our parts and service department run as smooth as possible,” Hutchens said.
Marsillo has driven rapid growth at Fords Outdoor Power Equipment, expanding the dealership from roughly $3 million in annual sales to more than $12 million over the past eight years. In a competitive market, he has combined aggressive sales execution with a strong customer-service focus while mentoring staff and sharing the systems that have fueled the dealership’s expansion.
Distribution leadership was represented by Nelson, who was honored for building strong dealer relationships rooted in trust and support rather than transactional sales. With 10 years of dealership experience before joining Power Distributors, Nelson has focused on helping dealers navigate parts availability challenges, understand programs and train new counter staff to be more effective from day one.
“Relationships earn trust,” Nelson said. “The relationship between the vendor and the customer is vital to growing sales.”
On the manufacturing side, Noland and Gray were recognized for driving operational improvement and cross-functional collaboration at a global scale. Noland’s work at Kubota has strengthened product development, launch execution and dealer feedback loops, while his involvement with academic and professional organizations helps bridge engineering innovation with real-world application.
Gray, meanwhile, has played a key role in Husqvarna Group’s portfolio optimization and business transformation initiatives, drawing on experience that spans territory sales, manufacturing transformation and global project leadership. His approach emphasizes clarity, resilience and helping teams succeed through periods of change.
While the honorees’ roles vary, common themes emerged across their stories: visible leadership, a willingness to invest in people and an emphasis on building sustainable operations rather than chasing short-term wins.
