Marine Mover – Honda Marine pioneer retires
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Tom Riggle, one of the six people involved with establishing Honda Marine in 1990, has retired as senior manager, the company said recently in a statement.
Riggle was with Honda for a total of 32 years: 14 with Honda Marine, 14 with motorcycles and four with power equipment. His retirement was effective Aug. 1. Honda Marine plans on announcing a new senior manager shortly.
In 1990, Honda was the only manufacturer of 4-stroke outboards. “At first, the engines were looked upon with amusement,” Riggle said. “Then consumers found out how clean-burning and reliable they were. Now, every company is making them. If it wasn’t for that first Honda 4-stroke outboard, our waterways would be much more polluted than they are today.”
One of Riggle’s goals in 1990 was to establish a marine dealer network. At Honda Marine’s first dealer meeting in 1990, there were just a handful of marine dealers and a lot of power equipment dealers. Under Riggle’s leadership, Honda Marine’s dealer network is nearing the century mark.
During his time in the marine industry, Riggle has seen many changes, and looking to the future, he believes that the industry must focus more on its customers, both at the corporate and dealer levels.
“The marine industry is behind other industries in meeting customer expectations,” Riggle said. “Customers today expect a lot, and they’re going to get it – from someone.”