OPEI appoints director of standards

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announced the appointment of Michael Ross as director of standards on May 5.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to evolve our standards and regulatory compliance activities with the addition of Michael Ross,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “In addition to general standards work, Michael brings experience, capability and expertise in the area of electrical outdoor power equipment products, both nationally and internationally.”

Ross will be involved with electrical product standards development with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). He also will communicate with key regulatory agencies, such as the Department of Energy (DOE), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as monitor regulatory issues on behalf of OPEI. He will be staff executive for the Electric Products Committee.

Ross has held numerous industry positions that made him an ideal candidate for the position at OPEI, according to Kiser. He previously worked as a regulatory engineer for handheld lawn and garden equipment at MTD Southwest, Inc. He was the truck and traffic manager for concrete mixers and pumpers at Schwing, as well as the senior business manager for mixers and refuse vehicles at McNeilus. He was a project engineer for electric and fueled utility vehicles at Cushman and the engineering manager for tracked vehicles at LMC. He has engineering expertise in mechanics, dynamics, hydraulics, electrical, CAD design and manufacturing.

Kiser said standards and regulations work is ongoing and of high importance to OPEI members. “We’ll continue to tap into the best industry experience available as OPEI continues to progress its technical, regulatory and compliance areas,” Kiser added.