Winnebago found its next CEO a short drive away, at the lawnmower company Toro.
The two companies, about 125 miles apart and on opposite sides of the Iowa-Minnesota border, said that Michael Happe, Toro's group vice president for residential and contractor business, will become CEO of the recreational vehicle manufacturer. He takes the job on Jan. 18.
Winnebago said in August, when it announced the retirement of CEO Randy Potts, that former chief executive Robert Olson would return to serve as interim replacement. But he stepped down two months later. The Forest City, Iowa, company then named Chairman Lawrence Erickson as interim CEO.
Shares of Winnebago Industries Inc. are up slightly with the broader market in Monday morning trading.
The Toro Co. is based in Bloomington, Minnesota.