Edric Funk has been named as Director of The Toro Company's Centre for Advanced Turf Technology (CATT).
He succeeds Dana Lonn, who retired in June after 48 years with the company.
In his new role, Funk will have responsibility for leading a team of engineers, agronomists and product development professionals to identify emerging industry trends and develop the next generation of solutions that address the needs of customers, while bridging future technologies that drive sustainability, productivity and efficiency.
The CATT team works alongside customers, academic institutions and leading researchers to make progress in a number of areas, including autonomous operations, labour productivity, environmental concerns, such as emissions and alternative fuels, and precision turf management, including irrigation efficiency and soil moisture sensing.
Before joining Toro in 1996, Funk worked as a research scientist for the University of Minnesota. Since he joined Toro, he has held a number of positions at the company, beginning as a design engineer.
In 2003, Funk transitioned to product marketing and managed various product lines across multiple divisions. Most recently, Funk served as Director of Worldwide Product Marketing in Toro's Commercial Business.
Funk holds a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Minnesota, as well as an MBA with a focus on marketing and strategic management from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
"We are excited to have Edric's leadership in furthering the work of our CATT team," said Richard M. Olson, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Toro Company, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
"He will be able to apply his diverse background in strategy development, product management and engineering technologies to define CATT's future focus. His leadership style, strength in building relationships and constant desire for learning will serve Toro well as we help fulfil our mission to be innovation leaders," added Olson.
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