Rich Kolbe
VP- IT
Briggs & Stratton

Rich Kolbe has been the Vice President of Information Technology at Briggs & Stratton since 2001. During this time, the company has changed its business strategy from being a component supplier to becoming both a consumer product and component supplier in the outdoor power equipment industry. During this same period, annual revenue rose from $1.5 to $2.6 billion. Mr. Kolbe has focused IT resources on assimilating three business acquisitions, developing a greater international IT presence, and aligning IT more closely with the business.

Previously, Mr. Kolbe was the Vice President of IT for four years at Giddings & Lewis, LLC, ten years as the senior IT leader at Harley-Davidson, and has held various management leadership positions for ten years within the IT group at Square D Company. Mr. Kolbe began his career in Information Technology by learning the basics of applications design and programming with CNA Insurance in Chicago.

As part of his community involvement, Mr. Kolbe chairs the Ability Connection, a group of IT executives from greater Milwaukee, that helps people with disabilities begin careers in Information Technology.

Rich Kolbe received his B.S. degree in Computer Sciences and Mathematics from UW-Madison, and his MBA in Systems Management from DePaul University in Chicago.