It seems that the days of dedicating one’s entire career to a single company (ie. “the company man”) are long since behind us. According to US Department of Labor, the average American worker has 12 jobs throughout a lifetime, and averages about 4.1 years with a single employer (a long way away from 30 years and a gold watch at retirement). Well, believe it or not, those modern statistics don’t stick with some people, including Senior Vice President of Sales & Operations, Bill Jenkins.
That is, until now. After a stories 34 years with Kawasaki Motor Corp. USA, Jenkins has announced his retirement from the Big K, which started back in 1988. Since that time, Jenkins has climbed the ladder, helping build and grow the Kawasaki brand for decades. After 13 years as SVP, Jenkins announced yesterday that he’ll be retiring at the end of March. Read the original press release HERE:
Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA, Senior Vice President of Sales & Operations, Bill Jenkins, announces his intentions to retire on March 31, 2023, after a distinguished 34-year career.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Bill started his career with Kawasaki in 1988 as a District Manager in the Metro New York and New Jersey market, where he resided for 13 years. During that time, he achieved the prestigious Kawasaki President’s Counsel award nine times and was named District Manager of the Year on two occasions.
In 1995, Bill was promoted to the Eastern Region Sales Director, eventually transitioning to National Sales Director for the US market. In 2010, he relocated to Kawasaki’s headquarters in Southern California and accepted the role of Vice President of Sales.
“Kawasaki is a wonderful company to work for. I had amazing team members and industry’s finest dealer base. The powersports industry provided me the motivation to do the very best I could for the last 34 years and for that I’m very thankful,” said Bill Jenkins. “Kawasaki has an industry-leading team in place to continue our strong growth and the future is extremely bright. I look forward to watching the company and our dealers prosper for years to come.”
Helping lead the brand back from recession, Bill was promoted to SVP Sales & Operations in 2012, a position he held through his retirement 2023. As a avid rider and enthusiast, Bill also served as Co-Chair on the board for the Motorcycle Industry Council.
“We are very fortunate to have someone as dedicated to Kawasaki as Bill has been for 34 years,” said Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., President, Eigo Konya. “Bill’s tremendous positive attitude has provided strength for us in both good times and challenging times, and all of us at Kawasaki are extremely thankful for his positive energy. We are a family here at Kawasaki, and Bill will always be a part of the Kawasaki family.”
Kawasaki will continue its strong momentum in 2023, with riding season around the corner and multiple new model announcements later this year.
