Man and Machine Emerge as Heroes in Face of Natural Disaster; Polaris CEO Ordered Company's Machines To Front Lines To Battle Floods

    ROSEAU, Minn.--June 14, 2002--Sometimes even Mother Nature's worst natural disasters are no match for a community of strong-willed people. The 2,700 residents of Roseau, Minn., who were struck by an historic flood this week, have managed to save the local hospital, the school and the city's largest employer - a Polaris Industries manufacturing plant from catastrophe. They did it using the products most of them build everyday.
    Polaris, a manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, personal watercraft and motorcycles, employs 1,800 people in the area. As flooding began to threaten the Polaris plant and employees' homes, Polaris President and CEO Tom Tiller ordered ATVs and other work vehicles in inventory to the front lines. The machines were put in the hands of Polaris employees to use in sandbagging, earth-moving, dike-building, water-pumping and emergency transportation efforts.
    Seventy-five Polaris ATVs and a fleet of commercial All-Surface Loaders and Utility Task Vehicles are being used to build and strengthen dikes, transport sandbags and travel across muddy ground and roads - places trucks and large equipment can't easily access. Nearly 150 of the company's water pumps and 50 of their generators have been running day and night since Monday night, working to remove water from basements and provide electricity for people fighting the flood.
    "Polaris is one big family up here," said Tiller who flew to Roseau early Tuesday morning and worked side-by-side with volunteers through the day and night battling the flood. "When your family is threatened you take appropriate actions. Our primary focus right now is helping these people protect their homes. Roseau has a long road to recovery ahead of it and we're going to do everything we can to help."
    As the water begins to recede, crews of Polaris employees with ATVs, UTVs, pumps and generators are traveling house-to-house pumping 350 gallons of water per minute from employees' and residents' basements. They say they'll stop when the job is done.
    Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, Victory motorcycles, and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. Polaris is the largest snowmobile manufacturer in the world, and one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of ATVs and personal watercraft. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris(TM) apparel, accessories, and parts available at Polaris dealerships.
    Consumers can also purchase apparel and accessories around the clock online at www.purepolaris.com. The Polaris Professional Series, a line of heavy duty Workmobiles(TM) targeted at lawn and landscape companies, equipment rental companies and construction operations, marks Polaris' expansion into the commercial equipment marketplace.

    Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Pacific Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the company is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 stock price index.