The Toro Company Names Neal M. Lackritz Chief Technology Officer
New leadership role to align technology strategies and investments for profitable growth
BLOOMINGTON, Minn., October 20, 2026--The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC), a leading global provider of solutions for the outdoor environment, today announced that Neal M. Lackritz will join the company as its vice president and chief technology officer, effective November 2, 2026.
In this newly created role, Lackritz will lead The Toro Company's enterprise technology strategy with responsibility for accelerating breakthrough innovations and commercializing autonomous, alternative power and connected solutions. As chief technology officer, he will oversee the global engineering organization and the company's Center for Technology, Research and Innovation (CTRI). This structure will enable greater alignment across the portfolio, creating a more unified technology roadmap that prioritizes investments, streamlines platforms, and drives profitable growth.
"Built on a foundation of innovation and engineering excellence, The Toro Company has long focused on helping customers tackle their most important challenges," said Edric C. Funk, president and chief operating officer. "That commitment continues as we improve the products our customers trust today, while also developing integrated solutions that will define the future, strengthen our market leadership, and deliver added efficiency and productivity for our customers."
"I am excited to welcome Neal to The Toro Company and our leadership team. Throughout his career, he has built and transformed high-performing engineering organizations by uniting teams around clear priorities, shared technology platforms, and disciplined execution. Neal's collaborative leadership, passion for developing teams, and ability to build alignment across organizations position us well to advance our technology strategy, accelerate innovation, and create meaningful value for customers and shareholders."
Lackritz brings more than 30 years of technology leadership across automotive, robotics, outdoor equipment and consumer hardware, with deep expertise in autonomous systems, electrification, connected solutions and embedded controls. He joins The Toro Company from Whisker, where he most recently served as vice president of engineering with responsibility for engineering strategy and development. Earlier in his career, he was vice president of advanced development at Ariens Corporation and held senior technology roles at Genesis Motion Solutions, Apple Inc. and Bose Corporation.