Greg Palen '77

Greg Palen has enjoyed a long and successful career as executive, entrepreneur and investor in companies spanning several industries. He has had more than 15 years' experience in leadership roles on corporate and nonprofit boards and a life time of experience volunteering.

Greg is currently active as Chairman of three diverse companies: Spectro Alloys, an aluminum manufacturing company based in Rosemont, where he has been involved since 1989, Botanic Oil Innovations based in Spooner Wisc, a pharmaceutical and food supplement company, his most recent venture that he joined in 2006, and Polaris Industries, Inc. that designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. He is a director of Valspar Corporation, a painting and coating manufacturing company and of Fabcon, Inc, a manufacturer and installer of precast concrete wall panels for virtually every type of structure. He is also a managing partner in Palen Property Management.

He was chairman of the Board of Regents of Saint John's University, 2001-2004 and an active member of the Board of Regents before that. He has also been active in a number of other organizations moving into leadership roles in his parish, in recreational organizations, local community charities, or those in which his children were active. He holds a B.A. from St. John's University and a M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota. He lives with his wife, Peg, in North Oaks, a northern suburb of St. Paul, MN. They have three adult children.