Gary Gustafson is a Palmer man who works as a consultant for power sports companies all over the United States, and even international companies. He was recently retained as an expert witness in the international trial between Chrysler/Fiat and Mahindra Roxor, a company operating out of India. 

About the Trial

Mahindra Roxor is an Indian company that was creating vehicles similar in design to the iconic Jeep vehicles. Jeep’s parent company, Chrysler/Fiat, decided to sue the company on the basis of their infringing on design copyright. Being far from a cut and dry case, many appeals have been made since the original case, and the issue is ongoing.

Trip to DC

“The legal teams were phenomenal,” Gustafson said of his trip to DC. “Super professional, intelligent, and a credit to the profession.” 

Gustafson was called to give his expertise on the power sports field. 

“It was just blocks from the White House,” he said. 

He said that businesses have to be very careful to protect their product design copyrights, which was the issue of the case. Any failure to protect that copyright could set a precedent that the company doesn’t want. 

“Both companies have a long history of vehicle production,” Gustafson said.

Power Sports Consultant

Gustafson was called in as an expert witness due to his niche specialty. He is a highly-sought consultant for the power sports industry. He has been running his consulting firm for more than 16 years and has had more than 80 customers from all over the United States, and even a few international clients, including Bosch, Agro, Segway, and other brand name companies. 

“When I started 16 years ago, I think I was probably the only person working as a power sports consultant,” Gustafson said. “There’s a few more now.”

The field continues to be very niche, and Gustafson’s expertise makes him a commodity not only for consulting with a variety of companies on how to expand their businesses, but also when it comes to international trials between big name companies. 

A lot of the time, Gustafson helps companies to identify where they can expand their business. He has done a lot of work to help guide companies in developing new technologies to help power sports enthusiasts navigate and have the best ride possible. He’s helped companies develop some GPS devices and even a power pack that has the power to jump start a vehicle. 

Gustafson helps companies to identify ways to grow and the means to do so. He can often be found at riders’ events, polling the power sports community on how the feel about products and the field at large, and what they would like to see in the future. 

Long Time Resident

Gustafson and his family have lived in Palmer for 10 years. His five kids attend school in St. Cloud. He works with companies around the nation right from his home in the township. He currently does not have any employees, though he has done so in the past.