Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) is a Canadian company that manufactures recreational vehicles.
It was founded in 2003, when the Recreational Products Division of Bombardier Inc. was sold off to a group of investors: Bain Capital (50%), the Bombardier family (35%) and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (15%).
The parent company of the former division, Bombardier Inc., was founded in 1942 as L’Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée (Bombardier Snowmobile Limited) by Joseph-Armand Bombardier at Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.
The newly formed independent company continued vehicle development in the same fields started 60 years earlier by its founder.
As of October 6, 2009, it had about 5,500 employees; its revenues in 2007 were above US$2.5 billion. BRP has manufacturing facilities in five countries: Canada, the United States (Wisconsin, Illinois, North Carolina and Arkansas), Mexico, Finland, and Austria. The company’s products are sold in more than 100 countries, some of which have their own direct-sales network.
BRP has multiple brands: Ski-Doo (snowmobiles), Can-Am motorcycles (ATVs and Can-Am Spyder and Ryker three-wheeled vehicles), Sea-Doo (personal watercraft), Lynx (snowmobile), Evinrude Outboard Motors, and Rotax. The Ski-Doo personal snowmobile brand is so iconic, especially in Canada, that it was listed in 17th place on the CBC’s The Greatest Canadian Invention list in 2007.
Traded as: TSX: DOO; NASDAQ: DOOO
Industry: Recreational vehicles
Founded: 2003
Founder: Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Headquarters: Valcourt, Quebec, Canada
Products: Ski-Doo, Can-Am (ATV & Can-Am Spyder and Ryker three-wheeled vehicles), Sea-Doo (PWC), Lynx, Evinrude Outboard Motors, and Rotax, as well as Manitou and Alumacraft boats
Services: Recreational Vehicle service
Divisions: Canada, United States, Mexico, Finland and Austria.
Website: www.brp.com