Note: Hoffman retired as CEO on Oct. 31 but remains chairman. In his last year as CEO, he took home his largest payday mainly from a $16.2 million gain from previously issued stock options.
Hoffman has spent more than 39 years at Bloomington-based Toro, rising from a "mobile service representative" to the top spot. He was promoted to CEO in March 2005 and during his tenure the company's stock had a total return of about 400 percent, while the S&P 500 index during that time had a total return of about 77 percent.
Toro has grown organically during Hoffman's tenure. He also diversified Toro's product line through 13 acquisitions, including the $227 million deal for Boss Snowplows in 2014 that was the largest in Toro's history. For the year ended Oct. 31, the company had total sales of $2.4 billion and record earnings of $231 million.