After 50 years at the helm, founding President Harold Mathers has retired from ZF Mathers. Mathers signed papers a year ago transferring ownerships of the company to ZF Marine, the world’s largest supplier of marine propulsion systems. Russ Polansky, formerly branch manager of ZFI Marine in Seattle, was appointed to head up the AF Mathers facility. As part of the agreement with ZF Marine, Mathers stayed actively involved in day-to-day operations until a smooth transition had been made. Mathers credits the company’s long history and sustained profitability to a team that includes a core group of loyal employees. He reported that he did not seriously consider a buyout proposal until ZF Marine approached him two years ago. “I expected to retire some day, but I wasn’t in any great hurry.