Life after death for Warrior Boats
There is a plan underway to continue the Warrior Boats brand, after the Maple Lake company closed its doors last year.
According to the Aug. 3 issue of the St. Cloud Times, three businessmen from Melrose joined forces with a professional walleye fisherman from Amery, WI, to bring back Warrior Boats.
Chuck Barth, Joe Hellermann and Al Leinen of Melrose and Dave Anderson of Amery, WI, purchased many of the Warrior Boats’ assets during a recent sale at the Maple Lake Warrior Boats facility on Highway 55.
The equipment sale was conducted in early July to make way for the sale of the building at the end of the month, but that sale did not occur as planned.
Warrior Boats was founded by Tom and Marge Latour in 1985 as Sun Patio, a pontoon manufacturer. But the name became Warrior when its high-end fiberglass fishing boats evolved into the staple of its operation. Warrior was later operated by Latour’s son, Troy; daughter, Bobbi, and her husband, Dan Klimek.
According to the St. Cloud Times, the new owners, who acquired the Warrior name and trademark in addition to manufacturing equipment, anticipate on initially producing a fraction of the 300 boats that Warrior produced annually. But the new owners hope to employ 10 people to produce perhaps 50 boats for 2012 at a location yet to be determined in Central Minnesota. The six most popular models will be produced, with prices ranging from $32,000 to $52,000 per boat.
Barth, 57, was on the Warrior pro staff for almost a decade. Leinen is co-owner of Rosa Lumber Company. Hellermann, 44, and the former owner of Melrose Marine and Sports, was a Warrior dealer. And Anderson, 56, is a Professional Walleye Trail Championship winner who has run eight Warrior boats in competition since 1997.
There is a plan underway to continue the Warrior Boats brand, after the Maple Lake company closed its doors last year.
According to the Aug. 3 issue of the St. Cloud Times, three businessmen from Melrose joined forces with a professional walleye fisherman from Amery, WI, to bring back Warrior Boats.
Chuck Barth, Joe Hellermann and Al Leinen of Melrose and Dave Anderson of Amery, WI, purchased many of the Warrior Boats’ assets during a recent sale at the Maple Lake Warrior Boats facility on Highway 55.
The equipment sale was conducted in early July to make way for the sale of the building at the end of the month, but that sale did not occur as planned.
Warrior Boats was founded by Tom and Marge Latour in 1985 as Sun Patio, a pontoon manufacturer. But the name became Warrior when its high-end fiberglass fishing boats evolved into the staple of its operation. Warrior was later operated by Latour’s son, Troy; daughter, Bobbi, and her husband, Dan Klimek.
More information appears in this week’s Messenger.