Business was created by Howard Lund in NY Mills

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

As the newest 2023 model Lund is introduced to the world, Lund Boats celebrates 75 years of production.

President of the company Lenn Scholz gave an inside look on what Lunds has planned for the milestone anniversary.

“The 75th anniversary is really wrapped around the model year 2023 product. The 75th is really a celebration of the Lund brand and all of the employees that have worked for the company and have contributed to its success over the past 75 years.”

Lenn Scholz, president of Lund Boats

The first in-person dealer meeting since 2019 took place in August at Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center near Alexandria, Minn. Scholz said that the start of the local celebrations kicked off at the meeting.

“We had hundreds of dealers come in for the 75th annversary dealer meeting. The celebration really kicked off on a pretty grand scale at the meeting,’ he said. “We had some new product to show off, we had boat demonstrations set up, there was a session on sales and marketing, and a deep dive on some of the product from model year 2023.

“The new product isn’t necessarily specific for the 75th, but the new product we are launching certainly resonates with the brand heritage and it was timed for a model 2023 launch. It is the essence of what the brand has become,” Scholz continued. “There will be some new product starting to roll through with the 75th anniversary badge that we will put on all the boats for the recognition of the anniversary.”

During the week of August 1, employees from the surrounding areas did just that. Another feature of the local celebrations included a random drawing of a WC16 Lund model 2023 for an employee of Lunds to win and take home.

“It is the first model year 2023 coming off that line and one of our Lund employees were able to take that home with them,” said Scholz. “That was the grand finale of the local celebration.

“We had the facility set up with boats down at Arrowwood, so we had an employee and family appreciation day down at the resort,” he continued. “Employees were able to come down for a picnic lunch, we had boats in the water for people to go out with their family. It was just a great opportunity for our employees to show their family what they do for us every day and get out on the water and experience some of the product they build day in and day out.”

As Brunswick/Lunds prepares for the upcoming year, the 75th anniversary of Lunds will be at the forefront of their mind. 

“As we get to the boat show season next year, the 75th anniversary will be a big part of our setup,” said Scholz. “As we get to summer of next year, we will include the 75th anniversary at Lund Mania here in town. That will be a really big celebration for the brand and the commuity to come together and wrap up the 75th and move onto the 76th year of production.”

The band Tripwire Fargo is already lined up to play in next year’s Lund Mania as part of the milestone festivities.

“Lund has been a staple here in New York Mills since the beginning,” said Scholz. “We’ve got a great workforce here in town and the surrounding areas. It’s a significant brand for Brunswick, our parent company. Its heritage and legacy go way beyond the product that we build and the customers that we serve. It extends to all of the employees in this region to support their livelihoods and allow them to raise their families here where the company started.”