When Joe Laurin began working in the Engineering Department at Polaris Industries twenty-nine years ago, he expected to stay in northern Minnesota less than five years. Then something unexpected happened; Joe Laurin fell in love! First with a lovely Strathcona girl named Anita, then with a great big beautiful lake called Lake of the Woods.

"I grew up a city boy in Chicago, but attended college in Winona where I worked at both a Polaris dealership and for a company that sold canoes," explained Joe. "After graduating, I had the choice of working for Yamaha or Polaris. I chose Polaris. In 19...