News
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 Lake life puts
wind in his sales
EVERYDAY PEOPLE
By RENEE RICHARDSON
Senior Reporter
 LAKE
SHORE - Eric Peterson grew up on Gull Lake
and while he makes his living via the water,
he doesn't spend much time on the lake's
surface.
Peterson, 39, grew up in the
lakes area. He graduated from Pillager High
School in 1988 before going to the
University of North Dakota for its
aeronautical program. Ever since he was a
child, Peterson said he was interested in
anything with an engine. When he graduated
from the flight program, jobs as pilots
weren't particularly abundant. So he got
into a sales position in Minneapolis for a
small company that built prototypes.
"I'd fly into small airports and deliver the
prototypes to the customer," Peterson said.
But his air career was cut short a few years
later when he had a seizure during
pre-operation for knee surgery. The seizure
meant he wasn't medically cleared for
flight.
"It was interesting, a year
later I went back to visit the doctors and
review everything just to verify and they
said they could find absolutely no results
or anything in regard to a seizure so I
could have continued the fly part of it but
the economy - even then with flight jobs -
was so poor I continued down the sales
avenue."
Peterson got a job with
Yamaha Motor Corporation motor sports
division and worked with the dealer network
to sell motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles
and snowmobiles. It was a job that allowed
plenty of travel and time to live in other
states. He did that for more than eight
years covering New Mexico, Arizona, northern
California, Oregon, Nevada and then
Illinois.
Living in Illinois with a
young family and a son entering school,
Peterson said the decision was made to
return to Minnesota in search of better
schools and a quality of life. Peterson
opened the rental business, Lake Fun Rentals
on Interlachen Road, also known as County
Road 77, by the Gull Lake public access near
Zorbaz restaurant.
An open air cabana
desk allows him to be outside and greet
customers as they arrive in the expansive
yard dotted with boats and watercraft.
Another small office is just inside lined
with framed photos and a large mounted fish.
This is Lake Fun Rentals third season.
The business started out with fishing boats,
canoes and Jet Skis, later adding ski boats
and pontoons.
"I grew up on the
lake," Peterson said. "My first job was at
Bar Harbor tying up boats at 12 so I've
always been around boats. I’ve always had an
interest in motorsports whether it be boats,
motorcycles or snowmobiles."
Running
a rental business was intriguing and it
allowed Peterson to have the personal
contact with customers he enjoyed. The
business typically comes from area resorts.
This year, Peterson said the weather with
its cool temperatures and rain days has been
more of a factor than the troubled economy.
"There have been more marginal weather
days than good days," Peterson said.
During the winter, Peterson continues to be
a contract employee for Yamaha's snowmobile
division taking customers on demo rides,
assisting with dealership training and
product seminars and demonstration rides on
new products and assisting with race events.
Summers mean working long hours, from 7
a.m. to about 9 p.m. Cleaning up equipment
before customers arrive each morning,
launching equipment and putting people on
the water, doing paperwork and then its
getting equipment back in and fueling up for
the next day.
"The only downside of
the business is it's seven days a week,"
Peterson said. "Basically from May to
mid-September you don't get a day off so you
get to the point where you look forward to
fall."
Peterson said the schedule
would seem tougher if he weren't working for
himself.
Sam Salutric, Carol Stream,
IL. was at Peterson's open air desk by 8
a.m. last week with plans for a pontoon
rental for the family. Salutric said he
picked Lake Fun Rentals after looking at
Peterson's Web site.
"And he called
me back," Salutric said.
Looking
back, Peterson said the decision to move
back to the lakes area and start a business
was a good one that allowed more time to
spend with family.
"I traveled a lot
and in the bigger cities but I'm glad to be
back here," Peterson said, adding he never
expected to move back here. "I think
sometimes you have to move away from
Brainerd to really appreciate how great it
is here."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be
reached at
renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or
855-5852. |
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