How It All Started
When we moved to Norway, the plan was not to open a shop. Chris had spent over a decade working in powersports, with certifications from Yamaha and Polaris through MMI, but by then, he was ready to move on. He had started school for engineering and landed a job at BOSS. His goal was to leave the powersports industry behind.
Then the pandemic hit, and that job disappeared just as fast as it started.
It ended up being the push that changed everything. With no fallback and no shop to go to, he turned back to the one skill he knew inside and out. We got a sign made, opened up in the garage on Railroad Avenue, and started taking jobs. There was no marketing, no business plan. Just tools, a name, and people willing to give him a shot.
“There was no advertising or big announcement. Just solid work and people who noticed.”
The sign went up, and the calls started coming in.
From the start, he ran it all on his own. He picked up the phone, tracked down the parts, handled the repairs, and made sure every job was done right. People showed up from Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Florence, and beyond. Some had only heard his name through someone they trusted. They knew what kind of work he did before they ever met him.
Chris works on machines that matter to the people who used them. Routine maintenance, full diagnostics, electrical problems, upgrades, and engine repairs. He kept the focus on doing the job right and standing behind it.
He didn’t plan on staying in powersports, but when the choice came, he leaned into what he knew. It turns out this is exactly where he was supposed to end up.
Preferred Powersports started in a garage and grew one repair at a time. It was not the original plan, but it turned out to be the right one.
