ASV Inc. is a unique company that manufactures a unique group of products. The company is built on a strong foundation with roots that grow deep and are steeped in a heritage of pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit. Edgar Hetteen co-founded ASV with Gary Lemke in 1983. Hetteen, known by many in the snowmobiling industry as the “Grandfather of Snowmobiling,” founded Polaris Industries in 1945 and later founded Arctic Enterprises in 1961. Those companies today combine for annual sales of more than $1.9 billion. Hetteen was one of the very first inductees into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame.
Between 1968 and 1980, Lemke built a small snowmobile shop in Grand Rapids, Minnesota into one of the largest Arctic Cat dealerships in the country. Prior to establishing ASV, Lemke opened Marcell Manufacturing in 1980, building snow-grooming equipment and importing a Swedish snow-groomer called the Snow-Trac. In 1996, he was named one of the snowmobile industries 26 all-time leaders by Snowmobile Business magazine. In 1997, the St. Paul Pioneer Press named Lemke as Minnesota’s top entrepreneur.
ASV was founded on this mix of heritages, with both Hetteen and Lemke combining their notable strengths. Today, the corporation has grown and become stronger, though still looks back at the values on which it was based. ASV, Inc., with approximately 150 employees, is one of the largest employers in northern Minnesota. ASV is always looking towards the future, while retaining the characteristics and qualities that helped make it what it is today.
