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FOUNDERS |
BEGINNINGS
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FIRE |
REBORN |
NEW BLOOD
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Glen
E. Gutzman – A life-long resident of central Minnesota,
Glen was born in 1925 and graduated from Crosby-Ironton High School
in 1943. After attending the Army Air Corp training school, Glen became
involved with the National Guard, managing the Crosby Armory for
many years and becoming an accomplished pilot. In the mid-1950’s Glen began experimenting with
and marketing
aluminum-based air-sleds, predecessors to the Scorpion snowmobile. A
talented mechanic, astute businessman and salesperson, Glen
served as Trail-A-Sled, Inc.’s President and guided the firm's
sales and marketing efforts through
the company's eventual purchase by J.B. Fuqua. After the Fuqua
acquisition, Glen was involved in a number of business ventures, most
notably a successful gravel and ready-mix operation he ran until his
retirement. He now splits his time between Minnesota and
Arizona. Glen appears in the following images:
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Eugene
F. "Stub" Harrison – Born in 1906, Stub sent his entire
life on central Minnesota’s Cuyuna Range. Although poorly educated,
Stub was involved in a number of business interests, including a
modestly successful wild
rice processing facility he owned and operated for many years in
north-east Crosby. During
the off-season, he generally employed himself as an independent
painting contractor. Born with a craftsman's fine eye for detail and design, Stub
was also an accomplished taxidermist and sculptor. Serving as Trail-A-Sled, Inc.'s Vice President, Stub
provided financial stability to the fledgling company and his
association with Duluth-based entrepreneur
Jeno Paulucci was pivotal in garnering a crucial SBA loan to fund
the firm's rapid ascent. Heading Trail-A-Sled, Inc.'s fiberglass
operation, Stub also defined the
firm's unique look and
sassy designs - destined to become TAS staples in the years that
followed. Once the Fuqua acquisition was completed, Stub enjoyed a
few quiet years of retirement, remaining in his small single-bedroom
home and nurturing his love of the great outdoors. He also,
together with his son Dick, formed Harrison & Son, a successful
real estate development firm based in central Minnesota. Stub
succumbed to cancer in 1976. Stub appears in the following
images: - May 18, 1976 - 70 years - Stub appears in the
following images: 1 |
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Richard
E. "Dick" Harrison – The only child of Stub Harrison,
Dick was born in 1933 to a family of limited financial resources. Quickly tiring
of formal schooling, Dick quit school in the 10th grade to pursue a
career in trucking. Through his own initiative, he became an accomplished mechanic and
worked a wide range of odd jobs in Minneapolis and on the Mesabi
Range before helping his father refurbish
a neglected wild rice processing plant in northeast Crosby,
Minnesota. Dick’s exploits with
hobby air-sleds impressed Glen Gutzman and the two, along with Stub
joined forces in 1959 when Trail-A-Sled, Inc. was formed (with Dick
serving as Secretary-Treasurer). Dick’s mechanical and design
expertise birthed the firm’s patented rubber track and numerous
additional innovations. Following the Fuqua acquisition, Dick
reinvented himself as a farsighted real estate developer and through
Harrison & Son, he remains active in that capacity today. A
member of the
International Snowmobile Hall of Fame and recipient of the Allan
Hetteen Award of Merit, Dick now splits
his time between Minnesota and Florida. He, along with his family
are active participants in the burgeoning vintage snowmobile hobby. Dick appears in the
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