Aron Cote was born and raised on LakeHolcombe. He spent his childhood on the waterfront and has always had a love of the water and boating. At age 12 he was cruising on the lake with a wooden row boat and a 6 HP Martin motor he had purchased by mowing grass for a summer.
Much to his father's dismay, Aron liked to tear apart anything mechanical to see how it worked. Putting it back together was the problem! By his mid-teens he was working out of his parents' garage on lawn mowers, snowmobiles, and outboards. Aron also enjoyed playing in a local dance band called the Lake Holcombe Playboys from 1976 to 1983 to supplement his income.
After graduating from LakeHolcombeHigh School in 1978, Aron attended MountSenarioCollege in Ladysmith, WI.While attending college Aron met Karen Palmer. After Aron graduated in 1983, Aron and Karen decided to stay in the Holcombe area and start a marina in his father's carpenter shop on the south shore of LakeHolcombe.
Aron and Karen's daughter Clarice is 19 and attends college in Melbourne, Florida. She is majoring in Ocean Engineering and is an avid scuba diver.She still works at the marina during the summer. Aron and Karen continue to own and operate the marina on LakeHolcombe. Aron is a Melvin Jones Fellow in the local Lions Club, plays in a local dance band, and enjoys acting in the local theatre group.
Andy Christianson, General and Sales Manager
Andy Christianson was born and raised in MarathonCounty. Every weekend of his childhood was spent in the beautiful blue hills area hiking, hunting, and fishing to his heart's content. Growing up next to a small creek, Andy discovered his love for wooden boats.Hours were spent building boats in his dad's workshop and floating them down the creek.In the late eighties, Andy found an old rotary mower engine lying in the chicken coop.With disbelief that the engine would ever run again, Andy's dad commented, "I'll eat my hat if that thing runs." Andy's dad soon ate his words and was surprised to see the motor in Andy's first wooden go cart.
Andy purchased his first boat from a good friend.It was a 1971 Alumacraft with a 7.5 HP Mercury.Andy fished every chance he could get!
Not long after, cars came into the picture.Andy started his winter auto racing career at the local flowage racing ovals every weekend on the ice.Between working two part time jobs and attending college at UW Stevens Point, Andy started building, engineering, and racing cars.After five years of racing, this career was set aside to start a new more domestic life.
In 2000 Andy married Angie Sonnentag.They have two daughters, Skylar and Raegan.They now live by OtterLake just north of Stanley.
Andy formerly worked for Swiderski Equipment of Thorp as Service Manager.Andy took another huge step in his career by accepting a position with Lake Holcombe Marina in February of 2006.He is now the Sales Manager at the marina.
Joe Roiger, Service Technician
Joe Roiger grew up in the Rib Lake area. He attended MedfordHigh School and joined the Army after his senior year. After an eight year career in the armed forces, he spent eighteen years doing carpenter work in Chicago.
Wanting to return to his home area, he moved back to Medford and worked at Weather Shield and the Larsen Cabinet Shop for a few years. He started working part time at Lake Holcombe Marina in 2003. He decided to pursue a career as a marine technician. After a rigorous training program in both Mercury and Yamaha motors, Joe as attained his Yamaha Factory Certification and is finishing up his Mercury certified tech program.
Joseph Polak, Rigger and Technician
Joe was born and raised on a family farm in Conrath, Wisconsin.He went to school in Ladysmith and after graduation he spent time out west working on the railroad and doing other part time jobs.
After settling down and raising a family in Conrath on his family farm, Joe worked in the Ladysmith area. He was a supervisor at Norco Windows and worked on a degree in refrigeration at ChippewaValleyTechnicalCollege.
After working in the plumbing and heating business for many years, he decided to work with his son Mike Polak in the service department at Lake Holcombe Marina. He also works part time as an independent marketer for National Company of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
He enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren.
