Kurt's Polaris Team received the Montana Snowmobile Association 2021 Dealer of the Year award. Back (L-R): Ryan Jorgensen, Bill Sterling, Jeff McLean, Cade Miller, Jim Braach and John Zell. Front (L-R): Sam Bristle, Gavin Richards and Curtis Friede.
Kurt's Polaris received a plaque for Montana Snowmobile Association Dealer of the Year. It hangs over their service counter. This was the second year Kurt's Polaris received this award from MSA. Owner Curtis Friede estimated it was in the mid-2000s.
SEELEY LAKE – The Montana Snowmobile Association recognized Kurt's Polaris 2021 Snowmobile Dealer of the Year at the MSA Awards Dinner and Banquet Feb. 5. This is the second time Kurt's Polaris has received the award. Owner Curtis Friede said it is a testament to his team and putting the customer first.
"It is never a perfect situation, it is just a situation, so you gotta deal with it," Friede said. "They just keep struggling forward and keep fighting for everything and try and take care of the customer. I'd like to thank them for that."
MSA gives out five industry awards annually to people that have gone above and beyond and deserve recognition. They are Snowmobiler of the Year, Snowmobile Family of the Year, Snowmobile Club of the Year, Groomer of the Year and Snowmobile Dealer of the Year. MSA President Fred Bailey said the nominations are anonymous.
Kurt's Polaris was one of two dealerships nominated this year. Bailey said it was selected for a wide variety of reasons.
First, Bailey said Kurt's Polaris offers a tremendous amount of support to the Trans Montana riders when they come through the Seeley Lake area. The Trans Montana Charity Ride is a snowmobile ride through "Big Sky Country" to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Montana (NAMI).
"Kurt's has always gone above and beyond to get those guys back on the snow again and get them to complete the ride," Bailey said.
Second, Bailey said Friede is very generous and supports MSA charities. Friede is also very proactive in keeping snowmobiling viable and keeping areas open.
"He is a vocal supporter of not closing areas, like [Senator Jon] Tester's land grab for the area around Seeley that he is trying to close off," Bailey said referencing the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.
"There are not many dealers engaged to help the MSA continue to fight and make sure we get our fair share of grant money and everything else," Friede said. "They just don't get involved and I've been involved since day one, for 30 plus years."
Finally, Bailey highlighted that people felt Kurt's Polaris's method of approaching customers is very good.
"People say he is an excellent dealership and goes above and beyond when someone buys sleds or gear or equipment from him," Bailey said.
Friede said this award means they are doing the best they can with what they have. He impresses on his team the need to take care of the customer. They came to Kurt's because either they need something, want something or can't get it fixed the way they want it anywhere else.
"There are a lot of people that come to Seeley Lake to ride but it is an opportunity to make a good relationship and to make a good impression on those people that come here from out of town," Friede said. "We try and set it up for not just today, it is about what tomorrow brings. If they are going to spend the money, we would like the opportunity to have them spend it with us."
"[Curtis] has just been a great supporter of snowmobiling in general and many aspects of it," Bailey said. "He is very hands on, very supportive of this kind of outdoor recreation."
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