About Team Winnebagoland Powersports Center

The year was 1974. Nixon was getting himself into trouble, Hank Aaron was chasing Babe Ruth's home run record, and Cyril Van Zeeland was running a Ski-Doo, Kawasaki, and John Deere powersports store in Little Chute, WI. He had already been through the paces of business management with a gas station, a radiator repair shop, and a small-engine repair shop, but he was far from finished. In fact, he didn't know it at the time, but Cyril was on the brink of a legacy that would become the Team Winnebagoland we know and love today.

As a man of experience, determination, and proven success, Cyril was always on the prowl for a way to better provide for his wife and four children Lee, Mark, Joe, and Lu. By now, twelve men had been to the moon and Vietnam was coming to a close, thus presenting a world of opportunity for the Van Zeelands. It was at this time when "Cease" was approached by Kawasaki with an opportunity to open a second location in Oshkosh, WI. With family on the brain, Cyril opened Winnebagoland Kawasaki on County A. This is a Team Winnebagoland creation story.

Growth & Relocation

Before the new store could open, the building was in need of much renovation, a project that began right away. The dream was all too real! During these renovations, an interested buyer presented Cyril with another opportunity to sell the original location on Highway 41 in Little Chute. More money for the new building AND more time to spend with family? The decision was an easy one.

Starting fresh, Cyril opened Winnebagoland Kawasaki in 1975 with his son, Lee. By 1977, business was booming. Star Wars was in theaters, Apple Computers was getting its start, and Cyril's second son, Mark was hired on after his high school graduation raising the employee count to three. It was the beginning of a new age! In 1981, Cyril's youngest, Joe finished school, and they were officially all working together to build Winnebagoland and find "the next best thing" in the industry.

With four Van Zeelands committed to customer service and quality, Winnebagoland Kawasaki was growing fast. Cyril was then able to hand off much of the management duties of the business to his sons as he focused on expansion, adding a new warehouse and extra shop space into the mix.

By 1990 the business was doing well enough to acquire the Yamaha franchise from Fun Mobiles in Oshkosh and more growth was on the horizon. In 1994, the three brothers broke ground on the soil that Team Winnebagoland sits on today to construct the building you know and love. This exciting project earned Winnebagoland the attention of Polaris® Industries who presented an opportunity to add Polaris® ATVs and snowmobiles to its already successful Kawasaki and Yamaha franchises.