Lake Life Powersports buzzes into expeditious expansion

There’s no crest in sight on the wave of success Craig Becker and Glen Hart are riding.

The lifelong friends are the owners of Lake Life Powersports in Lac du Bonnet. When the all-in-one powersports and marine dealership opened in February 2024, demand for its services immediately began outpacing what the duo had forecast, Becker said. Things haven’t slowed down since.

As a result, Becker and Hart expedited the construction of a new building that houses Lake Life’s main showroom and offices.

Staff moved into the building earlier this month and will celebrate its grand opening Friday.

“It’s a crazy story of growth,” Becker said. “We’re just overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Construction on the 21,000-square-foot building began last year. Lake Life’s 10-acre property also includes a 16,000-sq.-ft. parts and service building, plus two cold storage buildings that are each 16,000 sq. ft.

Located at Lac du Bonnet’s northern entrance at the corner of Highways 11 and 317, Lake Life is the area’s first Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) dealer.

The dealership offers a selection of watercraft, pontoons, ATVs, side-by-sides, snowmobiles and boats from top brands such as Can-Am, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Lynx and Crestliner, along with outboard engines from Mercury Marine.

Customers can purchase new or used vehicles, and the dealership includes a parts and accessories department for patrons looking to have their vehicle repaired. Lake Life also offers indoor and outdoor storage for boats, snowmobiles and trailers.

“Our first four days in business were the (Mid-Canada Boat Show) in 2024, and we sold 63 units in four days,” Becker said. “(We were) instantly thrown into the deep end of the pool.”

Becker declined to share Lake Life’s annual revenue, but said in 2024, when the business was open for 9 1/2 months, staff sold 586 units.

They sold 739 units in 2025 and are on pace to exceed that number this year “by a decent amount.”

Add to that the more than 300 service work orders Becker said Lake Life has open at any given time and it has amounted to the company now employing around 35 people during peak season.

Until earlier this month, Lake Life was operating out of what is now the parts and service building. Erecting a new showroom was always part of Becker and Hart’s five-year plan, but due to the volume of business Lake Life is receiving, they bumped construction up by two years.

Last month, BRP recognized Lake Life as Canada’s Sea-Doo dealer of the year — an honour it earned by outperforming more than 200 other Sea-Doo dealers across the country.

The owners credit their employees with the company’s success.

“We have a great team of people here,” Hart said. “Everybody does an amazing job and is passionate about what we sell.”

“That passion turns into care, that care turns into deals and those deals turn into customers for life,” Becker added.

Becker and Hart, who are both 44, understand that passion. They grew up near each other in Winnipeg’s Charleswood neighbourhood and have been buddies for four decades, forging their friendship while snowmobiling and cottaging at Becker’s grandparents’ property in Lac du Bonnet (which Hart now owns).

After high school, Hart worked as an aircraft technician before starting Hart Roofing and Renovations Inc.

Becker, meanwhile, spent 20 years in automotive sales, eventually working his way up to executive roles at Birchwood Automotive Group. He’s also a partner at Hart Roofing.

In 2021, the friends started talking about starting Lake Life. Around that same time, BRP — a Quebec-based company with the distinction of being the leading original equipment manufacturer in the North American powersports industry — wanted to set up a dealership in Lac du Bonnet.

Becker and Hart put together a business plan, submitted an application in December 2021, and were awarded the dealership the following February.

The duo’s business and automotive experience, combined with their passion for the powersports industry, stood out to BRP leadership, a spokesperson for the company said in an email.

“We have been extremely pleased with Lake Life’s performance, which exceeded our expectations,” said Nicolas Jacques, regional sales manager. “(Their) expansion is a testament to the strong momentum the dealership has built since opening.”

Five BRP executives and regional managers will be among the 500 guests scheduled to attend Friday evening’s invite-only grand opening, which Becker said will culminate with a fireworks display.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca