Jan. 20, 2021

A financial services executive is the new owner of Soo Sports.

Brian Tordsen initially tried in 2008 to buy the Sioux Falls dealership that specializes in selling and servicing fishing boats. No deal was reached.

So Tordsen, who fished the Masters Walleye Circuit on the side, moved on and explored several other business opportunities.

About a year ago, the possibility of acquiring Soo Sports arose again. This time, a deal was worked out. Tordsen took over as owner and president Dec. 1, 2020, and he is devoting his full attention to the business.

“I think my fishing equipment will get a little dusty this year,” he half-jokingly said in a statement.

Tordsen said he’d always wanted to run his own business and had looked into about 10 opportunities during the prior decade – some opportunities more seriously than others.

Mark Slade of the South Dakota Small Business Development Center helped Tordsen explore four of those possibilities, including both of his runs at Soo Sports. He ultimately acquired the business from members of the Fred and Gladys Stauffacher family.

“Brian showed remarkable perseverance. When the project originally fell through, he kept his eyes open for other opportunities, working with the SBDC to assess the viability of other businesses that were for sale. Ultimately, this led him back to the Soo Sports venture,” Slade, now the state director of the SBDC network, said in a statement.

“He did things right, performing the due diligence necessary to review each opportunity, keeping his eyes open for other possibilities and not being afraid to walk away from a deal that did not appear to be a good fit.”

Soo Sports has been doing business for 51 years in Sioux Falls, most recently at 85th Street and Minnesota Avenue.

The business is known regionally for selling fishing boats and related boating accessories. Soo Sports sells Ranger, Lund and Alumacraft boats, as well as Godfrey pontoons. It also sells several brands of motors, and services all types of boats and motors. The company has a staff of 10 employees.

“The nice thing about Brian taking over Soo Sports is that he’s got a vast knowledge of boating experience, tournament experience and electronics experience, and that is very much needed in the industry,” said Troy Morris, who has known Tordsen about 10 years.

Morris and Tordsen competed against each other in fishing tournaments. Now, Morris calls on Tordsen’s dealership from Bismarck, N.D., as the regional sales manager for the White River Marine Group of Flippin, Ark.

“Brian is going to kind of specialize in the fishing field, which is what they typically sell at Soo Sports. A lot of dealers don’t have that kind of experience at their dealership, especially the owner. He can talk the talk and walk the walk,” Morris said.

He’s entering an industry that’s experiencing some positive trajectory.

Despite being a pandemic year, the retail sale of powerboats was expected to reach new highs in 2020, surpassing records set in 2019, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Tordsen also has more than 30 years of experience in banking and financial services in Sioux Falls and in other states. He and his wife have two adult children. Tordsen’s favorite hobby is not difficult to guess: fishing.

“I’ll probably get out some this year but not as much as normal,” he said.