Business View Magazine | April/May 2022

119 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 Ice Castle Fi Y O U R H O M E I S Y O U R C A S T L E T he concept of “fish houses on wheels” has gained in popularity since the urge to ‘get away’ during the pandemic has skyrocketed. This soaring demand for these high quality RV-type options has positioned Minnesota-based Ice Castle Fish Houses to be poised for ongoing growth in the years ahead. The family-owned company, which is also known as American Surplus & Manufacturing, has sold more than 32,000 products through its nationwide distributors during the nearly 30 years it has been in business. After first being established in 1993 in a concrete building that housed surplus items for sale, and produced sheds and doghouses, the company caught a break in 1997 when its owners were asked to build 10 sheds on wheels. They sold right away and the Ice Castle Fish House was born. Ice Castle has pioneered many new and innovative features that have shaped the wheelhouse industry. By adding air conditioning units, as well as water and wastewater holding tanks, the fish house has been transformed into an All-Season RV. With more than 50 models to select from, Ice Castle’s fully customizable units include eight- foot high and 6.5-foot-high options that can be built to specification. Several traditional but still customizable RV models are available with all products representing ideal options for not just cold winter months on the lake but warm weather travels for camping. Today, the company is run by President Brett Drexler, who works closely with his father Jeff, the founder of Ice Castle Fish Houses. From its headquarters in Montevideo, Minnesota, 140 employees custom build and manufacture an average of 140 houses each month. All are sold through a network that includes more than 32 dealers worldwide. “There’s a great deal of interest in our products,” Drexler explains. “While the majority of dealers are in Minnesota or throughout the Upper Midwest, we have expanded to Tennessee, Colorado, and Utah. Demand has been so strong in recent years that it’s been difficult to further expand our dealer base. We’re getting orders in just as fast as we