Bio: Strangfeld, Larry - Powers Up New Business (2020)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Strangfeld, Trulen

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 11/25/2020

Larry Strangfeld Powers up New Neillsville-Area Business (2020)



Neillsville area native Larry Strangfeld has started his own busines, Larry’s Power Center, specializing in service and repair for all-terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, motorcycles and power equipment. Ryan Spoehr/Clark County Press

By Valerie Brecht

There is something gratifying about owning one’s own business and being one’s own boss. Larry Strangfeld has had the chance to do just that.

“I always wanted my own shop,” said Larry, who is from the Neillsville area.

Earlier this year Larry opened his own business, Larry’s Power Center. He specializes in recreational small engines. He services and repairs all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), motorcycles, and lawn and garden equipment. At around age 12, Larry worked on his first bike other than his own and he’s been working on vehicles ever since.

“I’ve always gotten a lot of pleasure out of taking a machine that was not running well and fixing it. I’ve gotten a lot of satisfaction in that,” he said.

Larry spent 40 years working at businesses on the south end of Marshfield, all the while doing his own repair work on the side. Twenty-eight of those years were as a sales manager for Craft’s Trading Center, which serviced and sold motorcycles, recreational vehicles and campers. Craft’s has since closed. Larry then spent 12 years as a technician at Power Pac, a power sports dealership that sells new and used ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles and tractors and also repairs those vehicles.

“[My work experience] provided me the education to do what I wanted to do,” said Larry. “Mike [Trulen, Larry’s boss at Power Pac] was always good about sending me to school, so I got a lot of my education there. He was a big promotor of training his technicians.”

Larry said that John Deere was the only brand that he didn’t specifically go to school for, but he still got exposure to it during his time at Power Pac.

About a year ago, Larry and his wife Cindy, moved from the city of Neillsville to Cindy’s family farm northwest of Neillsville at W1681 Granton Road, about a half mile from the farm where Larry grew up. Larry retired from Power Pack at the end of 2019 and spent the first few months of 2020 preparing to launch his business. He built a shop and set up his equipment. He opened for business June 1. The farm property turned out to be a strategic location, said Larry, because it is on the main route from the city of Neillsville to the ATV trail system, so a lot of ATV riders pass by.

Not only does Larry have many years of experience working on small engines, but he also takes a personal interest in ATV riding and other outdoor activities.

“I ride everything I work on here,” he said.

Larry helped to establish the Knobby Ridge Trail system in the Clark County Forest around the late 1980s and early 90s and continues to help with trail upkeep. He ahs also been president of the Midwest Off Road Trail Riders, the local chapter of the American Motorcycle Association since its inception. Additionally, Larry is the president of the Central Wisconsin Ice Racing Association. He and his family enjoy ice racing. Larry enjoys the camaraderie of the sport and seeing the kids and even grandkids of people he raced with who are now competing.

Unexpectedly, ice racing turned into another avenue for Larry’s business. He built tires for his kids to use when racing. Gradually word spread and other people requested he make them tires. Now, he keeps busy over the winter months building racing tires for motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs. He made over 200 tires last season.

With about five-and-a-half months under his belt, Larry said business has been going well. He said that even with the Coronavirus, things have been busy. Since people mainly just drop their vehicles off and come back to pick them up when they’re done, there’s not a lot of person-to-person contact.

“I’ve been luck in that I can’t really say that the virus has hurt me. I appreciate the people that have kept me in business,” he said.

He said he enjoys taking what some might consider a “vintage” machine today and fixing it so it works properly. He’s been able to see the evolution of machines over the years.

Technology gets incorporated into everything. It’s kind of nice to look back and see how far things have come. Machines are so much more reliable now. As technology gets better, it finds its way into the products we buy,” he said.

He also likes having a job that keeps him active.

“If I had to sit still all day, I’d go nuts,” he said. “I enjoy working with the people that bring stuff here. I’m happy – so far it’s been working out very well.”

Larry extended his appreciation to Cindy for all her help with the business, including ordering parts and doing bookwork.

For more information on Larry’s Power Center, contact Larry at 715-590-2945.



Larry’s Power Center is northwest of Neillsville on Granton Road. Owner Larry Strangfeld has more than 40 years of experience working on small engines. Submitted photo