Cozzy’s Polaris becomes Cozzy’s by Koehne

MARINETTE – After a 41-year tenure, owner and founder Mike “Cozzy” Costello is stepping back from Cozzy’s Polaris.

Chad Koehne, the new owner, first met Cozzy when Koehne moved his Chevrolet GMC dealership next door to Cozzy’s Polaris.

“We got to know each other quite well after I moved the Chevy dealership out onto the highway in 2015,” Koehne said. “We started to stop over by each other to talk about business and ideas and so forth.”

Koehne first spoke to Costello about buying the store in 2015, as he began planning for his retirement, but the plan wasn’t set into motion until this year.

“Cozzy would ask me, ‘When are you going to take it over someday?’ And I told him, ‘When you’re really, really ready, Cozzy, then you come and talk to me.’ And it was probably about in April that he came and said, ‘Chad, I’m really ready,’” Koehne said.

Costello, who is well-known for his community-focused approach, has retired in order to move north with his wife. However, Koehne says customers may still spot him at the store from time to time.

“He’s told me that I can give him a call and he’ll be here in a heartbeat to help me out, and he still wants to come on in and talk with his guests yet,” Koehne said.

“I told him he’s always welcome, and I’m sure both the employees and the community would love to see him,” he added.

The name “Cozzy’s” is well established in the Marinette community, and Koehne said he’s grateful to be allowed to continue to use it.

“Costello was generous enough to allow us to be able to use his name yet, so now the store is Cozzy’s by Koehne,” he said. “We’ll have our grand re-opening sometime in December, and the benefits will go to Marinette County trails.”

Cozzy’s Polaris is in the top 5% of Polaris dealers nationwide, and Koehne said he is eager to maintain that reputation — especially because Cozzy’s name is still a part of the business.

“I don’t see any reason why to make many changes at all,” Koehne said. “His people are wonderful. He’s got a great atmosphere inside the store. So at this point in time, I really don’t see major changes happening to the store.”

For Koehne, dealing motor vehicles is a family affair.

“I bought my first dealership in Oconto with my mother,” Koehne said. “Two years later, I bought a store with my brother in Marinette, which was the old Gustman’s dealership. In 2015 we built the dealership next to Cozzy’s, and I bought my brother out in 2020.”

Costello’s emphasis on community was part of what made his store so popular, and Koehne wants to continue that tradition.

“I need to follow in his footsteps when it comes to community service,” Koehne said. “He did a great job leading and creating an atmosphere for that community, and I want to continue on. I want to take his lead and keep on moving forward.”

Koehne will carry over some of the traditions from his Chevrolet GMC dealership, like his passion for Christmas charities.

“We do Shop with a Cop every single year as a GM store for Christmas,” Koehne said. “We also donate at the Rainbow House to all the families to make sure that they have a Christmas and a Christmas dinner, because I believe that everybody needs to be happy on Christmas Day.”

Although Koehne already owns a vehicle dealership, he said he isn’t concerned about taking on another.

“It’s a pretty easy transition to be able to manage them both because Cozzy’s main guy, Chum, I made him the general manager of the Polaris store, and he’s very familiar with the community and the products,” Koehne said.

In fact, Koehne hopes to continue to expand his presence in motor vehicle stores.

“I think that you have to always be looking to expand yourself. You can’t just stay neutral in today’s environment. You always have to continue to look for growth,” Koehne said.

Even as he looks to continue to further his business growth, Koehne said he still values face-to-face interactions with customers.

“Anytime I’m around inside the dealerships, I try to spend most of my time on the showroom floors so that I can introduce myself. Sales people introduce me to their guests. I think it’s extremely important that they know who I am and I get to know them all,” Koehne said.

When asked what he might say to long-time Cozzy’s customers who are concerned about the change, Koehne said, “Just come on in and meet us. Come on in and meet the team, meet me. You’ll like what you see. Nobody can be Cozzy other than Cozzy, right? We can still be friends on a different level.” He added, “We still have Cozzy’s employees and they’re all the same community-minded people with anchors here in Marinette.”