Who designed the "Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota" in 2025?
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Polaris has been designing some pretty amazing machines right here in northern Minnesota since 1954 — starting with the snowmobile that helped put Roseau on the map. Decades later, that same spirit of innovation continues to thrive, earning Polaris recognition from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce as the winner of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota 2025.”
Meet the Polaris MRZR - Military RZR
The winning creation wasn’t a snowmobile this time, but a powerful tactical military vehicle known as the MRZR (M Razor) — a rugged, high-performance machine built for mobility, versatility, and adventure. It’s a proud reminder that Minnesota craftsmanship is leading the way, not only on the trails but across the globe.
The MRZR Alpha Units are Built in Roseau, MN
The MRZR Alpha units are built in Roseau, MN so the win brought Polaris – Roseau a huge sense of pride. The MRZR is a light tactical off-road vehicle build for special operations and expeditionary forces. The MRZR Alpha comes with advanced durability and performance including a more durable chassis, a high performance 8-speed transmission, high clearance front and rear dual a-arm suspension, exportable power capability, up to 2,000-pound payload capacity, and maintained compact footprint & V-22 transportability to allow for air transport and helicopter transport. The MRZR Alpha can also be accessorized to operate in arctic conditions increasing its versatility.
Program Manager, Blair Johnson says “We are so incredibly proud to be recognized this way. The MRZR Alpha is the most capable light tactical vehicle in the world. It’s engineered for the harshest terrain, allowing customers to operate under full payload at a fast pace in austere conditions. It’s specifically designed for air transport and is configurable for different environments and unique missions, all while maintaining simple, intuitive operation. It’s truly an amazing vehicle and we leveraged the broader company in its development – from our off-road engineering expertise and manufacturing excellence – to design and build it in Roseau.
It’s an honor to “serve those who serve” and know that we are providing warfighters with such a great mobility asset. And a lot of that pride comes from knowing that nearly half of our team are veterans themselves, which provides even greater insight to mission demands and a greater level of customer understanding. We are proud to continue a 20+ year tradition of providing light tactical vehicles to military forces and allied partners globally." - Blair Johnson
Polaris have the MRZR Alpha on display in their front lobby of Polaris Roseau. Swing in to see it and take advantage of the manufacturing tours M-F at 2:00pm while you are at it!
