Don Pennings, as a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Aquatic Biologist involved in the state regulation of aquatic nuisance controls, saw a business opportunity and a chance to pursue his aquatic biology interests more directly.
Don began business with one application boat and one part-time employee. Today, Lake Management Inc. remains a family business operating in Minnesota and Wisconsin and employing five full-time employees and about ten seasonal employees with a few people employed part-time.
In 1987, Don discovered Eurasian watermilfoil in Lake Minnetonka and alerted the DNR and the media that this was an aggressive, invasive weed. While this weed is readily controllable, regrettably it has spread to more than 200 Minnesota lakes. Curlyleaf pondweed is another invasive, aggressive non-native species which causes substantial interference with aquatic recreation. This weed also is a controllable species.
Lake Management continues to operate in Marine on St. Croix under the direction of Mike O’Connell. In addition to the control of nuisance aquatic species in lakes, Lake Management maintains many golf courses and private ponds.