07/21/2025
2025 Rodeo Dedication: Polzin Family ~ Congratulations and well deserved!
BIO: You would be hard pressed to find a family who has made a greater impact on a community over the past seven decades than the Polzin Family. The contributions they’ve made, and the legacy they continue to leave, are unparalleled and unmeasurable.
From transporting cattle to grain to dog food to watermelons to airplane engines to we**ie pigs, the Polzin Family has hauled almost everything one can imagine, making sure their trucks were loaded up on the return trip home in addition to the original destination.
Trucking is a rich part of the Polzin family history and has been a staple for producers in Central Montana and beyond for over 50 years. Today, you will see M&P Livestock, M&P Leasing and RP Livestock trucks on the road daily.
It all began back in 1943 in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, when Raymond “Ray” V. Polzin started Polzin Trucking at the young age of 16. His operations began as solely a livestock trucking business. Ray married LaVonne, and they had three children in Minnesota - Perry, Linda and Brad.
Ray Polzin greatly expanded his livestock trucking operations when the family moved to Montana with their three children. Ray had fallen in love with the Big Sky State after going on several hunting trips with his friends. He got to know the Stanford area and local families well during these visits.
In the late 1960s, on a summer trip to Montana, Ray bought a ranch north of Stanford, using money from a modest inheritance. He moved to Montana with his oldest son, Perry, in 1969. Ray built a home in Montana, and LaVonne tied up items in Minnesota. Then she and the remaining two children, Linda and Brad, joined their family in Stanford in the Spring of 1971.
Shortly after the family had moved to Montana, Linda, at 17 years of age, returned to Minnesota to join Perry’s then-fiancé/now-wife, Mary, on a bus trip from Minnesota to Montana. Mary had just graduated from high school in Sleepy Eye. From Bismarck, North Dakota, to Stanford, Montana, Linda and Mary were the only two on the bus. Linda returned to Minnesota and married Kevin Wieland. They have been married for 46 years. Perry and Brad remained in Montana.
Perry and Mary (Goldschmidt) Polzin were married in October of 1971 in Stanford. For the past 54 years together, they have made a solid home in Stanford and have supported many individuals and charitable causes, including the C.M. Russell Stampede Club.
Perry and Mary have two children - Staci (Polzin) Miner and Ryan Polzin. Staci was born in 1973, and Ryan was born in 1977.
When Staci and Ryan were little, their parents Perry and Mary drove trucks together as a team. Eventually, Perry took over the family business dispatching trucks when his father.
Ray, retired to their family ranch north of Stanford. Ray’s wife, LaVonne, continued doing secretarial work for Polzin Inc. until her retirement.
When Perry’s son, Ryan Polzin, was 19 years old, he started driving trucks for the family business. It helped that he was also a self-taught diesel mechanic.
In time, their operations further expanded. In addition to the transport business and ranch, the Polzin family now also operates NAPA parts store, RPM Ag Supply, a truck shop and mechanic shop in Stanford.
Perry and Mary continue to run these businesses with the help of their son, Ryan Polzin. Ryan’s management responsibilities have increased over the years, and Perry remains active in the enterprises as well. Ryan has the help of his wife, Tammy Zier. She has worked alongside him in all of his roles for 20 years, especially in the sheep barn.
Perry’s bother Brad continues to drive trucks for the family business. Brad’s wife Janice had been a secretary for the family business years ago. Perry’s daughter Staci (Polzin) Miner has helped as much as she could, from lambing to occasionally getting in the tractor to rake hay. Staci and her husband Duane, a contractor, now reside in Billings with their two children, but visit often.
In summary, the Polzin family has provided jobs for hundreds of families over the years and has supported the local community in whatever way they could. Additionally, generations of Polzin’s, from here to Minnesota and places in between, have been able to experience agriculture and enjoy ranch life in Montana because of the legacy left by a young man who started a trucking business at just 16.
The CMR Stampede would not be what it is without you, and the CMR Stampede Club thanks you for everything you have done and continue to do for us.
