About Us

Hello and Howdy! I'm Joe Koeppl, founder and co-owner of Lake Cowboy! Welcome to the Lake!

At a very young age I became obsessed with all things horses and Cowboys. I was the funny kid you’d see at the mall riding a mechanical pony while wearing my cowboy hat, boots and shorts and sporting my toy six-shooter – and I'd ask my parents for a REAL horse almost every single day. 

When I was about seven years old, our family moved to Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota – what I refer to as “God’s Country." Two years after we moved to “Tonka” – the home of the original "Tonka Toys" – and after lots of pestering from me – my parents finally relented and got me a horse! My dad would drop me off at the barn at sunup, and my mom would come get me at sundown. It was amazing! I actually got to be a real "Cowboy." 

That same summer, my parents bought our first family boat, and that’s when I discovered my new love – Lake Life! I went from riding my horse, to riding the waves behind the family boat. Boating and sports became my passions all through high school and college. Summer days were almost always spent with friends tubing, floating and listening to music on Lake Minnetonka.

After college, I took a job in corporate America and moved away from Minnesota. Every time I would come back home, I would visit friends on Lake Minnetonka and realize I really missed those days on the Lake.

After 7 moves, 2 daughters and 1 dog over 15 years, it was time to move back to Minnesota and Lake Minnetonka. So I bought a house, a boat and of course – a Cowboy Hat!.

Summers were now spent creating memories with my girls and their friends out on the water, telling stories at the bonfire pit in the backyard, and mingling with my group of friends who I fondly refer to as my “Koeppl Krew.”

One summer a few years ago, there were concerts on the shores of Lake Minnetonka – Zac Brown Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and one of my personal favorites, Tim McGraw. Needless to say, I brought my “Koeppl Krew” out on The Lake with me all the time. Once I hit the boat, the Cowboy Hat would go on and It wasn’t long before my “Krew” gave me the moniker of “Lake Cowboy.”

What is the Lake Cowboy lifestyle? It's all about family, friends and fun on the water! it's about relaxing and making memories with your people. Its boating and floating while listening to country music from sunup to sundown. It’s doing the things that make you feel at HOME. 

I have soooo many fond memories of being on the lake with my family as a kid, with my buddies in high school and college, and now with daughters, my wife, Michelle, our golden retriever, Kallie, and my “Krew” of close friends.

In an effort to share this lifestyle with others, and after some encouragement from my wife and "Krew," I decided to create Lake Cowboy. 

I hope to run into all the Lake Cowboy lovers out there along the trail, at a dive bar listening to live music, playing bags on the wharf, or out on the water. 

We'll see you on The Lake!