Alumni Profiles

Mike is the founder and CEO of Wenonah Canoe. His interest in canoeing began during his time in the Boy Scouts. Whether taking trips in the Boundary Waters or competing in races on the Mississippi, he has always been a dedicated paddler. He credits his time in the Scouts with helping him develop the interests and skills he has carried into both his business and his life. He has received the Boy Scouts’ highest honor, the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award - an honor shared by a select group that includes President Gerald Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Walmart founder Sam Walton, Senator Bill Bradley, and director Steven Spielberg, among others.

Mike constructed his first canoe in his parents’ basement and garage while he was in high school. That first canoe is now displayed at the Winona County Historical Society. After graduating from Cotter and while studying Industrial Arts at Winona State, he rented a building downtown and officially launched Wenonah Canoe in 1967. As part of the Urban Renewal movement at the time, he was able to secure a loan and move to Wenonah Canoe’s current location off Highway 61, eventually growing the business into one of the world’s premier canoe manufacturers.

Along with his longtime partner Gene Jensen, Mike had a passion for building lighter, faster, and more efficient canoes and paddles. Wenonah Canoe has long been an innovator in using new materials and designs. In fact, roughly half of the world’s Kevlar canoes have been produced by Wenonah Canoe. Mike has also shown an ability to adapt to changes in the industry, expanding the company’s offerings to include kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. More than 60 years after building his first canoe, Mike still goes to work at the shop every day, continuing to lead the company.

Mike’s commitment to Winona is equally remarkable. He has employed hundreds, if not thousands, of Winonans and has kept a world-class manufacturing company rooted in the community. Wherever people paddle – whether on the Mississippi River in Winona, at a YMCA camp, at a northern Minnesota resort, or in a championship canoe race anywhere in the world – you are likely to see a Wenonah canoe.

Mike is also a tremendous athlete and a world-class canoe racer. His racing career began in the Boy Scouts, competing in races from Red Wing to Wabasha or Winona, and has since taken him to competitions around the globe. He has led demonstrations and taught canoeing skills worldwide. Mike and his daughters, Heather and Amy, both members of the Cotter Athletic Hall of Fame, each won national adult-youth championships in canoe racing.

In addition, Mike is an accomplished Nordic skier. He has completed the American Birkebeiner 45 times alongside his brother Gerry and is a two-time Worldloppet Ski Federation Gold Master, having finished more than 20 international ski marathons.

Mike’s family continues to be active in Nordic skiing. Heather, a physician, has served as the team doctor for the U.S. Olympic Nordic Ski Team, and Amy is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Youth Ski League, where she has mentored countless young skiers, including Olympic and World Champion Jessie Diggins.

Along with Brother Jerome Rademacher of Saint Mary’s, few individuals have done more to support trail access and competitive success for Nordic skiers from Cotter and Winona High School than Mike. In recent years, he has volunteered his time, workers, and equipment to help install lighting and snowmaking infrastructure at the Saint Mary’s trails.

Mike has also given generously of his time and leadership within the Winona community and has been involved in numerous civic development projects. He has served on the Board of Directors for Merchants Bank since 1998 and on the Merchants Financial Group board since 2003. He also served on the Cotter Board of Directors, playing a key role in hiring the school’s first president, Jim Devine, and helping guide the institution into a new era as Cotter moved to the Saint Teresa campus in 1992.

Mike’s father, Bob, is also a Cotter graduate, and he and his siblings – Gerry, Mary, David, Tom, and Jean – grew up in a family that valued hard work and community. Through his business, his promotion of outdoor recreation and competition, and his community service, Mike Cichanowski, along with his wife, Linda, and their family, has left a lasting impact both in Winona and around the world.

For his leadership, work ethic, generosity, and lifelong commitment to the outdoors, Cotter High School proudly recognizes Mike Cichanowski as the recipient of the 2026 Alumni Achievement Award.