Dan Houg was born in December of 1971 on a Dairy Farm near Glenville, in south central Minnesota. Growing up, Dan did quite a bit of hunting and fishing on the Shellrock River and the property where he lived. In his teen years, Dan shot trap competitively with his father and two younger brothers and won two national shooting titles in the '80s. He was also Minnesota State Junior Champion of Champions in 1986 and was named to the Minnesota All-State Team 3 years. Dan is a life member of the Amateur Trapshooting Association, and currently shoots on the Isaak Walton Summer Trap League in Sioux Falls.

Dan went to college at the University of Minnesota, Waseca from 1990 through 1992, where he majored in Ag Business. Dan transferred to South Dakota State University in 1992 and graduated in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in Ag Business with a Marketing minor. In June 1994, Dan began his career as a Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He served as the President of the Sioux Falls Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors for 2005-2006. In 2007, Dan completed the final courses to become a Chartered Life Underwriter.

Dan and his cousin Mark Houg started Cold Snap Outdoors in 2002 to market their invention; the Cold Snap Auger Cover, for which they hold a US patent. Within 2 years the Cold Snap Cover made it onto store shelves across the Midwest and is currently sold as OEM equipment (marketed as the “Easy Snap” cover) by the popular ice auger manufacturing company Jiffy. The Cold Snap website, www.coldsnapoutdoors.com, has become the sportsman’s resource for new and unique products. Many of the products have been invented and are manufactured in South Dakota. Their specialty is new and unique products not readily found in other outlets.

Dan is also a Board member for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota where he enjoys volunteering his time to his board duties, fund raising, and wish granting.

(The pike in the above photo was released.)