Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/511164
4 • May 25, 2015 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com www.powersportsbusiness.com Editorial and Sales: 763.383.4400 Subscriber Service: 847.763.9565 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dave McMahon 763/383-4411 (dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com) MANAGING EDITOR: Liz Keener 763/383-4413 (lkeener@powersportsbusiness.com) ASSISTANT EDITOR: Kate Swanson 763/383-4412 (kswanson@powersportsbusiness.com) DIGITAL SOLUTIONS MANAGER: Christopher Gerber DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR: Shauna Spencer MANAGING ART DIRECTOR: Dodi Vessels ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Andrea Schneider PRODUCTION MANAGER: Angela Schmieg PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Cherri Perschmann NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Allison Gruhn 763/383-4467 (agruhn@powersportsbusiness.com) NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Mark Rosacker 763/383-4433 (mrosacker@snowgoer.com) NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER David J. Voll 763/383-4421 (dvoll@ridermagazine.com) NATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Michael Kula 949/466-7833 (mkula@ridermagazine.com) CEO: Marion Minor SR. 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No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited materials. Powersports Business is a registered trademark of EPG Media & Specialty Information. Copyright 2015 by EPG Media & Specialty Information. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited unless expressly authorized by publisher. REPRINTS: For more information on e-prints or reprints from Powersports Business, contact Bernadette Wohlman, 763/383-4400 x2464. Printed in U.S.A. "Around product development, I feel like we won't stop recruiting. We'll constantly add new talent," Mohr said. But Küryakyn hasn't only relied on new hires to develop a more successful and product- diverse company. Mohr also turned to long- time employees, asking them to embrace the new Küryakyn culture. "The good part is looking internally, teams responded really well to it. The people that have worked here for 10, 15, 20 years keep telling me how Küryakyn became a better com- pany. That to me means a lot. Then the new team members seem to fit in great and really enjoy the direction of the company," he said. In an effort to increase transparency and communication and assure everyone is focused in the same direction, Mohr has implemented all-staff meetings to keep all 90-plus employees in the loop. "We have quality all-hands meetings to make sure that the staff all knows what's going on, so we all march in the same direction, have a clear mission, have a clear vision. All of this didn't exist, so we had to create that from scratch," Mohr reported. That open communication led the company to collectively create new vision and mission statements, which were finalized early this year. "For us with the changes last year, they've been a little bit bigger than the average com- pany, but the team managed really, really well. And I could see that there was a momentum that built up throughout the year where the team became more focused, and us getting all the tools, creating better communication, creating a better environment of transpar- ency helped tremendously to keep everybody marching toward the same goal," Mohr said. MOHR'S LEADERSHIP Though Mohr is quick to point out the improvements Küryakyn's team members have brought on since last year, he's humble about his impact. However, it's clear Küryakyn has undergone major changes since Mohr took the helm last January. Mohr brought to Küryakyn about two decades of industry leadership experience. He spent 16 years at Custom Chrome, where he was as president of Custom Chrome Europe before being promoted to president and CEO of Custom Chrome International. In 2012, he was named vice president of business development for Küryakyn parent Motorsport Aftermarket Group (MAG), before being tapped to lead Küryakyn in January 2014, as only the second president in Küryakyn history. What drew Mohr to the Küryakyn posi- tion was the company's history and reputation within the industry. "Innovation, speed to market and great customer service — those are always key at Küryakyn. Küryakyn has done a fantastic job for 25 years … these are some of the core values or core focuses that we're not going to change; we want to build on that. But that was already established, that was associated with Küryakyn like nothing else," Mohr said. Other Küryakyn attributes that stuck out to Mohr include the company's ability to under- stand its customers, combined with having people who can create new product for cus- tomers, including products customers may not know they want. "I was always a huge Küryakyn fan exactly because of those things," Mohr said. When pressed for how he has impacted the culture and success at Küryakyn, Mohr con- ceded, "The management team and the overall team had have a huge impact on us being suc- cessful. I'm sure I brought in my piece. I'm a motorcycle enthusiast; that helps. I have a good understanding of business and have been in a leadership position for the past 20 years, and so a lot of things come naturally. And then there's just things that I believe in strongly — communica- tion, team building is one of them, and they just seem to complement [each other] really well." When talking about how he sees business, Mohr conjures up memories of playing soccer in his home country of Germany as a child. "We were 7 years old, and there was a ball, and all the kids were on the ball. And then there were like one or two kids just hanging out somewhere playing with the grass. And the ball moves over there, and the kids follow. And a lot of companies do that, believe it or not. They follow the ball instead of being strategic and staying focused on what they're doing," Mohr explained. His goal in leading Küryakyn is to have his players strategically placed throughout the industry's playing field, ready to score. Though Mohr isn't one to tout his role in Küryakyn's recent success, others will. "I think he's been very successful in driving profitable growth at Küryakyn, and he's done that, I think in three ways," MAG CEO Andy Graves said. "He's expanded the Küryakyn brand with a very aggressive and robust new product development process. He's also lever- aged Küryakyn and some of the MAG Group capabilities, particularly by launching the Crusher brand of exhaust systems, and then I would say he's stepped out again by capturing a new consumer segment for Küryakyn with the Bahn brand and the Bahn product line. So I think it's impressive in the way that he's lever- aged Küryakyn's resources and the company's resources to really drive profitable growth in that way." MarCom manager Undria Davis, who has worked for Küryakyn since 2006, said, "It's the mindset that Holger brought to the company. I'll define it as building the framework, the foundation of the home. Each department is now doing that, in a way. So with Küryakyn as a company, it's 'Let's build the framework; what does that look like?' Then in product development it's the same thing; let's build the framework so we can get that machine going. Same with creative marketing and sales; every department is going through that same build- ing and restructuring process, making sure we're set up for the future growth we've laid out for ourselves." Communications content specialist John Galvin, a September 2014 hire, said Mohr is approachable, even though he's in a leader- ship position. "I think that helps as a company overall. I think people want to be able to go to their leader if they have an idea, or if they have a question," Galvin said. To that end, Mohr can often be seen grab- bing a seat with any group of employees in the company's cafeteria at lunchtime. "You can't always be there for everybody all the time, but I think in these days you've got to try to at least be available," Mohr said. "That's what I love about Küryakyn — since we outsource our manufacturing, the size of the team is relatively small, so you're actually able MOHR CONTINUED FROM COVER See Mohr, Page 6 HOLGER'S MESSAGE See video of Holger Mohr's reaction to being named the 2015 Powersports Business Executive of the Year at www.YouTube.com/ PowersportsBusiness. The Küryakyn staff worked collaboratively to create the company's new mission and vision statements.