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www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • February 15, 2016 • 5 "We're excited to add Neil's market expertise to the Garage Composites mix, which already includes experts in the F&I, parts, service and sales areas," said Sam Dantzler, co-founder of the company along with Tony Gonzalez. The company's 2016 schedule will include marketing workshops provided by Pascale, who is building separate programs tailored to specific-sized dealerships. POLARIS VP STEPS DOWN Polaris Industries Inc. announced that Todd Balan, vice president of Corporate Develop- ment, has elected to leave Polaris to explore other opportunities after six years of leading the Corporate Development team. Discussions regarding Balan's transition began mid-2015, ensuring a smooth and plan- ful transition. "We thank Todd for his contributions over the last six years, including the spearheading of 25 transactions and being instrumental in the strategic acquisition of Indian Motor- cycle," said Scott Wine, CEO and chairman of Polaris. "We wish him well in the future." Guido Neizert, managing director, Adjacent-Market Development, will serve as interim leader. NEW LINE FOR POWER 50 DEALER Maxim Honda Yamaha in Allen, Texas, a 2015 Powersports Business Power 50 deal- ership, has added Zero Motorcycles to its lineup and is now known as Maxim Honda Yamaha Zero. PSB HOT NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 case relative to particular issues that we might be discussing at the time." Dealers who participate in the various events or the Dealer Advisory Council also have the opportunity to network with other MIC members, including those representing OEMs and aftermarket companies. "What I've seen over the three years is there's become relationship building. That takes time, but certainly as you participate as a dealer member and you become involved in some of these activities, there are opportuni- ties to be building those relationships as you expanded your networking through this mem- bership base," Tuzee said. Althoff has also enjoyed metting other deal- ers through the MIC. "I've learned over the years there's great work being done by dealers in small towns and in large cities, and we can all learn from each other, and we can all be inspired by each other," he said. MIC dealership membership dues run $300-$3,000 and are based on a dealership's revenue. However, new for 2016, dealerships that participate in the MIC BankCard program, which offers credit card processing for Visa and MasterCard, will have their dues covered by the BankCard program. "We want every dealer to have the chance to participate and not let dues be the thing that might hold them back, so we have a way for them to have that comped, if they elect to par- ticipate in the BankCard program," Tuzee said. Harrison said being a part of the MIC affords her access to data that she can use in her dealer- ship, as well as insight into the MIC and how it helps her business. "There's no better way to support the indus- try, get good, valid communication on issues, and I'd say, have a voice within the industry," she said. DEALER ADVISORY COUNCIL Leading the dealership membership is the Deal- ership Advisory Council. The eight-member council, of which Althoff and Harrison are a part, is appointed by the MIC board, however any member dealer can raise a hand to show interest, if he or she is willing to participate. The council provides insight to the full MIC Board. The council meets twice per year in per- son and participates in about two conference calls per year as well. Council members have also made themselves available to the board via phone and email at any time. "It's just adding to the conversation and creating an opportunity for us to be looking at things holistically for the industry, and with- out that dealer voice component, not that we wouldn't still move forward on issues, but it feels like there's just a lot of momentum around these issues because the dealers are also saying, 'Yeah, these are the kinds of things that we'd like our MIC to be working on for us,'" Tuzee said. She added, "It's clear that our board is not only delighted to have our dealer members be as active as they are, but they're really engaged with them," Tuzee said. "The purpose of the Dealer Advisory Council has been all along to advise the board on key issues, and we're realiz- ing that, and so it's exciting to watch and to see that. In my opinion, it's accelerating the pace at which we're able to affect change because of their involvement." The council has already volunteered to help with a number of initiatives that the MIC will be working on this year. LOOKING FORWARD Among the MIC's goals for its dealership mem- bership in the future is to increase the number of members. "We definitely would like to have 100 per- cent coverage of the Congressional Districts, so as issues arise we're able to work with our mem- bers and have somebody right there that would have possibly more influence with legislators because they're a constituent," Tuzee said. To qualify to be a member, dealers simply have to have to have one brick and mortar loca- tion. Current members include large Harley- Davidson dealerships, other single-line shops, multi-line stores, P&A-only chains, off-road- only dealerships and more. Althoff said he understands if dealers can't afford the membership dues, but if they can make the commitment, they should join because each member adds to the strength of the group as a whole. "You're going to see more and more cooperation that's going to develop in our industry in things like this," he said. "It's important work. Someone has to do it; it has to be done." PSB MIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4