Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/208245
24 • November 4, 2013 • Powersports Business ATV www.PowersportsBusiness.com Meyer plows open door to new customers UTV and first-of-its-kind ATV plow designed for commercial use BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR The winter of 2011-12 was not the best season to come to market with a snowplow. Unfortunately, Meyer Products didn't know that before it entered the powersports segment with Parts Unlimited that year. With a horrible 2011-12 in terms of snow, and only a somewhat decent 2012-13 season, Meyer is still looking to gain traction in the industry. The 87-year-old company has come into powersports with two plows — one for ATVs and the other for UTVs. Both are designed for heavy-duty consumer or commercial use, opening dealers to customers they may not have dealt with in the past. "One of the things that our products bring is the fact that it allows [dealers] to penetrate markets that they previously couldn't. They were selling a product that was designed for consumer use, people were using it for commercial, and they were breaking it," Drew Aloisi, Meyer Products national accounts manager, told Powersports Business at the Parts Unlimited National Vendor Presentation in August. Meyer plows aren't designed to compete P24x25-PSB14-ATV.indd 24 with consumer plows already on the market. Instead, they're higher-priced, heavy-duty rigs made for those who use plows on a more frequent basis in a larger area. Because of that, dealers who carry them can pursue clients who don't already buy from their stores. "The dollars you can make with this are pretty astronomical," Aloisi said. "You're going to make more selling a plow than you are the unit in most cases, so profit opportunity, opportunity to increase the business, versus waiting for the consumer to walk through their doors. Here's an opportunity to call on local municipalities, colleges, [or] any place that's using a plow to make profit." What makes Meyer plows unique is the company can lean on decades of experience that began with its first plow in 1926. The company makes consumer and commercial plows for trucks, skid steers, tractors and commercial mowers, and Meyer did its research when entering the powersports arena. "We've worked very closely with the commercial customers. We've listened very closely to what they've told us. For example, on the ATV product, there was no commercial ATV product out there until we brought this product to the market through Parts Unlimited," Aloisi explained. Meyer also looked at the advancement that has occurred in the ATV and UTV segments and made considerations for the newer machines. See Meyer, Page 25 ww I K C o Id K st P th p o th 2 M ger tha des the Drew Aloisi, national accounts manager for Meyer Products, talks about the company's ATV and UTV plows with dealers at the Parts Unlimited National Vendor Presentation in Madison, Wis. 10/30/13 12:47 PM cia & Me Lo the the esp avo veh