Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/437570
4 • December 29, 2014 • 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) DIGITAL SOLUTIONS MANAGER: Christopher Gerber DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR: Heather Brown 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) CEO: Marion Minor SR. VICE PRESIDENT/FINANCE & OPERATIONS: Gerald Winkel SR. VICE PRESIDENT/MARKET DEVELOPMENT: Joanne Juda-Prainito VICE PRESIDENT/POWERSPORTS, MARINE, BEVERAGE: Amy Collins AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Tim Morgan MARKETING SPECIALIST: Geoff Christ SENIOR SALES ADMINISTRATOR: Bernadette Wohlman CONTRIBUTORS: COLUMNISTS: Steve Dodds, Hal Ethington, Steve Jones CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Lisa Pelissier, Marjorie "Shadow" Kleiman DEALER ADVISORY BOARD: Hooksett Kawasaki-Polaris, Jim Whalley; Hacker's Yamaha & Honda, Rick Hacker; Honda/Polaris of Lubbock, Morris Baker; All Action Water Sports, Ray Leps POWERSPORTS BUSINESS (ISSN #1522-7944) is published 15 times per year – monthly except twice in May and December, the Market Data Book in September – by EPG Media, LLC, 3300 Fernbrook Lane N #200, Plymouth, MN 55447. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Free to qualified members of the motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile and personal watercraft industries. Annual subscription rate is $56 per year for U.S residents, $76 for Canadian residents and $96 for residents in other countries. All paid subscriptions must be paid in advance and in U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Powersports Business, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Visit www.PowersportsBusiness.com, email PowersportsBusiness@halldata.com, call (847) 763-9565, fax (847) 763-9569 or write to Powersports Business, PO Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CANADIAN RETURN ADDRESS: EPG Media, LLC, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J3. Publication Sales Agreement #40012332. EDITORIAL: All manuscripts, materials, photographs and artwork submitted are at mailer's risk and must include self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage for return. Send editorial materials to EPG Media, LLC, 3300 Fernbrook Lane N, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55447, 763/383-4400. No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited materials. Powersports Business is a registered trademark of EPG Media, LLC. Copyright 2014 by EPG Media, LLC. 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. Garden State Harley- Davidson moves into new 26,000 square-foot location Owner Bobby DiFazio has owned Williams Harley-Davidson in Lebanon, N.J., since 1999. That highly successful operation led DiFazio to purchase a second store within the last few years — Kosco H-D in northern New Jersey. In November, DiFazio celebrated the grand opening of the second store, which he renamed Garden State Harley-Davidson, in Morris Plains, N.J. "Williams has been a wonderfully success- ful and great-running dealership for the past 14 ½ years," DiFazio said. "I had heard that there was a dealership up in northern New Jer- sey that was looking to sell. I went and did my due diligence and thought I'd give it a shot. We stood in the old facility for roughly a year and a half, while I built this building." DiFazio had been renting while at the old Kosco building, but made the move when he found a building he could purchase. The 26,000 square foot location is "more conducive for better business practices," he said. The building had stood vacant for the past decade, and the interior and exterior walls remained in place during the build out. "I wanted to keep the old cinderblock look," he said. "I wanted to try to create a fac- tory industrial-type look, and I think that I've accomplished that," DiFazio said. "We have offices and there is a wonderful mezzanine upstairs where customers can drive in and wait for their services where they can sit and relax in a beautiful lounge area with WiFi available. It was important for me to recreate our new home." DiFazio says the location is key, with extremely strong traffic patterns in the Mor- ristown area, "and the motorcycle registrants in this area are very strong. I liked the fact that the building was available, and it was still in Morris County. I like the size, and I like the vision I had for the building to make it a beautiful dealership." Interest in the new location has been strong, and DiFazio likes what he sees when customers enter the dealership. "There's been wonderful floor traffic," he said. "The exciting thing to me is if you sit and watch people enter the building, you can read their lips and there's definitely that 'wow' factor." Fortunately, customers have been in a buy- ing mode. "Motorcycles, parts sales, general merchan- dise and service — we're firing on all cylinders right now. It's winter though, so it's a different business stream than it will be in our great rid- ing months," DiFazio said. "We'll have the holi- day shopping season, then we have our dreaded January and February here in the Northeast. But then Daytona Bike Week sort of sparks that enthusiasm, and it gets motorin' then." PSB Contributing: Marjorie Kleiman, aka Shadow, Thunder Press DiFazio opens another N.J. H-D store 200 companies already sign on for 2015 show The American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) has released its attendance num- bers for 2014, which were up from the inaugu- ral 2013 show. In total, 18,145 people made their way to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., for the Oct. 16-19 event. In 2013, AIMExpo recorded a total attendance of 13,219. AIMExpo 2015 is set for Oct. 15-18, and it will again take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. 200 EARLY RENEWALS AIMExpo announced that 200 companies have already renewed or signed on to exhibit in 2015. AIMExpo achieved 40 percent of its exhibitor total from 2014 less than 50 days fol- lowing the show. The second ever AIMExpo was a showcase of growth for both the industry and the show itself, further establishing the Orlando event as the premier industry trade show in North America. The addition of marquee exhibitors like Ducati, Kawasaki and Western Power Sports contributed to AIMExpo surpassing the 500 exhibitor mark, a growth of 28 per- cent, while more global and domestic product introductions and additional demo oppor- tunities at AIMExpo Outdoors!, ultimately resulted in a significant 27 percent increase in trade attendance and a rise in consumer attendance of 43 percent. "The overwhelmingly positive response from renewing companies and new exhibitors alike is a clear indicator that the market has spoken in favor of Orlando in October," said Mike Webster, Marketplace Events Trade Show Division president. "The AIMExpo platform significantly spread its wings this year and is now the largest show of its type in North America. What's even more exciting are the continued growth opportunities we see for 2015 and beyond." AIMExpo's recent announcement of a pur- pose-built showcase of homegrown brands and products known as Made in America is a sign of the growth opportunities that lie ahead, which will continue to expand as the progression towards the event's third year ensues. Booth space allocation for the 2015 AIM- Expo will begin in January with selection pri- ority based first on renewing companies who re-signed by the Dec. 1, 2014 deadline. After the renewal deadline, space will be allocated in the order in which a company contracted for 2015 exhibit space. Companies looking to take advantage of the AIMExpo platform should contact an AIMExpo account manager toll free at 855/MCShows (855/627-4697). PSB AIMExpo sees attendance rise 864,444 TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE 501 EXHIBITING COMPANIES 18,145 TOTAL ATTENDANCE 11,123 CONSUMER ATTENDANCE 3,068 DEALER/INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS 3,713 EXHIBITOR AND STAFF 241 CREDENTIALED MEDIA PROFESSIONALS 51 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED 842 POWERSPORTS BUSINESS INSTITUTE @ AIMEXPO PARTICIPANTS AIMEXPO 2014 BY THE NUMBERS Dave Waugh, director of sales and marketing at Yoshimura R&D of America, greets an attendee at AIMExpo in Orlando. (From left) Charles Robinson, Harley-Davidson district manager for metro NY/NJ and Nicole Yuran, Garden State Harley-Davidson operations manager, join Bobby DiFazio, Garden State Harley-Davidson dealer principal in celebrating the opening of DiFazio's second location.