Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/485263
POWER 50 Ladies of Wild Prairie H-D and the American Heart Association take over dealership BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR Seeing red isn't necessarily a good thing — unless it's at a well-attended Go Red For Women event at Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson in Eden Prairie, Minn. Walking in, guests were greeted with red balloons and immersed in a world of support. The front of the dealership was full of people milling about, signing up for several heart-pumping door prizes and grabbing the "heart healthy" lunch that was provided in the lounge. The main display featured several Motor- Clothes items hand-selected for their color and a new 2015 Street 500 in dark wine red. Several bowls were set out with red wristbands and Go Red For Women pins featuring the signature Macy's Red Dress. Stephanie Cook, manager of MotorClothes at Wild Prairie, said she hadn't realized the seri- ous threat that heart disease posed to women until a few years ago. "I would shop at Macy's and see the Red Dress, but I didn't really know what it meant," she said. "I thought cancer was the No. 1 killer of women and then all these commercials were coming out and saying no, that heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 killer of women. I said 'We have to get involved.'" LADIES IN RED According to the American Heart Associa- tion's website, more than 200,000 health care providers have received Go Red For Women educational tools to use with patients, and this number continues to grow. In 2014, more than $36 million dollars was raised to aid women in the fight against heart disease and stroke. The funds raised by Go Red For Women activities also support research to discover additional knowledge about heart health. The Wild Prairie H-D event was used to not only target the female rider audience, but also to promote awareness of a disease that does not get the amount of attention it demands. Cook reached out to the director of Go Red For Women at the Twin Cities' AHA, Alyssa Siech, who agreed that the Harley-Davidson event would be a great opportunity to spread awareness. Wild Prairie and sister store St. Paul Harley-Davidson have both been Power- sports Business Power 50 dealerships the past two years. "We work at Harley; we want to show our support, and we want to support women being a woman rider — that's what we do," Cook said. "We had to join forces [with the AHA]. They said absolutely." Megan Hicks, a survivor of congenital heart disease, gave a talk on her experience with the AHA just before the fashion show. She reiter- ated how important it is to spread awareness of heart disease, which has become just as preva- lent as cancer. "Countless women are unaware of the risks or the threat that heart disease poses toward them," Hicks added. Cook agreed that she used to be one of those women and even lost a grandfather to heart failure. Cook wanted Hicks as a guest speaker and thought that women could benefit from hearing her personal story. "Having Megan speak is amazing because then people can see that this is a person who's actually been affected by this disease. This is who the money and the donations go to; that's what this is all about." "We're donating 10 percent of our sales to Go Red. I said 'I want this all month; I don't just want this on Feb. 28,'" Cook added. "I wanted the full deal, and I wanted to end this month with a bang." GROWL POWER Amid the crowd of red-clad attendees, several workshops were offered, so women could take charge of their health and the real love of their lives — riding. "What Harley wants us to do is reach out to other customers," Cook explained. "We have the 45- to 55-year-old male down; they're already coming in. They're going to come find us anyway. But women riders, I want those customers to feel involved as well. I mean I'm a lady, and I want to be able to hang out with other ladies." In addition to the fashion show, Wild Prairie offered three workshops. The sales department hosted "Spring Into Action," which featured details about the new 2015 models, including the Street 500. "That's a perfect little beginner bike," Cook said. "It's a good size and it's a great price point." Guests continued on downstairs for "Bright Lights and Bling," a session put on by the ser- vice department. Wild Prairie H-D staff demon- strated how to replace taillights with new LEDs and apply different accessories. "It's all about empowering yourself," Cook added. "You don't need to come to the shop for the little stuff, and you don't need a guy to do it for you." Back at the parts and accessories counter, "Upgrade Your Growl" educated women with tips on how to change pipes and exhaust to get a more powerful growl. Cook agreed that put- ting a little growl in girl power never hurt any- body. "A lot of women are a little afraid of their growl being too loud," Cook said. "They'll ask 'What is too loud?' or 'My husband updated his growl; can I too?' And our answer is 'Of course you can; let's get you going!'" As part of the event, Cook wanted to make The orange and black goes red for women 50 • April 6, 2015 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com A.D. FARROW CO. HARLEY-DAVIDSON FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS • ADAM SMITH'S TEXAS HARLEY-DAVIDSON • ADAM SMITH'S TEXOMA HARLEY-DAVIDSON • AMERICA'S MOTOR SPORTS • BERT'S MEGA MALL • BLACK JACK HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BLACK WOLF HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BOB WEAVER MOTORSPORTS & MARINE, INC. • BOBBY'S TERRITORIAL HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BOSWELL'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BREWER CYCLES, INC. • CENTRAL TEXAS POWERSPORTS • COLEMAN POWERSPORTS • CROSSROAD POWERSPORTS • CYCLE NORTH POWERSPORTS • DEL AMO MOTORSPORTS • DELAND MOTORSPORTS • DREYER SOUTH POWERSPORTS • FREEDOM POWERSPORTS • GO AZ MOTORCYCLES • HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF SCOTTSDALE • HONDA KAWASAKI KTM OF SANTA MONICA • JESCO MARINE AND POWER SPORTS • LOGAN POWERSPORTS GROUP • MALCOLM SMITH MOTORSPORTS • MIKE BRUNO'S BAYOU HARLEY- DAVIDSON • MONTGOMERY HONDA YAMAHA • MOSITES MOTORSPORTS • MOTORCYCLE MALL • MOTOS ILLIMITEES • NEW YORK MOTORCYCLE • NISHNA VALLEY CYCLE • RAY PRICE HARLEY-DAVIDSON | RAY PRICE TRIUMPH • REC-TECH POWER PRODUCTS • RENO KTM — NEVADA MOTORCYCLE SPECIALTIES • RIVA MOTORSPORTS SUPERSTORE • SHOW LOW MOTORSPORTS • SLOAN'S MOTORCYCLE & ATV • SOUTHBAY MOTORSPORTS • SOUTHLAND CYCLE CENTER • ST. PAUL HARLEY-DAVIDSON • STEAMBOAT POWERSPORTS • SURDYKE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • TEAM CAROLINA POWERSPORTS • TEJAS MOTORSPORTS • THE TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION • ULTIMATE CYCLE • WILD PRAIRIE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • WILDCAT HARLEY-DAVIDSON • WILKINS HARLEY-DAVIDSON 2014 POWERSPORTS POWER 50 DEALERS SPONSORED BY Main: Stephanie Cook (left), manager of MotorClothes at Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson, with heart disease survivor Megan Hicks (center) and Alyssa Siech (right), director of Go Red For Women. Wild Prairie H-D donated 10 percent of the sales of selected items to Go Red For Women for the entire month of February. Right: Megan Hicks, a congeni- tal heart disease survivor, spoke about how her life had benefited from the American Heart Association before starring in the dealership's fashion show. WILD PRAIRIE HARLEY-DAVIDSON See Go Red, Page 51