Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/561797
10 • September 17, 2015 • Powersports Business NEWS www.PowersportsBusiness.com Brink was recognized by Automotive News as one of the 100 Leading Women in the auto- motive industry in 2000 and as one of its Auto- motive All Stars in 2004 and 2008. In 2012, SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily recognized Brink as part of their class of "Game Changers: Women in Sports Business." She is a former board mem- ber of NBC Universal. WITH 115TH ANNIVERSARY AHEAD, HARLEY DEALERSHIP SOLD The House of Harley-Davidson, Milwaukee's largest and best-known Harley-Davidson dealer, is under new management as of Aug. 7. Former owner John Schaller has sold the business to Jeffery Binkert, of Lake Geneva, Wis., and his business partner Craig Winger, of Twin Lakes, Wis. "Jeff brings with him over two decades of experience in financial markets and sales man- agement, which will serve him well running a multi-faceted global company," said Schaller. "I feel confident that he will continue to build upon the success which we've earned over the last 22 years." Schaller will continue to be on staff at the House in an advisory capacity through the 115th Anniversary in 2018. Binkert will take over immediately as president, and Craig Winger will be VP and general manager. No other immediate staff changes are planned. "The opportunity to shift my energy and my career towards something I'm so passion- ate about is a dream come true," said Binkert. "Craig shares my passion and has done an amazing job serving his customers in the Har- ley-Davidson world. I am honored to be able to lead this iconic organization that John Schaller has led so well, and look forward to building on the legacy with the incredible potential of the existing team and the dealership." DISTRIBUTOR OF ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLE PARTS FOR SALE Liquid Asset Partners has been retained by Dixie Distributing and Dixie International (Dixie) to solicit bids for all the assets of Dixie in bulk. The famous Dixie was similar to a modern day Overstock.com, buying all the major manufacturer closeouts from 1940 until the 2000s. Pickers from across America would love the historical inventory of antique motor- cycle parts Dixie has, all in like-new condition. Dixie was founded in the 1940s as a major distributor of closeout motorcycle and manu- facturer parts for American, European and Japanese motorcycles. Purchasing companies in bulk and enor- mous overstocks direct from manufacturers and banks, Dixie amassed one of the largest inventories of motorcycle parts in the world, which it sold through a vast network of dealers and customers across the world. The current inventory value is estimated at over $25 mil- lion at catalog prices. In recent years, the company has moved locations and faced challenges for inventory management and modernization to keep pace with the growing online sales busi- ness. The current sale of the company is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for inves- tors, competitors and business owners to purchase a complete business with a huge inventory in bulk. Dixie was owned by Harry Denune, who passed away just over two years ago at the age of 90. One of the first things Denune did was purchase the entire stock of Harley- Davidson spare parts from the U.S. Army surplus after WWII ended, which is still on the Dixie inventory. "He would go just about anywhere in the '60s to buy huge quantities of parts from Europe and Japan. He was a master distribu- tor very early on, and everybody in the busi- ness knew it," said Ted Doering of V-Twin Manufacturing. The current company is for sale in bulk with all inventory, equipment, intellectual property and customer lists. The inventory is estimated at over $25 million at wholesale catalog prices (which are typically half of eBay prices). Dixie currently operates out of two facilities in Ohio and one in Florida, with a total footprint of nearly 600,000 square feet. PWC SALES GROWTH TICKS UP IN JULY PWC sales con- tinued their year- over-year growth in July, with unit sales tracking up about 10 percent for the 12 months ending in July, according to the latest Info-Link Bell- wether report. The Bellwether report tracks boat sales across the country based on new U.S. boat reg- istrations. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market (varies by market seg- ment and time of year). Sales were up in every boat category for the period, with the exception of sterndrive/jet, which was down about 5 percent over the last year. The sportfish segment showed the stron- gest growth, with unit sales up north of 10 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The outboard, PWC and ski segments were all up about 10 percent for the period. PSB HOT NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 PWC sales continued to improve in July, with 10 percent year-over-year growth.